The city has broken ground on a $30 million, 28-acre park in North Brooklyn that will significantly expand open space on the rezoned Williamsburg and Greenpoint waterfronts.

The new park, Bushwick Inlet Park, will be adjacent to East River State Park. Together, the parks will go a long way towards fulfilling a city public open space commitment included in the controversial 2005 North Brooklyn rezoning.

A July 6th groundbreaking ceremony held at a site on Kent Avenue between North 9th and 10th Streets officially launched phase one work at the park, scheduled to be finished at the end of next year. The park is expected to open in the summer of 2011, according to the Parks Department.

"Across all five boroughs we're working to bring our waterfront back to life," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at the groundbreaking, "and Bushwick Inlet Park will be the latest, but not the last, new park we're bringing to this part of Brooklyn."

The mayor said the park would help transform the once gritty industrial area into an accessible urban waterfront.

Phase one work will transform a former car lot into a multi-sports recreation space with a turf field for football, soccer and field hockey, among other sports.

The site, bounded by North 9th and 10th Streets, and Kent Avenue and the East River, will occupy the southern section of the park. The $7.1 million phase work will be funded by the city.

In the $22.6 million phase two project for the park, scheduled to begin in 2010 and also funded by the city, the city plans create space along the waterfront, build a new playground and a sustainable, LEED-certified and solar-powered building for public meetings and community events.

Phase two work also includes a shoreline restoration project and additional waterfront esplanade, and is expected to be finished in 2011.

"Thanks to nearly $30 million in funding from Mayor Bloomberg, the newly-created Bushwick Inlet Park will create enhanced recreational opportunities for Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents," Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said at the groundbreaking. "Bushwick Inlet Park will be a new green oasis along the East River."

City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden said the city expects the park to occupy an integral place in North Brooklyn life. Bushwick Inlet Park "will be a centerpiece of the neighborhood, a place to enjoy Brooklyn's wonderful shoreline and a testament to the partnership between the people of this community and the city," Burden said.