Esdale Bridge, the rustic crossing between the Long Meadow and the Ravine, shows how slowly a neighborhood vote becomes something you can walk across. It won a District 39 participatory budgeting ballot in May 2022, and as of this fall it is still listed as under construction.
That gap explains what the western half of the park will look like through 2028. Most of the smaller projects along the Long Meadow came from ballots cast by Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Gowanus and Kensington residents years ago. The next round of ideas is being collected right now, in a window that closes Wednesday, November 18.
A Bridge Voted On in 2022
The 2022 results reported by Patch listed "Restore the Esdale Bridge at Prospect Park" with 1,107 votes and a $500,000 budget. The ballot described it as the rustic bridge "which serves as the entrance to the Prospect Park Ravine." That year, Council Member Shahana Hanif's office let residents decide how to spend $1.5 million on neighborhood projects. The bridge shared the winners' list with bathroom upgrades at PS 154 and a "Big Yard" project at PS 107.
On the Prospect Park Alliance capital projects tracker, dated September 14, 2026, Esdale Bridge sits in the construction phase. It is described as the historic rustic bridge "which connects the Long Meadow to the woodland Ravine," with completion estimated for 2027. If that estimate holds, about five years will separate the vote from the finished bridge.
The tracker explains part of the wait. Alliance capital projects follow NYC Parks design and construction guidelines and move through four phases: funding, design, procurement and construction. The Alliance says each phase "takes approximately one year," with construction time depending on scope. A $500,000 bridge restoration goes through the same four stages as a multimillion-dollar building.
District 39's Park Construction Votes, and Where They Stand
The Esdale timeline repeats across each Prospect Park capital project District 39 voters have funded since 2022. Together they cover some of the most heavily used ground on the Park Slope side: the Ravine entrance, the Bandshell lawn and the steep path past Fallkill Falls.
| Project | Funding approved | Amount | Status on the September 2026 tracker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Esdale Bridge, Long Meadow to the Ravine | Spring 2022 ballot | $500,000 | Construction; completion estimated 2027 |
| Lena Horne Bandshell lawn | Spring 2023 ballot | $250,000 | Funded or partially funded; not yet in design |
| Fallkill Falls path lighting and handrail | 2024 city budget, through PB | $750,000 | Design; construction estimated 2027 to 2028 |
| "Into the Woods!" accessible paths | Spring 2026 ballot | $500,000 | Funded or partially funded |
The Bandshell lawn shows how slowly a small project can move. Patch's April 2023 report described the winning proposal as restoring "the lawn surrounding the Prospect Park Bandshell with new drainage, irrigation, topsoil and grass for community use year-round." More than three years later, the tracker still lists the Lena Horne Bandshell lawn under funded or partially funded, the stage before design begins.
The Fallkill Falls project is the one that ties the park together. It adds lighting and a handrail to a steep woodland path that runs from Center Drive at the Nethermead down to the Long Meadow Ballfields. The Alliance calls it "a major pedestrian path connecting the east and west sides of the park." District 39 contributed $750,000 through participatory budgeting and District 40 added $130,000. The Alliance announced the funding in its August 2024 budget update. Construction is now estimated to start in 2027 and finish in 2028.
The newest item won in the district's biggest turnout. In Cycle 15 this spring, District 39 recorded 10,419 votes, which its council page calls the district's highest turnout ever. That total included 4,845 digital ballots, more than any other Council district. "Into the Woods! More Accessible Paths in Prospect Park" won $500,000. The Alliance describes the matching Nature Trails project as new accessible trails, improvements to existing trail segments, habitat-protective infrastructure, and wayfinding and interpretive signage. On the pace of the earlier projects, this spring's vote is likely to show up in the woods several years from now.
The Larger Checks Behind the Buildings
Participatory budgeting pays for the paths, lawn and bridge. The buildings along the Long Meadow are funded by other sources, mainly the Mayor, the Brooklyn Delegation of the City Council and private foundations, and they move on the same phase-by-phase calendar.
The Prospect Park Tennis House sits along the Long Meadow near the 9th Street entrance and has been closed to the public for the past decade. The tracker notes it was designed by the same architects as the Boathouse. A $3.6 million restoration, funded by the Mayor, the Brooklyn Delegation and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, will restore the roof and exterior tile, clean the stone facade and brickwork, and add public restrooms. The project is in procurement, with construction estimated from 2026 to 2028.
The 1920s Picnic House has $500,000 in City funding for roof repairs, restored stonework, brickwork and windows, and updated interior lighting, finishes and wiring. It is in design, with construction estimated from 2026 to 2027. The building is in regular use. The Park Slope Food Coop lists its December 1 general meeting at the Prospect Park Picnic House.
Litchfield Villa is the one western-side building project the tracker estimates will finish this year. With $1.5 million from the Brooklyn Delegation, the work restores part of the Villa's original brownstone wall, adds a new cast stone ramp, rebuilds the entrance steps and landing, and brings the interior vestibule up to ADA code. It is listed under construction.
Two more projects are farther out. Meadowport Arch, the wood-paneled passage onto the Long Meadow, has $1 million from the Tiger Baron Foundation and $250,000 from the Henry and Lucy Moses Fund. The work will go in phases: the north-side plantings first, then the south side, then the interior paneling, benches and new LED lighting, and finally cleaning and repointing the stonework. Construction is estimated from 2027 to 2028. The Third Street Playground has $3 million in City funding. Its design draws on other parts of the park, with a water play area winding through stone pavers like the Watercourse, a turf mound inspired by the Long Meadow, and a steel climbing structure modeled on the Ravine. It is also estimated for 2027 to 2028.
That puts several projects inside the same two-year window: the Tennis House, Picnic House, Meadowport Arch, Third Street Playground, Fallkill Falls path and Esdale Bridge. All of them sit on or next to the Long Meadow, which is also one of the park's three off-leash areas. The Alliance's posted dog-walking rules allow dogs off leash there from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., excluding the ballfields.
Where This Month's Ideas Go
District 39 has deep roots in participatory budgeting. Council Member Hanif's page notes that PB in New York City began in the 39th District, one of the first neighborhoods in the country to try it. Under the district's process, ideas are proposed in the fall. In the spring, anyone over 11 who lives, works or has a special connection to the district can vote, regardless of citizenship status. The page also offers a sign-up for residents who want to hear about becoming a PB delegate, the volunteer role that develops proposals into ballot projects.
The window open right now belongs to a separate process. The People's Money is the citywide participatory budgeting program run by the NYC Civic Engagement Commission, and it is not the same as District 39's Council PB. Its current cycle, the fifth, runs on this schedule:
- Idea generation, online or at an Idea Generation Workshop, from October 14 through November 18, 2026.
- Borough Assemblies in Winter 2027.
- Voting in Spring 2027.
- Implementation from Fall 2027 through Fall 2028.
Ideas can be submitted through the city's People's Money portal until November 18. Anyone thinking about a District 39 park project can look at the record above for a sense of timing. Esdale Bridge, voted in 2022, is due in 2027. The Fallkill Falls path, funded in 2024, is set for construction in 2027 and 2028. On that pace, a park idea submitted this month would reach the Long Meadow toward the end of the decade.
At The Kantha Team, we follow the Prospect Park work along Prospect Park West closely, because what happens on the Long Meadow shapes the blocks next to it. If you own a Park Slope brownstone and want to understand how the park's next few years fit into your plans, we would be glad to talk it through with you. Schedule a Consultation.
