Roosevelt Park
Location
Buffalo, NY
Status
Pending Construction
Construction Completion
2025
Site Area
9.6 acres
Construction Cost
$5.3M
People Served
234,035
Design Consultants
MNLA
Special Features
Upgraded recreational facilities, field house, playground and adult fitness
Roosevelt Park is the second park project that New City Parks is partnering on with the City of Buffalo’s Division of Parks and Recreation. Based on the findings published in the 2021 Buffalo Parks Master Plan, NCP commenced work in 2020 on the community-led redesign of Roosevelt and Sears Paderewski Parks to address the lack of well-designed, safe, programmed parks for children, families and adults who live within walking distance.
Today, Roosevelt Park is a dilapidated, uninviting 9.6-acre recreational space that is bordered on its south side by the Kensington Expressway, a 6-lane highway, and the Kenfield Homes public housing complex beyond that. There are only two mature trees in the park. In addition, safety has been a real concern.
Working with partners including the City of Buffalo, residents of the Kenfield community, the Martha Mitchell Community Center (Kenfield Homes), the Charter School of Inquiry and local youth sports programming groups, NCP embarked on a design process to create a park that matched the community vision of the densely populated Kenfield neighborhood, allowing residents to reclaim their open space.
Once rebuilt, Roosevelt Park will provide a well-designed, safe, and programmed park with reconstructed passive recreation areas and a wide array of active recreation opportunities, including new basketball and tennis courts, a large multipurpose sports field, plus a modern playground, splashpad, and adult fitness area and two pavilions. The park will also be filled with green life that was not previously there, including native trees, shrubs, and perennials for stormwater mitigation and air-cooling.
Roosevelt Park Masterplan. Courtesy of MNLA.
Press
US Department of the Interior November 8, 2023 - Interior Department Announces Nearly $22 Million for Local Parks and New Actions to Increase Outdoor Access in Urban Areas.
Patch December 4, 2020 – Mayor Brown invites Buffalo residents to help shape future City Parks.
News 4 Buffalo December 4, 2020 – Mayor Brown looking for public input on developing Buffalo’s parks.
Community Partners
Algonquin Sports for Kids, Buffalo Urban League, Charter School of Inquiry; City of Buffalo Buffalo Sewer Authority, Mayor’s Office, and Department of Public Works - Parks and Recreation; Make Communities, Open Buffalo, Police Athletic League,
