Mar 9, 2016 2 min read Central Brooklyn

This Is Going To Be A Beautiful Plaza Very Soon

Screen Shot 2016-03-09 at 2.49.16 PM — Site at Avenue C and McDonald Avenue where a plaza is to be built. (Photo: Neighborhood Plaza Partnership)

Our area — Kensington, Ditmas Park, Greater Flatbush — has a dearth of high-quality public space. We need more green places to relax outside with friends and family.

To address this issue, some of our neighbors in Kensington are leading the way in creating new outdoor gathering space — first, the small plaza/sitting area where Church Avenue and Beverley Road come together next to the Walgreens, and now a much larger plaza at Avenue C and McDonald Avenue.

Because of a huge effort on the part of the “Kensington Stewards” and local City Councilmember Brad Lander, the City’s Department of Transportation will be building what promises to be a lovely, re-surfaced plaza this Spring and Summer, with protective boulders, moveable furniture and umbrellas, and a floor mural by local artist Anney “Fresh” Ozar.

Screen Shot 2016-03-09 at 2.53.50 PM — Proposed amenities for the new plaza at Avenue C and McDonald Avenue. Rendering: Neighborhood Plaza Partnership.

You can join the effort to create and take care of the new plaza at Avenue C and McDonald by coming out to the monthly meeting of the Kensington Stewards tomorrow (Thursday) evening.

The Kensington Stewards work on greening and beautification projects throughout the neighborhood — such as the installation of planters, litter removal and business outreach.

In anticipation of the plaza’s unveiling, the Stewards are planning a celebration at the site on Sunday, April 3rd, from 1 to 5pm.

The plaza party will feature tents, art and music, participatory dance, a pop-up library, planting giveaways and more, said Dorothy Le of the non-profit Neighborhood Plaza Partnership, which provides technical assistance to the Stewards.

The plaza has been in the works for the last two to three years, said Le. The area was designated as “high-need” by the City’s Plaza Equity program, which is part of the de Blasio administration’s broader sustainability plan, One NYC.

Funding for the plaza has come from both the City and the City Council, Le said.

Tomorrow night’s meeting of the Kensington Stewards is at 6:30pm at the Windsor Terrace Library on East 5th Street, between Caton Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway.