Downtown Brooklyn ranks third on Mayor Bloomberg’s list of economic development priorities, after Downtown Manhattan and the Lower East Side. To back it up, the administration committed $275 million and hired Joe Chan to head the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP). The DBP is supposed to be an umbrella for the Downtown Brooklyn Council, the BAM Development Corporation, the Metrotech BID, and the Fulton Street Mall Improvement Association. And despite the fact that DBP is a non-profit, its aim is to “advance development, get things built, and encourage investment.” In a speech to the Fort Greene Association last week, Chan hit on some of the group’s main initiatives, including the beautification and development of Flatbush Avenue leading up to the Manhattan Bridge. Other possible projects include Willoughby Square Park, the Willoughby Pedestrian Plaza at Adams Street and the extension of the green median on Boerum Place down to Atlantic Avenue. One down note was the fact that the demand for commercial space in Downtown Brooklyn has been weaker than expected. Another interesting thing to come out of the FGA meeting was Hakeem Jeffries apparently growing caution, if not outright opposition, to the Atlantic Yards project. Did any readers attend the meeting? We’d love to hear your impressions of both Chan and Jeffries.
What’s in Store for Fort Greene? [Greenpoint Star]
Photo by Wiebke