Brooklyn

Sure, the west side of Flatbush has a huge selection of new luxury apartments. But what about the east side?

We did it! We won! Apparently.

From the BKReader:

Downtown Brooklyn was awarded $10 million grant as part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), which aims to transform downtown neighborhoods into vibrant communities where New Yorkers want to live and work.

Do you dream of living in Downtown Brooklyn, but lack the income to afford the multitude of new luxury apartments? Here’s another chance to try your luck at an affordable housing lottery!

NYC Housing Connect has recently opened the lottery for the upcoming One Flatbush Ave, which appears to be nearing the end of it’s construction. The building is at the intersection of Flatbush and Fulton, right next to the Nevins stop on the 2, 3, 4, and 5 trains.

Now in its 8th year, Jane’s Walk NYC, hosted by the Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS), is a weekend-long celebration featuring 200+ free “walking conversation” tours throughout the five boroughs, led by urban enthusiasts and local neighborhood experts.

“There is no logic that can be superimposed on the city; people make it, and it is to them, not buildings, that we must fit our plans.” – Jane Jacobs

Image via Bike New York

The 41st annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour is back this Sunday, May 6th. Around 32,000 cyclists will gear up this year and ride through New York City on car-free streets and highways for 40-miles.

Organized by Bike New York, the tour is a fun way for people to enjoy the city and raise money for the nonprofit organization’s bike education programs. The event will start off with an expo on Friday & Saturday at Pier 12, Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook with exhibitors, food and beer. And on Sunday, the bike tour begins at 7:30 am, in four waves at lower Manhattan, and moves its way through Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and finally ends in Staten Island with a Finish Festival (registered participants only) featuring local food vendors and live music.

Gold Street, between Myrtle Avenue and Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn, may soon be renamed to honor Ida B. Wells, an African-American investigative journalist, teacher, feminist, and an early leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Wells spent several years on Gold Street in the early 1890s (living near today’s existing Chase Bank), after her Memphis journalism offices were destroyed by white mob violence.

We’ve covered a lot of the negative emotions around the development of a giant tower at 80 Flatbush, right across from Atlantic Terminal, including neighbor protests and a CB2 vote against.

With a public hearing hosted by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams happening tonight, why not take a look at the reason people are for the new building?

Have you heard the news? Gothamist is back!

Last year, after a vote to unionize, they were shut down. Apparently, that made WNYC sad, so WNYC brought them back. They launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money and rally the troops. And today, they’re officially back.

I couldn’t be happier. I missed them. I know this isn’t directly related to Downtown Brooklyn, but Gothamist is a fantastic resource for all New Yorkers. So I had to celebrate here.

There’s some intense construction happening at Schermerhorn and Bond, right across the street from the upcoming Chelsea Piers Fitness. No, it’s not more luxury apartments. This time, it’s a fancy new hotel.

I mean, look how fancy:

Image via Broadway CG

We’re getting a fancy gym. Chelsea Piers Fitness is coming to Downtown Brooklyn. The “showroom” is now open for new members. I heard through the rumor mill that “founding member” prices are about $150 per month, and that price will go up once the gym actually opens. That puts this gym in roughly the same category as Crunch, Equinox, or (RIP) David Barton.