According to the Parks Department:
When Parks acquired this land on 8th Street between Allison and Beach Avenues in 1970, the property was overgrown and filled with junk piles. The small plot had been in the public domain since P.S. 9 was built here in 1894. In the intervening years, the land housed various public institutions and in 1963 was home to a police precinct. Although there was a need for recreational space, New Dorp residents resisted the idea of a public park. They were concerned that the .7 acre [park] would attract drug dealers. As a compromise, Parks agreed to plant trees, creating a fenced-in woodland area with no public access.
