[3] The highest point in the modern-day state park is on the Fountain Avenue Landfill at 140 feet (43 m) above sea level.

[8] The initial phase cost $20 million and includes 10 miles (16 km) of bike paths and hiking trails, waterfront access points, and a pier at the head of Pennsylvania Avenue on the western peninsula.

[6] The second phase of the park opened a few months later with an entrance on Fountain Avenue, as well as additional educational programming.

[15][16][17] At the height of usage, more than 8,000 short tons (7,300 t) of trash arrived daily at these two landfills, with nearly 40 percent of the city's refuse.

[24] The Pennsylvania Avenue Landfill was closed in 1979, at a time when it was receiving 1,000 to 2,000 short tons (910 to 1,810 t) of municipal waste every day.

[26] In 1995 Jamaica Bay residents, concerned about health implications of the runoff from the landfills, reached an agreement with the city for the dumps' rehabilitation.

[27] In 2002, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection commenced site remediation at a cost of US$235 million including the installation of a below ground barrier and an impermeable cap to support future use,[1] along with a layer of new soil planted with 33,000 shrubs and trees.

[32] The site would receive a $15 million renovation with paths, concession areas, restrooms, and recreational facilities designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Landscape Architects.

[4] The Engineering News-Record gave Shirley Chisholm State Park an "award of merit" for landscape design in November 2021.