Prospect Park Will Get 2 New Entrances Amid Upgrade

PROSPECT PARK, NY — The Flatbush Avenue border of Prospect Park will get two new entrances and other upgrades to make the storied park more accessible along its eastern border.

Park and city officials heralded the project's groundbreaking on Thursday, officially launching multi-million upgrades to the park's neglected border with Crown Heights. The Flatbush Avenue corridor has fewer entrances to the park, less lighting and a more unkempt sidewalk compared to Prospect Park West, which borders the Park Slope neighborhood.

The first half of the project — upgrades to the Flatbush Avenue corridor — will start immediately and is expected to be complete by the fall. The changes will widen the sidewalk from 20 to 30 feet wide, add more lighting and trees, and replace the heavily cracked pavement. The $2.4 million improvements are being funded by Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams and City Council Member Laurie Cumbo.

"Parks equity has been a priority of my administration, and my partnership with the Prospect Park Alliance has put equity first and foremost for the future of our borough’s crown jewel," Adams said in a statement. "The Flatbush Avenue perimeter will offer the same top-tier entrance as all visitors can expect to enjoy in Prospect Park. Along with our millions in investment for the Parkside Avenue and Ocean Avenue perimeters, the east side of Prospect Park will soon be the gold standard for a safe, sustainable, and serene park experience."

Construction on new entrances to the park will begin next year, and will likely be completed by 2020. One larger new entrance will be built near the park's former Rose Garden, which has sat largely unused for decades. The entrance will get a new traffic signal, a pedestrian crosswalk and levels of terraced seating, according to the Prospect Park Alliance. A second, smaller entrance will be built on Flatbush Avenue just north of the Prospect Park Zoo. In total, the entrances are expected to cost $3.2 million, with funding come from New York City parks department initiative to make public parks more accessible.

Another $2 million in funding from Mayor Bill de Blasio's office will go to general upgrades of walking paths, park benches and better lighting in the northeast section of the park.

Image credit: Rendering courtesy of Prospect Park Alliance