Underhill Plaza Opens In Prospect Heights

PROSPECT HEIGHT, BROOKLYN — Community leaders and elected officials joined the Department of Transportation on Saturday in a ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling a permanent one-block plaza at the northern terminus of Underhill Avenue.

Supplemented by massive granite blocks and planters, the now-protected plaza has long been in the works since the Open Streets expansion — and popularity — drew crowds of happy neighbors to the streets during the darkest days of the pandemic lockdown.

The street has also been painted a color one could only describe as DOT green.

"I am proud to build on the success of our flourishing Open Streets program by cutting the ribbon on Underhill Plaza, a great example of how we’re developing our program locations with permanent designs that create safer, more vibrant community spaces,” said the city's Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "This expansion of Lowry Triangle marks the first step in transforming Underhill Avenue into a Bike Boulevard that calms traffic by prioritizing cyclists and pedestrians—all without the need of moveable barriers."

And the group that has been busy moving the Open Street barriers, the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, who also administers the nearby popular Vanderbilt Open Streets, surely appreciated one less movable fence to manage.

“Underhill Plaza is more than a public amenity and venue for what have proven to be popular programs on the Open Street," said PHNDC Chair Gib Veconi.

Veconi went on to describe how Underhill Avenue, because of its location connecting Atlantic Avenue, Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue, used to see an unusually high amount of through traffic, resulting in 136 injuries due to vehicles between 2016 and 2020, according to the DOT.

Since the Open Streets program began, traffic accidents have plummeted on both Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues by around 40% each, according to DOT data presented on NYC Crash Mapper.

And with both Underhill Playground and P.S. 9 on the short avenue, the move should be a big safety boost for families and kids.

"Both Underhill Plaza and the additional street improvements to come are permanent safety features that will protect pedestrians, cyclists, and children at our local public school and playground,” Veconi said.

In addition to the safety benefits, a DOT study released last fall revealed that businesses located on Prospect Heights Open Streets saw a 20 percent bump in sales compared to nearby shops and restaurants on regular streets, giving local business owners a much needed bump as they struggle to recover from the pandemic and economic conditions.

The DOT has further plans to increase street safety on Underhill Avenue, aiming to make the street a "bike boulevard" with several traffic calming enhancements, like building out curbs at intersections, median islands to slow cars and making traffic on some parts of the street one-way, with expanded room for bikes and pedestrians.

The plaza is also part of a larger Prospect Heights study that includes a re-imagining of Grand Army Plaza, with residents already seeming to signal overwhelming support towards a major reduction in car thoroughfares on the notoriously congested streets surrounding the Union Army memorial.