Prospect Heights Open Streets Boosted Recovery: DOT

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A new study by the city says that car-free Open Streets in Prospect Heights fueled a business boom not seen on other roadways.

The study, called "Streets for Recovery," reveled that on the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street, business saw a 20 percent boost in sales over their pre-pandemic baseline.

Across Brooklyn, business have increased six percent compared pre-pandemic levels, and on nearby Flatbush Avenue, sales were down 40 percent.

“The economic success of the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street is only the most quantifiable result of bringing residents and business together to create new public space on Prospect Heights’ main street," said Gib Veconi chair of the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, one of the main sponsors and operators of the Vanderbilt Avenue open street.

"The strong sense of community that has been fostered among residents, visitors and businesses on open weekends has been truly transformative for the neighborhood’s identity,” Veconi said.

Citywide, Open Streets were found to boost sales by 19 percent compared to the before-times, while regular full-car corridors were 29 percent below.

More new businesses opened at Open Street locations too, with Vanderbilt Avenue seeing 16 percent growth in new shops, bars and restaurants compared to pre-pandemic data.

Across Brooklyn, that number shows a seven percent decline, and on Flatbush Avenue — a 24 percent drop.

Some restaurants and bars on Vanderbilt Avenue credited the Open Streets program with keeping their business open, too.

Chris Maestro said in the study that Open Streets saved his craft beer bar, Bierwax. He said that in the beginning of the pandemic, it seemed like he was headed towards closing up shop, but the Open Street program gave him a "glimmer of hope," he said.

"The application was approved quickly, and the street closure program became single-handedly responsible for saving our bar," he said, adding that sales "solidly bounced back."

"I am fully confident to say that we would be closed now if Open Streets did not come to Vanderbilt Avenue," Maestro said.

Read the full DOT study here.