Mixed-Use and Commercial
Corporate Commons Three
Staten Island, NY
2015-present
Being Here spearheaded the planning and design of a sustainable site for this award-winning mixed-use development on Staten Island.
Accessible Spaces
Toward Accessible Historic Streetscapes
New York City
2017
Being Here was commissioned to explore how New York City can ensure its historic Belgian block streets are accessible for all, while pioneering best practices to steward place-defining pavements.
Crawford Park Accessibility Improvements and Sensory Garden
Rye Brook, NY
2017
A treasured public space is receiving an accessibility retrofit to create new accessible routes and a sensory garden within the Town of Rye's historic park.
Arboriculture
Throgs Neck Bridge Pruning and Tree Replacement
Bronx, New York
2017
This critical transportation facility received a major tree removal and replacement project to restore and enhance the Throgs Neck Bridge landscape.
Route 9A-West Street Promenade and Streetscape Improvements
Lower Manhattan, New York
2015
Certified arborist oversight was provided to renew the streetscape at this highly visible site adjacent to the World Trade Center Memorial.
Parks, Gardens, and Streetscapes
Sea Gate Community Streetscape Enhancements
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY
2017
Being Here is assisting this community, on the far western tip of Coney Island, in recovering from severe flooding during Superstorm Sandy.
Baruch Houses Post-Hurricane Sandy Capital Improvements
Lower East Side, New York, NY
2013
With FEMA funding, Being Here conducted an arboricultural and landscape architectural assessment of Manhattan's largest public housing complex.
St. Edmund’s RC Church
Breezy Point, Rockaway Peninsula, Queens, New York
2013
Responding to devastating damage in Breezy Point after Hurricane Sandy, Being Here designed native, salt-tolerant plantings for St. Edmund’s, and replanted the grounds with a volunteer work force.
Wave Hill House & Master Plan
Bronx, New York
2013 (with Abel Bainnson Butz, LLP)
A National Register-listed treasure and its grand plant community called for extreme sensitivity to site conditions and preservation issues in the design of an extensive renovation.
Park Slope Residential Garden
Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York
2012
This back yard garden breaks out of the usual orthogonal mold for compact urban lots, mixing native, edible, and adaptive shade-tolerant plants into a fresh and expansive design.
Dred Scott Bird Sanctuary
Bronx, New York
2011 (with Abel Bainnson Butz, LLP)
A vacant, debris-filled lot was transformed into a half acre of high-value habitat for birds, along with a shade structure, story circle, and other features for the park's dedicated community stewards.
McCarren Skate Park
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York
2009 (with Abel Bainnson Butz, LLP)
The first of its kind in New York City, this popular skate park has been designed to withstand rigorous free-style use by skateboarders, skaters, and BMX bicyclists of all ages and abilities.
Citi Field Plaza
Queens, New York
2009 (with Abel Bainnson Butz, LLP)
For the new home of the New York Mets, Denisha Williams created planting designs for a lush garden gateway to the stadium, and designed other plantings to green this high-profile site.
Broadway in Bloom National Design Competition
Broadway Malls, New York, NY
2004
The winning entry for the 2004 Broadway in Bloom competition orchestrated year-round interest for New York's quintessentially hybrid public space.
91st Street Garden
Riverside Park, New York, NY
2001-2012
Volunteering for a celebrated garden in Manhattan’s Riverside Park offered opportunities to experiment with perennial combinations in the midst of a highly visible public promenade.
Environmental Infrastructure
Gilboa Dam Reconstruction
Schoharie Reservoir, Catskill Mountains, NY
2012-present (with Abel Bainnson Butz, LLP)
The reconstruction of Gilboa Dam, a key link in New York City's water supply, requires environmentally sensitive landscape design to mitigate the impact of this massive engineering intervention.
Paerdegat Basin CSO Facility
Brooklyn, New York
2012 (with Abel Bainnson Butz, LLP)
This complex, waterfront construction project included a range of native plantings that make a tremendous positive impact on water quality in an environmentally sensitive location.
Neighborhood Revitalization
Port Richmond-Mariners Harbor Brownfield Opportunity Area Study
Staten Island, New York
2017-2019
Working with a diverse project team, Being Here helped realize a community-led revitalization plan for this culturally vibrant Staten Island neighborhood.
Thornwillow Makers Village
Newburgh, New York
2016-2017
Being Here has contributed to a catalytic revitalization and economic development initiative that will spark creative, craft-based entrepreneurship in one of America's most distressed communities.
East 106th Streetscape Design Study
East Harlem, New York, NY
2005 (with City College Architectural Center)
Synthesizing concepts for East Harlem's “Cultural Corridor," this study examines the full length of the street from Central Park to the East River, suggesting ways to animate the area as a lively cultural hub.
East River Greenway Community Design Charrette and Report
Lower East Side, New York, NY
2004 (with City College Architectural Center)
A fast-track public design charrette enabled the voices and visions of community residents to inform the city's ambitious East River Waterfront reinvention.
Library Lane
Bronx, New York
2003-2004 (with City College Architectural Center)
This schematic design for the transformation of an alleyway and dangerous street crossing at the entry to the new Bronx Library Center spurred $1.2 million in funding toward a welcoming community connection.
East 138th Streetscape Revitalization Plan
South Bronx, New York
2003 (with City College Architectural Center)
Based on a four-part community engagement process, this plan articulates a vision for a healthy, clean, economically vibrant commercial corridor at a key crossroads of the South Bronx.
Mount Vernon Central Business District Analysis and Recommendations
Mount Vernon, New York
2003 (with City College Architectural Center)
This report provided a start-up framework for integrating the city’s proposed arts district with far-sighted urban design and preservation strategies.
Arverne: Master Plan for a Sustainable Community
Rockaway, Queens, New York
2002
A holistic vision integrates ecological, social, and economic strategies for neighborhood revitalization on the vulnerable Rockaway peninsula.