Sites will be selected based on community initiative and need. Eligible community groups can propose new plaza sites for their neighborhoods through a competitive application process. The City will prioritize sites that are in neighborhoods that lack open space, and will look to partner with community groups that commit to manage these spaces.

Partnerships will be essential to the Plaza Program. In collaboration with the Department of Small Business Services (SBS), NYC DOT will work with appropriate community-based organizations to establish long-term, formal partnerships for each plaza. These Management Partners (Partners) will eventually take on daily operation and management of the permanent public plazas, once they are built.

Applicants must be:

• Nonprofit organizations operating in any of the five boroughs of New York City;
• Incorporated in New York State and compliant with annual State and Federal filing requirements for nonprofit organizations;
• Certified tax exempt under Internal Revenue Service Code Section 501(c)(3); and
• Located near the geographical target area of the proposed plaza

• Design & Construction. NYC DOT will fund the design and construction of the plaza. Design will strive to create environmentally friendly public plazas that are appropriate to neighborhood context. Possible amenities may include tables and seating, trees and plants, lighting, public art, water features, and drinking fountains. To reduce liability, materials with low maintenance requirements will be prioritized.
  
• Capacity Building Support. In collaboration with SBS, NYC DOT has developed an arrangement that will provide eligible Partners up to $50,000 per year for a period of three (3) years. Funds will support personnel and training to help the Partners develop outreach campaigns, surveys, public workshops, programming and long-term funding plans, concessionary agreements, and organization development.
  
• Monitoring. NYC DOT will monitor the plazas.

• Outreach. Outreach to the public to gather relevant data and to ensure active participation in public visioning workshops.
• Design. Partners will be expected to participate in regular design meetings with NYC DOT and professional designers to design plazas that are appropriate to the neighborhood context.
• Maintenance. Before construction is complete, the Partner will enter a maintenance agreement with NYC DOT. The specific maintenance services to be provided will be outlined in the maintenance agreement. Maintenance may include daily sweeping and bagging of rubbish, watering of plants, removal of stickers and graffiti from street furniture and property, shoveling snow from pathways, etc.
  
• Programming & Events. To make the plazas vibrant centers of activity and neighborhood destinations, the Partner will be responsible for programming regular activities and events at the site, which may include food or craft markets, temporary public art installations or exhibits, music events, and so forth. Partners may be eligible to run a small concession on the site as well.
  
• Liability & Insurance. In addition to keeping the site clean, safe, and in good repair, the Partner will also be required to maintain insurance on the plaza, as outlined in the maintenance agreement.
  
• Partners will develop a sustainability plan that will outline the long-term maintenance and operations plan.

In addition to creating new public spaces, the NYC Plaza Program will strengthen the capacity of local organizations to help them become long-term plaza partners. To do this we are partnering with community-based organizations and the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), which will provide eligible partners with capacity building support.

Through public visioning workshops, NYC DOT and partners will develop a conceptual design that will be appropriate to the lifestyle and individuality of the neighborhood. A professional team of landscape architects will then base their plans on the conceptual design. Partners will be involved throughout the design process. Together, we will design them to be safe, attractive, comfortable and social public spaces. Once plazas are built, Partners will be responsible for regular maintenance, management, and programming of the plazas so they remain not only clean, safe, and attractive but also successful, active and well-used public spaces.

For round one of the NYC Plaza Program, NYC DOT will fund up to eight (8) projects.

The benchmark that represents an area well served by park space in New York City is 2.5 acres per thousand people. For playgrounds it is 1,250 children per playground Nevertheless, many New Yorkers live in neighborhoods that have an open space ratio of less than 1.5 acres per thousand. For example, residents in East Flatbush have access to a total of 4.8 acres of open space, or 0.09 acres per thousand people; and the neighborhood's 12,000 children share only three playgrounds. More than half the population of East Flatbush lives farther than a quarter-mile from publicly available open space.

The NYC Plaza Program is prioritizing new plazas in communities that lack sufficient open space.

Please read the guidelines before applying. To download the NYC Plaza Program guidelines or application, click on the following links:

Guidelines
Application
Employee/Board Info

Supplemental Information: As an appendix to the application, please use this template to provide a list of the organization’s employees and Board of Directors, as outlined in the application (section: Existing Organization Capacity)

• Tell others about the program Download the postcard
  
• Contact us: plazas@dot.nyc.gov