Plan for transforming Suffolk park on former state psych center grounds is final

Plans to turn Nissequogue River State Park into a recreation destination have taken a step forward after parks officials recently announced the final approval of a master plan for the 521 acres that once included a state psychiatric center.

The plan outlines a vision that seeks to “expand recreational opportunities, protect natural resources and honor local history” where the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center once stood, according to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The psychiatric facility operated from 1855 until 1996. The park, located in Kings Park, was established in 2000 with the transfer of 155½ acres of the former facility to the state parks department, before a transfer of 365.7 more acres in 2006, the master plan shows.

The planning process for the new blueprint began in 2020. It included gathering public comments and suggestions from community stakeholders before parks officials publicized a draft of the final plan in November 2022.

With the document now complete after the state parks commissioner's final review, parks officials will examine the plan annually to pick projects to be included in the department's budget. State officials expect the improvements will cost "tens of millions of dollars."

John McQuaid, president of the nonprofit Nissequogue River State Park Foundation, said the group is “very excited” about the plan's finalization after spending a decade advocating for improvements. The nonprofit works with government officials to beautify the park.

“Now that there’s a plan, we know what the future holds and we’re going to work towards making it a reality,” McQuaid said. “Now it’s up to the parks department, New York State and the community to figure out what takes priority and how we can fund it.”

One of the priorities will be transforming York Hall, according to McQuaid.

A Colonial Revival style theater located at the property entrance, the hall was built between 1930 and 1932. The building will be stabilized, with plans also calling for it to be converted into a performance space and event venue.

The plan also outlines other planned improvements, including: 

• Adding multi-use fields, including universally accessible playgrounds and dog runs.
• Adding a concession stand.
• Creating and improving hiking trails.
• Adding a farmers market and botanical garden.
• Creating a museum that explores the psychiatric center's history.

Plans to renovate York Hall received a boost after the National Park Service announced in October that it had been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The designation could attract more grant funding for renovations, according to George Gorman, New York State Parks regional director.

“It will be a focus for us, and hopefully we can find a partner who can rehabilitate it, and we can have a great partnership and develop that into a great facility,” Gorman said of the hall.

There's no timeline for renovations in the master plan, with the order and speed to be determined by funding availability, according to Gorman.

Nicole Garguilo, a spokeswoman for Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim, said Monday that town officials "are pleased that the state has followed through with its commitment to complete a master plan for the park."

Wehrheim said after the draft plan's release that town officials objected to the state's intention to remove Kings Park Boulevard — which he said provides emergency access to the grounds.

Gorman said at the time that removing the road would create more green space. The final plan says the road's removal won't be a negative since the overall design preserves the "historic character of the site."

The town still would like to see the road preserved, if there is any room for changes, Garguilo said.