The push for gates at Washington Square Park has been a 20 year battle. Community Board 2’s Parks Committee held a meeting earlier this month to discuss this issue which was quite loaded: there is obviously a push behind the scenes to finally get this through now that there is a private conservancy in place. They even brought out George Vellonakis!
Notably even though they point to NYPD wanting this to change, they never are able to have the NYPD come and speak to this.
Tonight the Full Community Board will be discussing this. The public is encouraged to speak and attend.
Details below followed by the C.B. 2 Parks Committee’s resolution.
FULL BOARD
Thursday, 5/21 @ 6:30 PM– In Person at the Gould Welcome Center at NYU, 50 West 4th Street (enter off West 4th) – and via Zoom videoconference.To Register to attend via Zoom, please click here.
If you wish to attend in person, it will speed up entry to the meeting if you let us know you are coming by filling in your name here.
We accept both written testimony and live testimony at the beginning of our meeting, but please note that public speakers will be limited to 2 minutes or less at the discretion of the Chair. We recommend submitting written testimony, which will be summarized at the meeting, to ensure an opportunity for your voice to be recognized.
COMMUNITY BOARD NO. 2, MANHATTAN PARKS COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES & RESOLUTION RE: WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK GATES
PARKS & WATERFRONT COMMITTEE MEETING
May 6, 2026
The Parks & Waterfront Committee of Community Board 2, Manhattan, held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in person at the Gould Welcome Center at NYU, 50 West 4th Street and via Zoom.
The meeting covered one topic: Discussion about the installation of gates at Washington Square Park entrances to replace the police barricades.
Board Members Present: Rich Caccappolo (Chair); Susanna Aaron (Vice Chair); William Benesh;
Nina Chen; Chris Dignes; Benjamin Listman; Shirley Secunda; Eddie Siegel; Frederica Sigel
Public Members Present: Elizabeth Gilmore; Sharon Woolums
Public Members Remote: Coral Dawson
In total, 51 total people attended the meeting including CB2 Board Members Valerie De La Rosa (CB2
Board Chair), Carter Booth, Donna Raftery and Bo Riccobono.
There was one resolution resulting from this meeting.
1. Discussion about the installation of gates at Washington Square Park entrances to replace the
police barricades:
Committee Chair Rich Caccappolo opened by clarifying that the meeting was not a vote on or consideration of a specific proposal, but a community discussion about whether the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR) should replace the temporary police barricades currently used to close Washington Square Park (WSP) overnight.
He then introduced George Vellonakis, the landscape architect who oversaw, as a DRP employee at the time, WSP’s early-2000s redesign. Mr. Vellonakis provided historical context. He explained that the park originally had perimeter gates from roughly 1820 to 1870 and that permanent gates were included in the 2005 reconstruction plan approved by CB2. The gates were designed, at that time, to reflect the historic gates and complement the reconstructed fence, but they were ultimately removed from the proposal by the Parks Commissioner before the LPC hearing to reduce controversy surrounding other already-contentious project elements.
Will Morrison, Administrator of Washington Square Park and Executive Director of the WSP Conservancy, described the current labor-intensive nightly closure process. Because the park lacks permanent gates, the NYPD and DPR use standard NYPD metal barricades (often called “French barricades”) which are stored near entrances during the day. Each night at midnight, NYPD and Parks Enforcement Patrol officers manually drag and interlock barricades across the park’s entrances, including a 100-foot opening near the Arch, while smaller entrances are chained to fence posts
originally designed for gates. Despite these efforts, the park is often entered overnight, leaving maintenance crews to clean debris, needles, and overflowing trash each morning. Mr. Morrison noted that officials hope to replace the current police-heavy closure process — often involving cruisers with flashing lights — with something calmer and more procedurally simple.
Committee members and attendees, both in person and on Zoom, were invited to ask questions and share opinions.
Arguments in favor of new closure methods included:
• The current barricades are viewed as unattractive and inconsistent with the park’s historic
character.
• Permanent or improved gates would be more efficient and less labor-intensive for DPR and
NYPD staff.
• Better barriers could reduce overnight trespassing and improve cleanliness and maintenance
conditions.
• Historically, Washington Square Park once had gates, and many other NYC parks are gated at
night.
Opponents raised concerns about transforming the park from an open public commons into a more restricted or “militarized” space. Some questioned whether gates would meaningfully improve enforcement or prevent trespassing, arguing they would not address underlying issues such as homelessness or drug use. Others expressed skepticism about enclosing the large plaza near the Arch or argued that Washington Square Park’s unique history might support expanded public access instead of additional fencing. Several attendees also requested more information about crime, maintenance costs, enforcement practices, and how other NYC parks handle overnight closures.
During Business Session, the committee debated a resolution focused not on whether the park should close overnight — since it is already legally closed from midnight to 6:00 a.m. — but on how it should be closed. Proponents noted that the park is currently “closed but not locked.” Ineffective barriers allow people to enter overnight, leading to debris, needles, and overflowing trash that maintenance crews must clean every morning. Like all parks, WSP requires closure during nighttime hours to protect its horticulture, infrastructure, and overall condition. Without proper closure, the park remains vulnerable to vandalism and conditions that contribute to rodent activity. These issues not only impact public safety but also place an unnecessary burden on Parks staff and compromise long term maintenance.
