Vanderbilt Open Streets Has Open Position

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — You've heard of "working the streets." Now you can work for the streets.

The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council is seeking a part-time program manager to help support its Vanderbilt Avenue Open Streets program.

Fans of the popular Open Street will love to hear that the responsibilities include coordinating with the DOT to get signs and barriers, the NYPD for event support, operation logistics, managing staff and volunteers and responding to day-of issues, like weather changes.

The posting says the PHNDC wants an applicant with at least three years of experience in program management with strong organizational skills and notes that the role requires being on-call during event hours and being on the streets for at least part of the weekend.

Since its creation during the pandemic, the six-blocks of car-free weekends on Vanderbilt Avenue has been one of the most popular and successful of the temporary pedestrianization programs created in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio made the program permanent in 2021, but some neighborhoods have seen their Open Streets initiatives scaled back.

In October, the city released a study showing that the Open Streets program had significantly helped businesses recover from the pandemic downturn, with Vanderbilt Avenue businesses seeing a 20 percent boost in sales compared to pre-pandemic data.

PHNDC, a nearly 20-year-old neighborhood civic group, runs the Vanderbilt Open Street, and the similar program on Underhill Avenue, with the DOT.

The position pays $40 an hour and would start on March 1 until November, with a possibility to extend.

To learn more, check out the job posting here.