FLATBUSH – DITMAS PARK BROOKLYN Commercial District Needs Assessment COMMERCIAL DISTRICT NEEDS ASSESSMENT in partnership Flatbush Development Corporation with ABOUT FLATBUSH – DITMAS PARK Background Avenue NYC is a competitive grant program created by the NYC Located in Central Brooklyn, Flatbush – Ditmas Park is a vibrant and diverse neighborhood with Department of Small Business a strong sense of community. Many of the borough’s most celebrated institutions – including Services to fund and build the Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Kings Theatre, and Brooklyn College – call the capacity of community-based neighborhood home and offer numerous cultural and recreational opportunities. The built development organizations to execute commercial revitalization environment consists of a unique mix of multi-story apartment buildings interspersed with initiatives. Avenue NYC is funded large, single-family homes, leading many to refer to the area as a “suburb in the city.” The through the U.S. Department of neighborhood’s southern edge is part of the Fiske Terrace–Midwood Park Historic District, best Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block known for its Victorian-style mansions and tree-lined streets. The neighborhood is served by Grant (CDBG) Program, which multiple public transportation options including the B and Q subway lines, which provide direct targets investments in low- and connections to Coney Island to the south and Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan to the north. moderate-income neighborhoods. Avenue NYC Commercial The history of Flatbush – Ditmas Park is defined by reinvention. In the 17th century, the neighborhood Revitalization grants provide transformed from a Dutch colonial settlement to an English territory before becoming a major multi-year commitments aimed at building the capacity of partner battleground site in the American Revolution. In subsequent years, the area was an independent organizations to better understand township until it was eventually incorporated into the City of New York in 1898. In the decades neighborhood needs, develop that followed, Flatbush – Ditmas Park experienced increased urbanization and integration with impactful programs, and sustain the city’s subway system, which resulted in dramatic demographic and socioeconomic changes. their work in the community for at least three years. Development slowed in the 1970s and 1980s, accompanied by rising crime, drug epidemics, and widespread disinvestment across the city, yet in recent decades community members The Commercial District Needs Assessment (CDNA) highlights a have banded together to reestablish their neighborhood as an exciting place to live, work, and neighborhood’s existing business play. Today, a dedicated network of residents, merchants, property owners, and nonprofits is landscape and consumer working collaboratively to reinvent the neighborhood once again, securing a future of equity and characteristics. opportunity for all who call Flatbush – Ditmas Park home. This CDNA features the Cortelyou Road, Newkirk The commercial district is composed of several dynamic corridors, each with its own style. Avenue, Foster Road, Coney Island Avenue, and Ocean Cortelyou Road offers a thriving culinary scene with restaurants, bars, and a weekly farmers Avenue commercial corridors market that attracts locals and visitors alike. Newkirk Avenue and Foster Avenue contain a in Flatbush– Ditmas Park, and wide range of essential services that cater to the needs of the community–from pharmacies was conducted in partnership with the Flatbush Development and florists to barbershops and banks. Situated between these two corridors is Newkirk Plaza, Corporation between July and a bustling pedestrian hub for commerce and transit. To the west, Coney Island Avenue serves December 2018. as the commercial heart of the neighborhood’s South Asian migrant community and consists of Key issues and opportunities businesses centered on light industry, professional services, and many South Asian bakeries and identified through this assessment restuarants. To the east, Ocean Avenue provides a peaceful mix of residences, medical offices, will help prioritize SBS -supported and houses of worship. local investments, and serve as an informational and marketing resource for the neighborhood. Neighborhood Demographics See more on page 12 In This Report Flatbush – Ditmas Park is a remarkably diverse community. Of the neighborhood’s approximately 52,000 residents, 45% are foreign born (compared to 37% citywide), hailing predominately Existing conditions, business from the Caribbean, South Central Asia, and Eastern Europe. This diversity is reflected in the data, and qualitative depictions character of the businesses across the neighborhood, many