Bedford-Stuyvesant subsection Ocean Hill also undergoing Gentrification. Will it benefit the current residents or hurt them?

For those who don’t know about the Bedford-Stuyvesant subsection Ocean Hill here are the facts:

Ocean Hill is a subsection of Bedford-Stuyvesant in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Founded in 1890, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11233. The neighborhood has a diverse community with large number of African Americans, and a small number of Caribbean and Latin Americans.

Ocean Hill’s boundaries start from Broadway (Bushwick) to Ralph Avenue (Bed-Stuy proper), to East New York Avenue (Brownsville), to Van Sinderen Avenue (East New York).

Ocean Hill received its’ name in 1890 for being slightly hilly. Hence it was subdivided from the larger community of Stuyvesant Heights. From the beginning of the 20th century to the 1960’s Ocean Hill was an Italian enclave. At that time the neighborhood had many well-kept homes and stores. By the late 1960s Ocean Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant proper together formed the largest African American community in the United States.

In 1968 the Ocean Hill-Brownsville school district experienced some difficult times. The New York City Board of Education at the time had experimented with giving the community board neighborhood control over the district. The new administration laid off several teachers in violation of union contract rules. The teachers were entirely white and mainly Jewish. As of result the strike severerly divided the whole city. This topic became very controversial for many years although many had put this catastrophy behind them.

In 1977 a major blackout devastated New York City badly. The neighborhood experienced arson and ransacking of stores. Many apartment buildings were badly burned and abandoned for many years like the ones in the South Bronx. Finally in the 1990s Ocean Hill experienced a revitalization as many abandoned buildings and lots were renovated.

Ocean Hill is in the process of gentrification. An increasing number of Asians, Hispanics, and Whites are moving into the area. This is due to the fact that the rents are slightly lower than the rest of Bed-Stuy proper and many abandoned buildings have been rehabilitated. Prospect Plaza Houses, once a notorious housing project unit, has been closed by the New York City Housing Authority to make room for condominiums.

The 73rd Police Precinct covers the area. For many years from the 1960s to approximately 2001 along with neighboring Brownsville, Ocean Hill experienced a high crime rate. Currently, the crime rate for Ocean Hill has reached an all time low.

The main thoroughfare is Rockaway Avenue, and it is served by the IND Fulton Street Line (A and C trains) and the BMT Jamaica Line (J and Z trains) of the New York City Subway. The neighborhood is also near a central transportation hub, the Broadway Junction Subway Station which the A,C,L,J and Z lines meet, one of the largest subway stations in Brooklyn. There is also a nearby connection to the LIRR at the nearby East New York Station.

Many residents of Ocean Hill consider themselves residents of Bedford-Stuyvesant. The news media and realtors also uses the Bed-Stuy name.

Ocean Hill is being gentrified as well. Many bohemian artists and young Asian, Hispanic, White as well as Black professionals are moving into this small subsection due to slightly low rents.

The area was formerly known to some as Ocean Hill-Brownsville (in conjunction to Brooklyn Community Board 16) but many new residents use the name Bedord-Stuyvesant/Ocean Hill or just plainly Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The intersection of Thomas Boyland Street (commonly known as Hopkinson Avenue) and Pacific Street has been given life thanks to a new 24-hour grocery store and a rehabilitated tenement.

More changes will be in the future of Ocean Hill.