Barretto Point Park

Barretto Point Park is a 12.22-acre waterfront park at the tip of the Hunts Point peninsula in the South Bronx, where Viele Avenue meets the East River. The park provides direct waterfront access in a neighborhood that was historically cut off from its shoreline by industrial uses, waste facilities, and highway infrastructure.

Hunts Point is home to the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, the largest food distribution complex in the world, handling approximately 60 percent of the produce consumed in New York City. The neighborhood's industrial character has brought employment but also environmental burdens including truck traffic, air pollution, and limited open space.

The park was created through community advocacy, with local organizations fighting for decades to reclaim waterfront land for public use. The park's opening represented a landmark victory for the environmental justice movement in the South Bronx, which has long argued that industrial neighborhoods deserve the same quality of public space as wealthier areas.

Barretto Point Park features a waterfront esplanade, a beach area, athletic fields, a playground, and picnic pavilions. Views from the park encompass the East River, the northern tip of Rikers Island, and the LaGuardia Airport flight paths.

The park demonstrates that even in the most industrial neighborhoods, communities can win back access to the waterfront. For the residents of Hunts Point, Barretto Point Park is proof that environmental justice is not just a concept but a reality that can be built, park by park, along the shoreline.