Make 'Play Street' Permanent, Park Slopers Plead

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — The image of children playing on a cul-de-sac — a dead end road with only one way in and out — evokes the suburbs for most people, but not in Park Slope.

In the northwest Brooklyn neighborhood oft-recognized for its "suburban vibe," hundreds of locals want to see a permanent "play street" built on a Fourth Street cul-de-sac — a dream that some said just became one step closer to reality, as the street was temporarily pedestrianized for the summer.

From July 8 through Labor Day, the small stretch of Fourth Street near Fifth Avenue will become closed to traffic 24/7.

The roadway, which dead ends at M.S. 51 William Alexander and abuts J.J. Byrne Playground and the Old Stone House, has been closed to through traffic since 1951, according to Transportation Alternatives, the street safety non-profit leading the charge for permanent pedestrianization.

Currently, the street operates as an Open Street with a weekly Sunday farmers market and year-round events, though cars can still enter and park on the roadway at most times.

A proposal for permanent pedestrianization — dubbed the Park Slope Play Street Pedestrian Plaza proposal — originated during the pandemic, as neighbors imagined what it would be like for the street to be closed to vehicles at all times, instead becoming a "play space" for neighborhood children.

That neighbor-led campaign has since reportedly garnered support from nearly 600 locals — neighbors who now see the interim summer plaza as a step in the right direction towards the goal of a permanent pedestrian play space.

"Neighbors who want a permanent ped plaza here are ready to support, promote and enjoy the interim plaza. We will also continue to generate excitement about the proposed permanent plaza," said Kathy Park Price, a Brooklyn organizer for Transportation Alternatives, linking to the group's petition.

As currently planned, the summer plaza — sponsored by the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID, Old Stone House of Brooklyn, and the Department of Transportation — will cordon off the area to cars for about two months, starting in July.

The plaza will have public chairs and tables every day with occasional programming and events, like movie nights, organizers said.