Source: NYC DCP
Freshkills Master Plan
structures nor to the site’s natural areas, including its wetlands, creeks, and fields. Some locals credit the elevated height of the landfill mounds with mi ga ng the damage the storm surges could have caused to the nearby neighborhoods of Travis, Bulls Head, New Springville and Arden Heights. Freshkills Park acted as a buffer to these communi es, with the mounds providing a wall and the wetlands absorbing much of the storm surge floodwaters.5 Following the storm, the park temporarily operated as a transfer sta on to aid officials and relief agencies clearing debris from around New York City. Due to the park’s ability to absorb or release much of the floodwater (unlike many of the city’s other shoreline areas), it be-
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came one of the few large open spaces that could be u lized as a waste management area in clearing debris from severely damaged communi es across the five boroughs. Lessons Learned The site’s history as a garbage dump and the s gma of the landfill likely kept the residen al developments on Staten Island’s western shore to a minimum, unlike the eastern and southern shores. Not only did the former landfill site act as a buffer from the storm surge, it also coincidentally helped to prevent dense shoreline development on Staten Island’s western shore as compared to its more developed, and damaged, eastern coast. The success of this site provides a valuable lesson about coastal development in floodplain areas and reaffirms
the wisdom of conver ng this closed landfill into a park rather than using it as a site for future commercial or residenal development. In the wake of the storm, DPR does plan to update the design of certain park components to further reduce the risk of flooding and damage to proposed buildings on the site. Certain structures will be raised above ground, while others, including park concessions and entry areas, will require for fica on to protect against any future floodwaters.