Thankful in Prospect Heights

I use this space to write about land use, economic development, and sociological topics that relate to the changing character of brownstone Brooklyn, in particular Prospect Heights. Since much of what I write is critical of current events, it might seem like I’m pessimistic about the future of our community. Nothing could be further from the truth. So given this week’s holiday, I thought it appropriate to write about a few things that have helped to make this neighborhood a better place to live over the last several years, and for which I am thankful.

First, I am thankful to the New York City Department of Transportation for the capital improvements it has put in place over the last years that have made our streets safer and improved the quality of life for everyone who uses them. From the Vanderbilt Avenue median and bike lanes, to the redesign of Grand Army Plaza, to the reconstruction of Eastern Parkway and the pedestrian improvements on Washington Avenue, no single City agency I can think of has given more of a boost to the livability of Prospect Heights. And DOT isn’t finished yet: In September, the City announced Prospect Heights was chosen as one of 15 applicants to have designated a “Neighborhood Slow Zone,” where various techniques like neckdowns, signal timing changes, and signage will be implemented to reduce vehicle speed from 30 to 20 mph, with the further goal of reducing through traffic on our residential streets.

I am thankful for the 2009 designation of the Prospect Heights Historic District by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Historic designation does more than just protect more than 850 buildings from uncharacteristic alterations like out of scale rear yard and rooftop extensions. As development pressure intensifies in years to come, the Historic District will help to ensure the character of our residential streets is preserved for future generations. Historic protection for Vanderbilt Avenue means that the characteristic small storefronts will be preserved as well, helping Vanderbilt to continue to be a haven for local businesses and less of a target for national chains.

I am thankful for Community Board 8’s SLA Committee, a group of residents and business owners who have volunteered for the difficult job of balancing the need for economic development in Prospect Heights and Crown Heights, with concern for the long-term impact of an oversaturation of drinking establishments. It hasn’t been easy for the SLA Committee to stand up to pressure from prospective bar operators and one-sided criticism from the press, but today the Committee is well on its way to establishing a sustainable policy for expansion of the hospitality industry in Community Board 8 that respects the quality of life of local residents.

I am thankful for City Council member Letitia James, who has provided outstanding representation to the people of the 35th City Council district (which includes all of Prospect Heights) over the last ten years. Tish has been there for us on transportation, education, historic preservation, Atlantic Yards accountability, and of course much more. She is a public servant of boundless energy and complete integrity, and although I will miss her in this district, I am also thankful she is our next New York City Public Advocate.

I am thankful for New York State Supreme Court Justice Marcy Friedman, who in 2010 had the courage and humility to allow reargument of a lawsuit challenging the State’s 2009 approval of a modified Atlantic Yards plan that extended the project’s build out until 2035, after she first ruled against the community petitioners based upon the Empire State Development Corporation’s misrepresentation of the terms of its deal with developer Forest City Ratner Companies. After the agreements between FCRC and ESDC were made public, Justice Friedman in 2011 ruled that the State’s approval of the 2009 plan was illegal, and ordered that it be revisited. In September of this year, she ruled that FCRC was responsible for paying the legal fees incurred by the community organizations filing suit.

Even though my own children are now in college, I am thankful for the committed group of parents, administrators and educators at P.S. 9, who have made their school a jewel of Prospect Heights. A strong neighborhood school provides stability and hope to our community, and we all benefit from their achievement. I hope that under the new Mayor, the P.S. 9 family will be able to realize its dream of expanding to offer middle school education to the children of Prospect Heights.

I am thankful for the Prospect Heights Street Tree Task Force, a small group of volunteers whose mission is to preserve and maintain the street trees of our community. Their work has beautified tree pits on residential blocks all over Prospect Heights. They have helped to educate property owners whose sidewalks host street trees in their proper care, as well as provided mulch and gator bags to ensure trees stay healthy. Task force members even coordinated the installation of iron tree guards on Vanderbilt Avenue which they scavenged from Pacific Street after FCRC ripped up the sidewalk (and the trees) there.

In a similar vein, I am thankful to Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz for selecting so many blocks of Prospect Heights to receive tree guards from his Neighborhood Beautification Program. Tree guards installed through this program now grace the sidewalks of Dean Street, Sterling Place, and Park Place, as well as other neighborhood streets in Prospect Heights, creating a more elegant streetscape for all residents to enjoy. I hope incoming Borough President (and neighbor) Eric Adams continues this program.

I am thankful to the New York Department of Parks and Recreation for its remodeling of the Underhill Playground and Dean Playground, and also for its continuing stewardship of both, so that equipment, facilities and landscaping upgrades of the last several years have been well-maintained for the community’s use. It wasn’t always that way when I moved to Prospect Heights twenty years ago. (I am likewise thankful to Parks for the rehabilitation of the Bailey Fountain several years ago, since I remember the many years prior when it stayed dry. Its plumes of water add a lot to the ambiance of Grand Army Plaza.)

You may have noticed that I haven’t expressed thanks for a local NBA franchise or a new arena at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues. That’s not just because the Mayor and Borough President have already poured out enough gratitude there to last for all of our lifetimes. It’s because the things that really deserve our thanks for improving the experience of living in Prospect Heights are things that don’t cost us a dime to enjoy. Look around, and it’s hard not to agree that volunteerism, civic involvement, and more effective public administration have transformed Prospect Heights over the last decade in a way that is more profound in impact on our daily lives, than the opening of Barclays Center or the current wave of trendy restaurants and hip bars. And being able to live in a community (and a city) where that is possible is something for which I truly give thanks.

What are you most thankful for in Prospect Heights? Write about it in the comment section below.