Ruppert Park's Latest Redesign Adds Dog Run, Pleasing UES Board

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The city's latest plans to reimagine Ruppert Park include an option that includes a dog run, responding to neighbors' objections that the initial proposal lacked any play space for pooches.

Representatives from the Parks Department shared the new plans Thursday at a Community Board 8 meeting, a month after they first visited the board to unveil an initial vision for renovating the much-loved but awkwardly-laid-out green space in the heart of Yorkville.

In what Parks staffer Steve Simon called a "somewhat unusual" step, the city is now presenting two different options for Ruppert's $8.9 million redesign.

The first closely resembles the December plan, centering on a pair of passive lawns near the park's center; a relocated playground with new equipment that incorporates the park's natural incline; and accessibility improvements that will make the park more friendly to wheelchair users.

"Option B," meanwhile, includes all of those elements — but notably adds a dog run in the park's northeast corner. That same spot currently houses an informal dog run that residents on an unsightly, grassless patch.

Residents had been dismayed by the lack of a formal dog run in the December plan, saying it would deprive the neighborhood of a space for pets and also encourage dog owners to hang out in other parts of the park, leading to sanitation issues.

This time, most neighbors seemed pleased by the addition.

"This is so fabulous, I’m getting so excited," said Sahar Husain, a member of Muslim Volunteers for New York, which has long cared for Ruppert Park and led the push for its renovation.

Final vote set for February

Spanning Second Avenue between East 90th and 91st streets, Ruppert Park dates to the 1970s, and is showing its age. Wide concrete paths and metal fences divide the park into four quadrants, outdated play equipment limits kids' enjoyment of the park; hilly areas pose accessibility issues; and overgrown vegetation blocks sunlight and attracts insects, among other problems.

Some dissenting residents at Thursday's meeting argued that the one-acre park should be devoted entirely to children and families rather than dogs, given the Upper East Side's dearth of green space. At 1,750 square feet, Ruppert's dog run would be considerably smaller than those in other parks like Bull Moose on the Upper West Side or Corlears Hook on the Lower East Side.

To add the dog run to its plan, the Parks Department moved the empty space that had been reserved for a not-yet-funded comfort station from the park's northeast to southeast corner.

Other small changes from the initial plan include redesigning the four-foot fence that will separate the park's playground from its lawn area, allowing it to "intertwine" with vegetation rather than blocking views from a walking path.

The board's parks committee ultimately voted 5-2 to endorse the dog run plan, and the full community board will vote next month whether to recommend the project. The renovations will take about a year once construction begins, but it is not clear when that will be.

The park occupies the former site of the Jacob Ruppert & Company brewery, which closed in 1965 and was replaced by the Ruppert Towers apartment complex — as well as the park, which opened in 1979.

Previous coverage:

• Design Unveiled For Upper East Side's New Ruppert Park: See It
• Upper East Side's Ruppert Park To Get Major Renovation
• Ruppert Park's Big Renovation On UES Gets $8.9M Boost