Regional Plan Association Honors Two Trees Management with ​“Transformative Project of the Year” Award at First-Ever Benefit

Other Awardees Include Robert Billingsley of Cushman & Wakefield, Janette Sadik-Khan of Bloomberg Associates

This Year, RPA Released its Fourth Regional Plan, a Once-a-Generation Vision for the Equity, Health, Sustainability & Shared Prosperity of the Tri-State Area

New York, NY — Regional Plan Association (RPA) honored Brooklyn-based real estate developer Two Trees Management with the ​“Transformative Project of the Year” Award for its role in developing Domino Park, RPA leadership announced today. Two Trees leadership accepted the award at the respected civic organization’s first ever benefit event, held at the recently-opened park on the Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn.

The Domino Park project has created a dynamic public space along the Williamsburg waterfront, transforming what was previously the Council district with the worst open-space to population ratio into a neighborhood with ample opportunities for active and passive recreation.

The project, which illustrates high standards for urban design, community engagement and affordable housing, includes residential and commercial spaces and honors the site’s industrial heritage by preserving artifacts from the old sugar factory.

“Domino Park represents public-private partnership at its best: transforming an underused, formerly industrial site along the waterfront into a modern community hangout; bringing nature and our waterfront back into our daily experience of our city; and helping to prepare us for environmental changes to come,” said Tom Wright, President of the Regional Plan Association at the event. ​“With our first-ever Transformative Project of the Year award, we thank Jed Walentas and Two Trees for their forward-looking approach in supporting our city.”

“We’re honored to receive RPA’s ​‘Transformative Project of the Year’ award for Domino Park,” said Jed Walentas, Principal of Two Trees Management. ​“Domino Park is the result of hundreds of hours of community conversations and we’re proud to have delivered a beautiful, multi-purpose waterfront park that responds to the needs of North Brooklyn residents. Special thanks to numerous partners who helped make this project possible, including Lisa Switkin at Field Operations. It is our hope that Domino Park serves as a model for future development throughout the city.”

Additional awardees at Thursday’s event included Robert Billingsley, Vice Chairman of Cushman & Wakefield, recognized with the ​“Above & Beyond” Award for his extraordinary dedication to RPA and to the development of New York City and the metropolitan region and Janette Sadik-Khan, Principal at Bloomberg Associates, recognized with the ​“Making it Happen” Award for being an extraordinary visionary who helped pioneer the transformation of New York City streets and public space and inspired positive change in cities across the world.

The event also celebrated the release this year of RPA’s Fourth Regional Plan to help elected officials, policy makers, and advocates plan for the Tri-State region’s future. The plan contains 61 recommendations to help make the region more equitable, healthy, sustainable and prosperous, addressing affordable housing, public transit, environmental protection and natural disaster preparations, among other issues.

Throughout its history, RPA has released once-in-a-generation Regional Plans that have shaped the area’s growth and advocated for the infrastructure and quality of life investments that now support its economic vibrancy.

About Regional Plan Association
Regional Plan Association is an independent, not-for-profit civic organization that develops and promotes ideas to improve the economic health, environmental resilience and quality of life of the New York metropolitan area. We conduct research on transportation, land use, housing, good governance and the environment. We advise cities, communities and public agencies. And we advocate for change that will contribute to the prosperity of all residents of the region. Since the 1920s, RPA has produced three landmark plans for the region and is working on a fourth plan due out in 2017. For more information, please visit www.rpa.org or fourthplan.org.

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