This would traditionally be called something like the Landing Lights Park Development Plan. But being in wiki format, it's hybrid status report / plan. But plan or report, it is a wiki, so if you have ideas, contribute them.

We'll probably need to apply some democratic principles and tools to the wiki's operation, as well as to the park's decision making process, as we progress. And where better to do that than on Democracy Island!

 

 

 

Background

 

With 398,000 plane movements in 2004, LaGuardia Airport is one of three major airports serving New York City. The 8 parcels that comprise Landing Lights Park were part of the original acreage carved out for LaGuardia Airport in 1937. In the early 1960s they were deemed unnecessary and deeded back to the city by the Port Authority, the airport's operator.

 

Six approach light towers remain in the 4/10 mile long park. Each 20’ tower sits in a 200 square foot plot surrounded by 10’ high chain link fence. The towers will remain vital for the foreseeable future.

 

From the air, Landing Lights Park might be seen as an extension of the airport's north-south runway, and in inclement weather, when the wind is from the south, planes fly low over the park area. Some have suggested the plane's proximity as a basis for not developing the space. But considered opinion reveals parks are seldom used during inclement weather. In good weather, Landing Lights is occasionally used by adjacent homeowners for such passive activities like picnics and dog walking.

 

Since the early 1960s, the park has remained largely undeveloped, covered with a grass lawn, two dozen small trees, a few dozen small (2'-3') boulders, and a baseball field.

 

Over the past 45 years residential housing, a church, school, and several commercial buildings were constructed right up to the edge of the 1937 carve out for LaGuardia's approach lights.

 

Today, 97 buildings border or have a view of the Park from their windows: 91 are residential (mostly one and two family, with a few 3-6 family), one church and primary school, four retail establishments, and nearest the airport, an Enterprise Rent-a-Car parking lot.

 

Two actions precipitated this project: the signing of a 35 year lease between the Port Authority and the City of New York for the continued operation of its two NYC airports: LaGuardia and Kennedy. In addition to annual payments to the city, the contract provided for a $100,000,000 Airport Lease Agreement Community Fund for local projects, for which a park development effort might qualify.

 

Second, the addition of a new section to the Landing Lights Park (the baseball field) via a intra-city agency land transfer to the Parks Department. The later action resulted in Queens Community Board 3’s Parks Committee holding a Landing Lights Park review meeting in September 2005.

 

Landing Lights Island originated at the SecondLife Community Convention held October 9, 2005 at New York Law School. Thomas Lowenhaupt, a member of Queens Community Board 3, was brainstorming with Philip Rosedale, SecondLife Founder and CEO, about ways SL could be used as a planning and governance platform when Landing Lights Park came to mind. Several opportunities became immediately apparent.

 

• SL offered a platform to design a model park.
• The SecondLife platform could serve as a magnet to engage local youth in the planning and governance processes, a longtime goal of the Community Board.

 

Shortly thereafter, Jerry Paffendorf, Democracy Island's project manager, indicated that a Landing Lights Park design and development project could utilize several resources from the Democracy Island Project he was developing:

 

• The modeling capabilities of SecondLife.
• The democracy tools being developed by New York Law School.
• The assistance of enthusiastic SecondLife and NYLS communities.

 

The idea quickly evolved into three related projects:

 

Modeling Project

 

• Create an "as-is" model of Landing Lights Park on SecondLife's Democracy Island. (Completion January 2006.)
• Design a tool set that would enable residents to create their own park models and review those proposed by others. (Completion March 2006)

 

Democracy Project

 

• Community needs definition. (Winter 2006)
• Public engagement. (To continue throughout project.)
• Design and democracy tool development. (Spring 2006)
• Community review, deliberation, and decision making. (Summer-Fall 2006)

 

Park Construction Project

 

• Presentation and support development. (Winter 2007)
• Acquire funds. (July 2007)
• Begin construction. (January 2008)
• Open park. (July 1, 2009)

 

To Do

 

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