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Runway Green Signs 60-Year Lease to Transform Floyd Bennett Field into SCAPE-Designed Education Campus

architecture-design · 2026-10-14

Runway Green, a collaborative initiative between public and private sectors, has finalized a 60-year lease with the National Park Service to transform Floyd Bennett Field into an educational campus focused on environmental studies. This 7-acre site, designed by SCAPE, aims to accommodate up to 50,000 students near Jamaica Bay within the Gateway National Recreation Area. The development will feature a public high school, a welcome center, a ropes course, campgrounds, and facilities dedicated to clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and marine science. So far, $9.3 million has been raised towards the $60 million goal, with backing from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, the NYC Council, and U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. The first phase, an urban farm, is slated to commence in 2027.

Key facts

  • Runway Green signed a 60-year lease with the National Park Service for a 7-acre campus at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.
  • The campus is designed by landscape architecture firm SCAPE and will serve up to 50,000 public school students.
  • Floyd Bennett Field was New York City's first municipal airport and is located within Gateway National Recreation Area along Jamaica Bay.
  • Facilities will include a public high school, welcome center, ropes course, campgrounds, and career-connected learning spaces for clean energy, sustainable agriculture, building decarbonization, and marine science.
  • The project has attracted $9.3 million in public investment toward a $60 million overall budget.
  • Supporters include Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, the New York City Council, and U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
  • The first phase, a 3-acre urban farm developed with The Campaign Against Hunger, is expected to break ground in 2027.
  • Alexis Landes of SCAPE and Geoff Roehm of Runway Green provided statements on the project's educational vision and public commitment.

Entities

Artists

  • Alexis Landes
  • Geoff Roehm
  • Antonio Reynoso
  • Charles Schumer
  • Kirsten Gillibrand

Institutions

  • Runway Green
  • National Park Service
  • SCAPE
  • Gateway National Recreation Area
  • New York City Council
  • The Campaign Against Hunger

Locations

  • Brooklyn
  • United States
  • New York City
  • Jamaica Bay
  • Floyd Bennett Field

Sources