Shore Front Parkway Adventure Course

The Shore Front Parkway Adventure Course offers the community a unique park designed to foster wellness and recreation. It boasts a wide array of amenities, including an obstacle course, adult fitness equipment, a playground, a pickleball court, native plantings, security lighting, a new water supply system, improved drainage, and shaded seating areas.

The project holds special significance as part of a broader initiative by NYC Parks to revitalize greenspaces along Rockaway Beach that were devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. McLaren provided civil and geotechnical engineering services for the transformation of a narrow linear stretch of sand and grass between Shore Front Parkway and Rockaway Beach Boardwalk. The remarkable outcome is 25,000 square feet of both passive and active recreational space. The project was completed ahead of schedule.

Geotechnical Investigation

McLaren provided a geotechnical investigation to evaluate the underlying ground conditions and percolation of the soil at the existing vacant site. This geotechnical program consisted of soil borings, identification and classification of soil stratigraphy, and soil percolation testing in accordance with the 2015 NYSDEC “Stormwater Design Manual.” Our engineers prepared a report for NYC Parks detailing the results of the investigation and our recommendations for the shade and seating structures foundation support and the pickleball court concrete slab-on-grade.

Design Development

photo credit: Google Maps

McLaren’s civil and geotechnical engineering teams provided design development services, bringing the design from conceptual to 100% construction documents. The drawings included plans for the new site’s grading, layout, plantings, pavement, and retaining walls. For the shade structure, McLaren provided foundation analysis and cost estimates.

Permitting

Grading on site was modified to direct most of the stormwater to planted areas, where it would be collected and piped to subsurface infiltration systems, thereby reducing stormwater runoff. McLaren prepared a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), obtained a Tidal Wetlands Permit due to the proximity of the construction to the Atlantic Ocean, and obtained NYCDEP permits for the site’s water supply and drainage systems.

photo credit: Google Maps

Utility design and permitting posed the greatest design challenge for this project. There was limited utility infrastructure in Shorefront Parkway to the north of the site. In addition, the site was located within the NYSDEC tidal wetlands adjacent area. Due to the limited sewer infrastructure and sandy soils that provided high infiltration rates, retention systems were designed to collect and infiltrate all stormwater into the ground below the park. These systems were designed in accordance with all NYCDEP and NYSDEC standards and included in the SWPPP developed for the site.

McLaren led the effort to obtain all permit approvals which included the NYSDEC Stormwater Construction Permit for Construction Activity as well as NYSDEC Joint Permit Application.