Council Announces $24.4M for New Ittner Place Park Space, Launches Park-Webster Plan

What happened

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Oswald Feliz announced a $24.4 million capital investment for Ittner Place in the Bronx. The funding is intended to convert underutilized lots beneath the Cross Bronx Expressway into new community park and green space.

The announcement also launched the Park-Webster Neighborhood Plan, a Council-led planning study for the Park Avenue and Webster Avenue corridors and surrounding areas between Claremont Parkway and East 188th Street. The study will begin a community-engagement process on neighborhood investments and potential housing growth.

The key details

Of the $24.4 million total, $14.2 million was provided by Speaker Menin in fiscal year 2027, while $10.2 million came from the prior mayoral administration in fiscal year 2026. The money will be allocated to the Department of Parks and Recreation.

The department will work with Feliz’s office on the design. The announced program includes basketball and volleyball courts, a playground and a skate park. Feliz said the investment would support construction of three new park spaces, including courts and green areas.

The Park-Webster study will ask residents where new housing, including homeownership opportunities, could fit; which public-space and street improvements are needed; and how to support local businesses and job growth. It will also consider how future investment could build on nearby places identified by the Council, including the Bronx Zoo, New York Botanical Garden and Fordham Road commercial district.

The Council described the Park-Webster effort as the first in a planned series of neighborhood studies intended to develop community-driven visions across the five boroughs. The announcement places the study alongside the Speaker’s broader housing agenda, including proposals concerning affordable housing above aging libraries and as-of-right housing on vacant small lots.

Why it matters

The announcement pairs a defined public-space capital allocation with an early-stage neighborhood planning process. At Ittner Place, the stated goal is to reactivate vacant or underutilized space under the expressway through recreational facilities and green space.

For the wider study area, no specific housing sites, number of homes, zoning actions or approval timeline were announced. Instead, the Council said engagement will explore potential locations for housing and the investments residents see as necessary for future growth.

The study area has a stated connection to Midtown via Tremont Metro-North station, which the Council said is about a 20-minute ride, as well as access to open spaces, employers and Bronx institutions. Those factors are part of the Council’s stated rationale for examining further growth and city investment.

What to watch

The next substantive milestones will be the Department of Parks and Recreation’s design work with Feliz’s office, including how the announced park components and three park spaces are defined and delivered.

For the Park-Webster Neighborhood Plan, watch for the format and timing of community engagement, the geographic areas identified for potential housing or public improvements, and whether the study ultimately produces particular policy or land-use proposals. The announcement establishes a planning process, not a final development or land-use approval.