New East NY Community Center Could House Dance Studio, Boxing Ring, Tech Lab

By Kings County Politics News Service

EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN — City Councilmember Rafael Espinal Jr., representing the East New York/Bushwick area, recently led a group of police, city officials and East New York residents on a visioning tour of the neighborhood’s future 19,000-square-foot community center — a former courthouse now being used by the NYPD for administrative space at 127 Pennsylvania Ave. between Liberty and Atlantic avenues.

Along the tour, residents left sticky notes full of ideas for each room (pictured below). Among the top ideas were a “dance studio,” “boxing ring,” “computer lab” and “advanced learning courses.”

“This space, which was once used to put people in jail, will now be used to keep people out of it,” Espinal said. “These doors will be open to everyone — our youth, adults, seniors, and all those in between — who deserve an accessible location where they can participate in fun activities and congregate recreationally to further strengthen our community. I am thrilled by the enthusiasm we saw here tonight, and look forward to these ideas coming into fruition.”

The funding for the center comes as part of the comprehensive East New York Neighborhood Plan that Espinal secured in the spring of 2016 with Mayor Bill de Blasio. The mayor agreed to the plan largely because he wanted East New York to serve as a cornerstone for his (highly controversial) citywide rezoning plan, which allows for higher-density development as long as developers include a size-able chunk of affordable housing within their buildings.

Espinal, with overwhelming City Council support, locked down $250 million for East New York-area projects in exchange for signing off on the rezoning plan.

The new community center at 127 Pennsylvania was originally built as a courthouse the 1920s. In the 1960s, the NYPD moved in, using the space as a processing center for suspected criminals.

After that, the Police Athletic League (PAL), an independent org that serves city kids, put the building to use as an after-school space for neighborhood youth. But when the PAL couldn't afford to rent the space anymore, circa 2009, it was re-populated by the NYPD — causing some uproar in the community.

"We don't have one dedicated community center in East New York," Carolyn Walker-Diallo, executive director of a local anti-gang nonprofit, told the New York Daily News at the time. "The one building we have was taken away without any warning and I don't understand why. ... Our children deserve a chance."

This new City Hall funding, though, should restore the majority of the space into a local spot for kids to play and learn.

Among the other projects to be funded under the East New York Neighborhood Plan:

Education:

• $17.45 million will go to 27 existing public schools for tech and infrastructure upgrades — such as purchasing new laptops and "smart boards" and upgrading gym/auditorium/playground space, etc. — based on the needs of particular schools.

• The city will build a new 1,000-seat school in East New York's District 19, to alleviate school overcrowding and make room for a growing population. The school will be equipped with an at-grade playground open to the public outside of school hours.

Transportation:

• Atlantic Avenue will be transformed into a vibrant and safe corridor. Residents on both sides of the street will be connected by a major street improvement project that will include a new raised and planted median; curb extensions at 15 intersections; a complete road resurfacing; safer crosswalks; more than 100 new street trees; wayfinding signage; and new sidewalks with public benches and bike racks.

• The streetscape around the Broadway Junction station, a major transit hub, will be renovated to make the area safer and improve the commuter experience. The city will widen sidewalks and add new vendor kiosks, new seating, landscaping and dedicated bus lanes. (This project is nearly completed and will have a ribbon-cutting soon.)

• The public will be given access to broadband internet, via conduit infrastructure along Atlantic Avenue. LinkNYC will also be deployed along two key corridors in East New York, providing free public Wi-Fi.

Parks and recreation:

• Callahan-Kelly Playground, located adjacent to the Broadway Junction, will be renovated with more diverse recreational options for residents of the surrounding neighborhoods of Ocean Hill, Brownsville, East New York and Bushwick.

• Highland Park will also receive upgrades.

• New "Schoolyards to Playgrounds" sites will be opened at P.S. 677 (East New York Elementary School of Excellence) and P.S. 345 (Patrolman Robert Bolden), which will allow the community to use school playgrounds during non-school hours and on weekends.

A version of this story originally appeared on the Kings County Politics news site. Photos courtesy of Kings County Politics