Sunset Cove and Broad Channel American Park, located adjacent to one another in Broad Channel, Queens, serve as active community spaces with distinct uses—wetland conservation at Sunset Cove and recreational facilities at Broad Channel American Park. A boardwalk at Sunset Cove, constructed by WSP for environmental education, connects visitors to these restored wetlands. The parks share a single parking lot that experiences frequent flooding, rendering most of it unusable as well as obstructing access to the boardwalk. The lot has one entrance without a dedicated pedestrian crosswalk. Additional concerns include limited pedestrian and cyclist accessibility and constrained shoreline access, despite regular community use for fishing and walking.
This project aims to offer design interventions that mitigate flooding through improved drainage and grading, and to enhance multimodal access by establishing defined entrances and evaluating critical intersections along Cross Bay Boulevard for crossing improvements. In alignment with the 2026 Queens Community Budget Request, expanded greenspace will be incorporated to address community demand and improve overall park functionality. The ultimate goal is to make improvements that allow the community to utilize the park as they have been, while providing land developed enough for possible alternative recreational uses.
