Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Community Boards

Brooklyn CB 2 Endorses Fowler Square Plaza, With Evaluation Period

Image: Google Maps

In a meeting Wednesday evening, Brooklyn Community Board 2 endorsed plans to try out a new pedestrian plaza at Fort Greene's Fowler Square. A short, lightly-trafficked block of South Elliott Place, between Fulton Street and Lafayette Avenue, will be reclaimed for pedestrians, allowing the existing square to be connected with the adjoining block. The vote was 28 to 4, according to District Manager Rob Perris.

The plaza had garnered support from the community board before, but a small group opposed it on the grounds that the street closure would inconvenience drivers too much by forcing them to go a block or two out of their way. One opponent, who also invested a lot of energy trying to undermine nearby Putnam Plaza, posted flyers calling the Fowler Squre plaza a land grab by the "greedy 1%."

The community board, apparently, disagreed. Pedestrian space and pedestrian safety are resources everyone in the neighborhood benefits from.

The Fowler Square plaza will be built with temporary materials for now, and DOT plans to monitor its success after it is installed in May. The department will be measuring traffic in the area and pedestrian usage of the new space.

Time-lapse photography of the before and after conditions will provide animated evidence of how people move through the space with and without automobiles, said board member Mike Epstein.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

EXCLUSIVE: City Will Let Mopeds Use Queensboro and Brooklyn Bridge Roadways

DOT hopes to prevent conflicts between moped and bike riders by allowing the former on the main roadways on the Brooklyn Bridge and Queensboro Bridge.

March 13, 2025

Chinatown Pols Renew Push for Cars on Park Row, But Residents Say No

Politicians say getting cars back on Park Row is their top priority — but locals don't want that.

March 13, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Sunset on the Capitol Edition

Sometimes on a slow news day in the city, it's worth heading downtown D.C. — where everything is on fire.

March 13, 2025

Cabbies Call Parking Fines Too Harsh, Demand More Dedicated Curb Space

The TLC hopes to target repeat offenders and make streets safer by increasing penalties for for-hire vehicle parking violations.

March 13, 2025

U.S. DOT Orders Review of All Grants Related to Green Infrastructure, Bikes

Now U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is coming for our bike lanes!

March 12, 2025
See all posts