Malt Drive Park

Malt Drive Park is an expansive park along the Newtown Creek waterfront in Long Island City, Queens. Named for the former beer distribution center that once occupied the site, the 3.5-acre park extends the transformation of public space along the Queens riverfront into the mouth of Newtown Creek, where Queens and Brooklyn come together. The park embraces the water’s edge, leading residents and neighbors along winding paths, through immersive ecological moments, and down to the edge of Newtown Creek.

Long Island City has one of the lowest open space ratios in all of New York City, a disparity the park directly addresses. Malt Drive Park is a key piece in a network of waterfront spaces in Hunter’s Point South. The park expands public space from the adjacent Hunter's Point South Park by three and a half acres and extends public access along the shoreline by approximately 700 feet. It bridges connections between the new mixed-use development and the surrounding neighborhoods of Long Island City, connecting visitors and residents to retail along Malt Drive, 2nd Street, and 54th Avenue.

Every element of the design celebrates the surrounding water and its unique ecology. Multi-functional spaces invite visitors to linger, while nature-based infrastructure works beneath the surface to mitigate flood risks. Largely located within the 100-year storm zone, the park is designed to withstand flooding, filtering and dispersing the creek's surge through a salt-tolerant landscape.

The park embraces the water's edge on its own terms, leading residents and neighbors along winding paths, through immersive ecological moments, and all the way down to the shore of Newtown Creek.

The park features pollinator-friendly plantings that encourage habitat. Native plantings across the park include bald cypress, swamp white oaks, American hornbeam, and red maples, many of which are historically adapted to life at the water’s edge.

Malt Drive Park offers flexible spaces designed for the full range of community life, from the spontaneous to the deliberate. Seating areas across the park are arranged with diverse programming in mind: an outdoor classroom, social picnic areas, and quieter immersive nooks for those who come to slow down. Restaurants and retail are slated to move into the ground floors of the adjacent buildings, extending the energy of indoor social life outward into the park.

This active and immersive new shoreline will help the city adapt to a changing climate. The park design encourages visitors to feel a strong sense of connection with the rivers at the heart of New York City.