Supporters argued that requesting formal proposals and cost estimates from DPR was necessary to move the discussion beyond abstract debate and allow the public to evaluate concrete options, including gates, chains, or improved barricades. Some felt more data was needed before proceeding and warned that gates could become merely symbolic “window dressing” that would not solve issues like homelessness and illegal drug use.
Discussion also addressed procedural issues, including the role of the Parks Committee, the Landmarks Committee, and the full Community Board.
It was noted that city agencies are often unwilling to prepare plans or cost estimates without a formal community board request. Ultimately, the committee agreed on a resolution requesting that DPR provide a range of proposals to replace the current system, with the understanding that any future designs would return for further public review before advancing. Our committee agreed that seeing proposed designs and cost estimates – including options ranging from gates, chains, or improved barricades – would allow for a more productive board and community conversation. That resolution is attached below.
Final note: the attendance of several major local news outlets (with camera crews) – including NBC,
CBS, PIX11, NY1, and Fox 5 – underscored the high level of public interest in the discussion.
Respectfully submitted,
Rich Caccappolo,
Chair, Parks & Waterfront Committee
Community Board 2, Manhattan
Resolution Requesting the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to produce and present
to alternatives to the French barricade system currently employed to enforce closure of
Washington Square Park
WHEREAS:
1. The policy of New York City’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is to close Washington
Square Park (WSP) each night, as is done with all NYC parks.2. DPR’s policy is to close WSP nightly from midnight to 6am (which is posted on signs throughout
the park) to enhance public safety, protect park infrastructure and manage resources.3. Trespassers are subject to a police summons and fine, though patrols typically just notify those
found in the park after hours that the park is closed and ask them to leave.4. DPR currently communicates and enforces closure at WSP by means of temporary French
barricades, typically locking them together and to the fences. At the Arch entrance on the north
side of the park where Fifth Avenue terminates, the opening in the fence, which is 100’ feet wide,
is secured by placing a long, interlocked chain of French barricades.5. The French barricades are not in keeping with the architectural design of WSP, which lies within a
historic district. The French barricades are often haphazardly stored when the park is open. They
are leaned against the fences next to the entrances during the day, they require personnel to install
and remove them each evening and morning and, when the park is closed, they are easily dislodged
and toppled when placed in the entrances, providing deniability to after-hours users who claim to
be unaware that the park is not open.6. Gates were an original element of the city-approved renovation design of WSP in 2005, but the
renovation project itself was seen as controversial by some members of the community and DPR
removed the gates from the final project as a means of compromise.7. The temporary French barriers have been used to close the park for decades, despite recognition
during the redesign of the park, presented and approved in 2005, that there should be landmarks
approved design features incorporated into the park design. Therefore, the temporary nature of the
French barricades allows landmark’s regulations to be circumvented.8. The question of installing a more permanent method for closure of WSP has been discussed at CB2
meetings several times since the park was renovated and new fences were installed, in or around
2005.9. This committee has discussed the need to enforce park rules, including nightly park closure and
means of doing so, in resolutions passed by the full CB2 board in July 2014 and April 2016.10. In the wake of the Covid era, WSP has experienced waves of disruptive behavior after hours that
have generated complaints to various City agencies, including the NYPD 6th precinct’s Community
Council and the Village Interagency Task Force. This behavior includes after-hours parties, music,
fireworks, sleeping overnight, and drug use, including drug overdoses, all of which have led to
renewed interest in the question of whether the existing chained temporary French barricade
closures are effective both at safeguarding the public’s enjoyment of the park and in
communicating that the park is closed.11. At the same time, Washington Square Park is renowned for its open atmosphere, lively groups of
people, music and artistic expression, and there is concern that gates would interfere with this
“vibe” that is so much a part of the character of the Park and the culture of Greenwich Village.12. The redesign of WSP in 2005 was meant to further integrate the park into the neighborhood, and
hence the fence around the park’s perimeter was intentionally kept of low height. That open feeling
should be reflected in the design of any park closure, with the goal of clearly conveying when the
park is closed and hindering entry without preventing it.13. Some members of our community believe that closing the park more efficiently, more effectively,
and in a way that is aesthetically more in keeping with the design will not address the broader
issues and underlying causes that lead to drug use and homelessness.THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT COMMUNITY BOARD 2, MANHATTAN
REQUESTS THAT1. DPR undertake the effort and expense to produce and present to the community alternatives to the
temporary French barricade system that is currently employed to enforce closure of the park that
align with the needs of DPR to operate and maintain Washington Square Park.2. These alternatives be sensitive to community concerns, which include safety, inclusivity, efficacy,
budget, and aesthetics in a historic district.3. These alternatives run the gamut from simple chains with a “park closed” sign to more substantial
and ornate gates that align with the historic design of the existing fence.4. In support of the need for more effective means of closing the park in the overnight hours, both
DPR and NYPD provide information and data that confirm the need for any form of blockade or
obstruction at all to enforce closing hours as well as the manpower used to install and remove the
French barricades each day and patrol the park each night because they are so easily and frequently
dislodged.5. DPR provide cost estimates and potential funding sources for each of the proposed designs it
presents.Vote: Approved, with 10 in favor, 1 Board Member (C. Dignes) and 1 Public Member (S.
Woolums) opposed, and no abstentions or recusals.