PARK SLOPE — Knuffle Bunny has hopped one step closer to getting his own statue in Park Slope.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved plans to build a reading garden and ampitheater on the grounds of the Park Slope Library, on Sixth Avenue and Ninth Street.
The public greenspace will eventually include a statue of Knuffle Bunny, the children's book character immortalized in the work of author (and former Park Slope resident) Mo Willems. The timeline for when the statue will be installed hasn't been determined yet, a Brooklyn Public Library spokesman told DNAinfo New York in December.
Construction on the garden is expected to start as soon as this spring, said Christopher Franceschelli, co-president of Friends of the Park Slope Library, which came up with the idea for the garden.
The reading garden will include seating and a stage for kids' reading events. There will also be a 300 square foot area for stroller parking, and a special area away from the children's section where seniors can relax.
The Historic Districts Council raised some concerns at the LPC meeting that the reading garden's wooden planters would clash with the library's Classical Revival aesthetic, but commissioners ultimately voted unanimously to approve the garden plans.
If all goes as planned, the outdoor space would be ready for use later this year, Franceschelli said.
"I'm thrilled that it's happening and thrilled that it appears to be happening at such a rapid and quick pace," Franceschelli said. "We'd all been given the sense that we would be lucky if construction started by 2017, and it seems like the garden may well be completed within this year."
