NYC Gets Peanut-Shaped Public Park Courtesy of Planters

Mr. Peanut has arrived in Manhattan, cutting the latest in a series of municipal partnerships aimed at creating urban parks in major cities, each called Planters Grove. This is the third Planters Grove built in the U.S. this year as part of the Kraft brand's "Naturally Remarkable" program. Planters Groves were opened earlier this year in New Orleans and Washington, D.C.

A NYC Parks Department spokesman told WNYC that no other parks are currently named after corporate sponsors

Located at Avenue D between 4th and 5th Streets, the Planters Grove provides New York City Housing Authority's (NYCHA) residents with more than 8,000 square feet of usable green space, which furthers New York City's PlaNYC goal of creating more accessible open space citywide and ensuring every New Yorker lives within a 10-minute walk from a park.

"Planters Groves reflect the values rooted in Planters heritage - sustainability, healthy lifestyles and community," said Scott Marcus, Senior Brand Manager, Planters. "By bringing a Planters Grove to NYCHA's Lillian Wald Houses, residents and families will experience the many environmental, health and quality of life benefits that parks can provide communities."

Each Planters Grove was designed by Ken Smith, the New York City landscape architect who designed the rooftop garden at New York's Museum of Modern Art, the City's East River Waterfront Esplanade and 7 World Trade Center Plaza.

The park, like others in DC and New Orleans, will have a peanut shape.

"At NYCHA, we believe in the transformative power of creating and caring for green spaces," said NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea. "The New York City Planters Grove at Lillian Wald Houses is an example of how we can work together with our partners and the community to create greener NYCHA neighborhoods."

Here's what the park looked like in D.C...