For Several Decades, Brooklyn Was a City That Looked Backward With
Fillmore Real Estate Brooklyn Decades ago, Brooklyn was a city that looked with nostalgia to the glory days of Coney Island, the Victorian Gold Coast, and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Some even gave up on their neighborhoods and moved away. But others―committed residents, nonprofit community development groups, artists, and a few hearty pioneers― refused to budge and stayed behind to rebuild. Their work was reinforced by innovative New York City policies, the Community Reinvestment Act, which encouraged bank lending, and housing tax credits, which encouraged new development. Then the private sector came along, liked what it saw, and the result has been one of the hottest real estate booms in the country. Brooklyn’s optimistic business community, elected officials, and local residents are a special breed. They believe in the potential of all people in the borough and continue to work to ensure that everyone benefits from its renaissance. They also recognize the strength of Brooklyn’s diversity and appreciate hardworking newcomers who unpack their dreams here as millions have done before them. As a result, Brooklyn today is a city that is looking forward, and there is much to look forward to. • The waterfront, vibrant until the 1950s when the rise of the interstate highway system robbed the maritime industry of its monopoly on moving goods, is being restored to its 19th Century glory as a destination for tourists, parks, housing, and even cruise lines; • Luxury condominiums are replacing vacant lots in formerly forlorn areas; • The City is changing
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