Green Street Park: A History of Ownership and Status as Federal and State Protected Land

LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF GREEN STREET PARK (SEE LINK BELOW--INCLUDES RELEVANT PUBLIC DOCUMENTS!)

In 1982, the Borough of Wilkinsburg was awarded a National Park Service (PA DCNR) Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant to improve and maintain the Green Street Park land for open space and outdoor recreational use. While the 1982 LWCF agreement officially secured the property as a protected public space, the use of Green Street Park by the community can be traced back to its purchase by the Wilkinsburg School District in 1905.  

Property ownership of Green Street Park was officially transferred from the Wilkinsburg School District to the Borough of Wilkinsburg in 1957.  The 1982 LWCF grant was awarded to the Borough of Wilkinsburg for park improvements.  The Wilkinsburg School District, however, sold the property to Akator Construction, LLC in July of 2015 for $71,000.  While the ownership of the park property at the time of sale remains questionable, the direct violation of the laws prohibiting the sale and transfer of designated public land as per the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCFA) and Donated and Designated Property Act (DDPA) is clear and of tremendous concern.  Given the provisions of the 1982 LWCF agreement, the Borough of Wilkinsburg and Wilkinsburg School District did not have the right to sell the property to a developer AND do not have the right to rezone the property for private development.

On January 28th, 2016, PA Governor Tom Wolf announced a $28 million Department of Conservation and Natural Resources investment to improve recreation and community revitalization efforts across Pennsylvania. "Our communities thrive economically when people want to stay and businesses want to grow, and these beautiful public spaces and new recreational areas help improve the quality of life across our commonwealth," stated Wolf.

Friends of Green Street Park questions why the park, as an existing public space designated through federal LWCF grant funding, is at risk of illegal development with the intent for private use at a time when the PA DCNR is dispensing similar assistance in vast quantities for statewide community revitalization efforts elsewhere.  In response to Governor Wolf's statement, we are eager to learn more about the plans which exist to ensure that revitalized community spaces can remain protected and designated for public use in the future.  

We look forward to helping the Borough Council understand that our park belongs to the people and, as a dedicated public green space, can continue to play a critical role in helping stabilize our neighborhood and building a more livable Wilkinsburg community.  As an alternative to unnecessary and illegal development, we hope to collaborate with the Borough on a design for Green Street Park as a public space which could instead advocate environmental equity, build community, improve public health, advance social justice--AND promote economic growth.  

View relevant public documents and learn more about the history and legal status of Green Street Park here: 

Green Street Park: A History of Ownership and Status as Federal and State Protected Land

PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, announcing the $28 million DCNR investment towards 176 community revitalization efforts in January of 2016.  The projects receiving the assistance will help support new recreational opportunities, conserve natural resources, and help revitalize communities.