Keep Astoria Park Public: Protect Our Free Tennis Courts and Green Space
The Issue
UPDATE — June 2026: The RFP is public. On June 12, NYC Parks issued Solicitation #Q4-IT-2026: a private, for-profit operator would enclose Astoria Park's public tennis courts in an inflatable bubble for 20 years — longer than any comparable NYC bubble concession. Read the RFP →
What the RFP actually says
"Minimum 8 courts" — not maximum. Officials told the public the bubble would cover at most 8 of our 14 courts. The RFP requires a minimum of 8 — and scores bids so bigger builds earn more points. Nothing stops all 14. Community benefit isn't a scored category at all.
Free winter tennis all but disappears. The bubble runs mid-October through late April — 6.5 months a year, for 20 years (eating in to the permit season for almost 3 months). Public-rate access shrinks to 2 courts at $15/hour, during just 9 weeks of the season. The rest of the winter you pay operator rates: $32–$62/hour at the RFP's own benchmark facility; $50–$100 at McCarren. Today a season permit for every public court in NYC costs $100 — and the line at Astoria already wraps around the block.
The private footprint can grow, and we can't stop it. Even in summer the operator gets a minimum of 2 courts (today, there's 1 teaching court), and Parks "may assign more" courts "at its sole discretion." No public review, no vote — for 20 years. The FCRC vote is the last check.
The trees and hawks are in the path. Bubbles need anchoring and clearance beyond the courts — no bubble anywhere encloses tall, mature trees. Based on the required footprint, that clearance comes from the tree line beside courts 4, 7, 8, and 11 and the shade row between courts 1–7. The red-tailed hawks nesting above court 8 would face 24/7 blowers, night lighting, and a dome in their flight path.
And the City gets very little for the public good it's trading away. The RFP's comparable concession paid Parks just $210K–$287K/year. Within 30 minutes of Astoria there are already 90+ paid indoor courts — and only 24 free ones. 14 of them are Astoria Park.
A better path exists
Fort Greene just resurfaced all 6 of its courts ($348K) through community fundraising and USTA public-court grants — the same program that resurfaced McCarren in 2010. Renovation doesn't require privatization.
What you can do right now
Proposals are due July 17. The deal must then pass the FCRC — it needs 5 of 6 votes, so two NO votes stop it.
→ Write to the FCRC: astoriatennis.com/letter A few sentences in your own words go furthest. Short on time? Our template is ready — just add your name.
Once 20 years of parkland is signed away, it doesn't come back.
3,188
The Issue
UPDATE — June 2026: The RFP is public. On June 12, NYC Parks issued Solicitation #Q4-IT-2026: a private, for-profit operator would enclose Astoria Park's public tennis courts in an inflatable bubble for 20 years — longer than any comparable NYC bubble concession. Read the RFP →
What the RFP actually says
"Minimum 8 courts" — not maximum. Officials told the public the bubble would cover at most 8 of our 14 courts. The RFP requires a minimum of 8 — and scores bids so bigger builds earn more points. Nothing stops all 14. Community benefit isn't a scored category at all.
Free winter tennis all but disappears. The bubble runs mid-October through late April — 6.5 months a year, for 20 years (eating in to the permit season for almost 3 months). Public-rate access shrinks to 2 courts at $15/hour, during just 9 weeks of the season. The rest of the winter you pay operator rates: $32–$62/hour at the RFP's own benchmark facility; $50–$100 at McCarren. Today a season permit for every public court in NYC costs $100 — and the line at Astoria already wraps around the block.
The private footprint can grow, and we can't stop it. Even in summer the operator gets a minimum of 2 courts (today, there's 1 teaching court), and Parks "may assign more" courts "at its sole discretion." No public review, no vote — for 20 years. The FCRC vote is the last check.
The trees and hawks are in the path. Bubbles need anchoring and clearance beyond the courts — no bubble anywhere encloses tall, mature trees. Based on the required footprint, that clearance comes from the tree line beside courts 4, 7, 8, and 11 and the shade row between courts 1–7. The red-tailed hawks nesting above court 8 would face 24/7 blowers, night lighting, and a dome in their flight path.
And the City gets very little for the public good it's trading away. The RFP's comparable concession paid Parks just $210K–$287K/year. Within 30 minutes of Astoria there are already 90+ paid indoor courts — and only 24 free ones. 14 of them are Astoria Park.
A better path exists
Fort Greene just resurfaced all 6 of its courts ($348K) through community fundraising and USTA public-court grants — the same program that resurfaced McCarren in 2010. Renovation doesn't require privatization.
What you can do right now
Proposals are due July 17. The deal must then pass the FCRC — it needs 5 of 6 votes, so two NO votes stop it.
→ Write to the FCRC: astoriatennis.com/letter A few sentences in your own words go furthest. Short on time? Our template is ready — just add your name.
Once 20 years of parkland is signed away, it doesn't come back.
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Petition created on May 7, 2026