Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Brooklyn

After $11M in Repairs, Is Borough Hall Plaza a Plaza, or a Parking Lot?

This year, contractors hired by the Parks Department got to work replacing the bluestone in the plaza outside Brooklyn Borough Hall, which was busted up due in part to people -- including former borough president Marty Markowitz -- parking cars on it.

The $11 million project isn’t finished, but someone has already started using the new granite pavers for parking again.

“Before we know it, Borough Hall Plaza will once again be the community common space we have long come to love and treasure,” Borough President Eric Adams told the Brooklyn Eagle in April. And nothing says "community space" like personal auto storage.

The granite may hold up better than the bluestone, but is Borough Hall Plaza a plaza, or a parking lot?

We have a request in with Adams' office about whether he intends to allow the plaza to be used for parking after the city spent millions to repair it.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

INTERVIEW: MTA Chair Janno Lieber Talks to Streetsblog to Mark Four Years at the Top

The MTA chairman talked with Streetsblog about his tenure, congestion pricing, bus stops, Babe Ruth and more.

January 21, 2026

OPINION: To Move Past the ‘Agony and Terror’ of the Adams Years, DOT Must Lean Into Research

Ex-Mayor Adams sandbagged DOT's capacity to explain why it pursue street redesigns in the first place, and the ability to inform New Yorkers, in clear and honest terms.

January 21, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines: Talk is Cheap Edition

We're hawking half-priced tickets to a New York Focus transportation event. Plus other news.

January 21, 2026

F150 Driver Kills Cyclist in Queens

The carnage continues in the World's Borough.

January 20, 2026

Central Park Changes Have Eased Crossings for Pedestrians, New Data Shows

Pedestrians are waiting less time to cross the bustling six-mile loop after the city shortened crossing distances and replaced "stop" lights with yellow "yield" signals.

January 20, 2026

Memo to Mamdani: Rescind Central Park’s New 15-MPH Bike Speed Limit

The lower speed limit misapplies state law and sets a troubling precedent for cycling in New York City.

January 20, 2026
See all posts