of which are owned or operated of the neighborhood were gathered from more than by immigrant entrepreneurs who speak languages ranging from Haitian Creole to Urdu. 594 surveys and various stakeholder meetings with The community is strongly focused on family life, a value which is reinforced by the myriad neighborhood merchants, educational institutions surrounding Flatbush – Ditmas Park; more than a dozen public and shoppers, workers, property private schools, as well as Brooklyn College, are located within a mile of the neighborhood. owners, and residents. Jump to... Key Findings 4-5 Future Opportunities See more on page 5 Business Inventory 6 What Merchants Say 7-8 Business Outlook 9-10 Flatbush – Ditmas Park is well positioned to build upon its existing strengths over the coming What Shoppers Say 8, 10 years. New partnerships are being forged between local businesses and community-based Physical Environment 11 organizations to overcome shared challenges, and a series of major investments in local Data Appendix 12-14 institutions has brought a renewed sense of economic opportunity to the district. Combined, these efforts are helping a historic neighborhood create a prosperous future. 2 Avenue NYC Commercial District Needs Assessment NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT Flatbush – Ditmas Park Notable Places PROSPECT EXWY CATON AV SNYDER AV NEW YORKAV CHURCH AV Albemarle - Kenmore Terraces Historic District 1 E 8 ST Prospect Park South ROGERSAV TILDEN AV Historic District WESTMINSTER RD E 18 ST MARLBOROUGH RD "3 Kings Theatre E 17 ST E 19 ST E 7 ST ! BEVERLEY ROAD CORTELYOU RD ! E 16 ST 5 E 21 ST E 25 ST Cortelyou Library FlatbusE 9 ST h - Ditmas Park 2NOSTRANDAV CLARENDON RD E 29 ST Cortelyou Library E 28 ST CORTELYOU RD BEDFORDAV AV C 2 ! FLATBUSH AV 1 OCEAN AV AV D ! NEWKIRK AV Ditmas Park E 22 ST OCEAN PKWY Historic District Q E 23 ST CORTELYOU RD FOSTER AV DORCHESTER RD B DITMAS AV E 5 ST CONEY ISLAND AV Our Lady of Refuge Church Newkirk Plaza DITMAS AV "5 E 31 ST FARRAGUT RD E 26 ST ! FOSTER AV E 24 ST Newkirk Plaza 3 P.S. 217 Colonel David Marcus "2 " AV F E 3 ST 18 AV Fiske Terrace - Midwood Park Historic District ! GLENWOOD RD WEBSTER AV CAMPUS RD Brooklyn CollegeBEDFORD AV AV H 4 E 9 ST AV H Kings Theatre E 16 ST OCEAN PKWY CAMPUS RD E 12 ST PARKVILLE AV ! E 14 ST AV I 4 0 0.125 0.25 0.5 Miles ELMWOOD AV ° AV I Points of Interest Brooklyn College Assessed Commercial Corridors Historic Districts Church Avenue Business Improvement District Historic Institutions 5 Flatbush Avenue Business Improvement District Public Spaces Flatbush – Nostrand Junction Business Public Facilities Improvement District Our Lady of Refuge Church Neighborhood Events Merchant & Business Groups Cortelyou at Twilight Cortelyou Road Merchants Association (CoRMA) Eat & Shop Your Heart Out Cortelyou Council of Peoples Organization (COPO) Flatbush Frolic Newkirk Plaza Merchants Association Summer on Cortelyou Flatbush – Ditmas Park 3 KEY FINDINGS & OPPORTUNITIES Strengths The commercial district is within walking distance from Nearly 70% of consumers access the commercial district major cultural and recreational attractions, including on foot, creating a lively and sociable environment Prospect Park, Kings Theatre, and the Brooklyn College Diverse merchant community reflects the cultures of Africa, Performing Arts Center the Caribbean, South Central Asia, and Latin America Express and local transportation options – including the Proximity to more than a dozen educational institutions B and Q subway lines – offer easy access to Manhattan, enablesthe neighborhood to attract and retain a wide Downtown Brooklyn, and Coney Island range of residents and contributes to a family-oriented Victorian architecture and tree-lined residential streets atmosphere add to the historic and peaceful quality of the neighborhood Challenges Merchants and residents are concerned about the pace Many storefronts and commercial building façades of gentrification and the possibility of displacement are in poor condition and could benefit from new investments and repairs The commercial district lacks plazas and green spaces, leaving community members with limited options for Merchants struggle to navigate and comply with socializing and gathering in public NYC regulations, resulting in fines and penalties for their businesses Insufficient trash management throughout the commercial district detracts from the attractiveness of Newkirk Plaza suffers from underinvestment despite local businesses and the quality of the public realm its position as a hub for commerce and transit in the neighborhood Cortelyou Road Commercial Corridor Kings Theatre Newkirk Plaza Fiske Terrace–Midwood Park Historic District 4 Avenue NYC Commercial District Needs Assessment Lt. Federico Narvaez