Getting Started on Fourth Avenue's Transformation

Big changes are coming to Fourth Avenue. And although Tuesday night's town hall meeting at St. Thomas Aquinas Church on Fourth and Ninth St. was just the first of many, some major headway has already been made.

Over the summer, Borough President Marty Markowitz backed the City Planning Commission's plan, with modifications, for an " for Fourth Avenue. The plan, a major component of the new plans for Fourth Ave., calls for retail in 50 percent of new ground floor developments along the avenue. City planning proposed a change from Atlantic Avenue to 24th Street, but Markowitz wants to enhance the entire stretch of the avenue, "from Atlantic Ave. to the Atlantic Ocean."

Markowitz says the enhanced commercial district would "provide the opportunity for exciting new retail — a necessary component of a vibrant and active street life — as well as more residential space and affordable housing, additional parking and aesthetic changes resulting in an enhanced ‘Brooklyn Boulevard’ from Atlantic Avenue to the Atlantic Ocean."

Today, Markowitz testified in support of the plan in front of a subcommitee of the land use committee of the City Council, and the full committee is expected to vote on it in the coming days.

"We want this done, and we want this done now," said , Senior Advisor to Markowitz.

The grand plans for Fourth Ave. also include traffic calming measures, beautification, historic preservation and more. Much of what will become of the avenue will depend on community input, which is why the , chaired by Scissura, is holding town meetings like the one on Tuesday night.

About 50 people attended the town hall open session, and concerns ran the gamut. A resident of St. Mark's complained about speeding cars trying to make the lights before they went red, another wondered about developments at Times Plaza at the intersection of Flatbush, Atlantic and Fourth and another resident said he wanted to make sure the auto shops wouldn't be run out of business.

"We don't want to close down the shops we want to make this a mixed use street, with a little bit of everything," said Scissura.

Numerous residents discussed whether Fourth Ave. should be home to a bike lane. Most people in attendance said the avenue was too dangerous, and they would never bike there unless there was a protected lane.

"We're going to look at where bikes fit, where cars fit and where pedestrians fit," said Scissura.

Safety, Scissura said, is "probably one of the most fundamental aspects of the task force."