Atlantic avenue wins $75,000 bid challenge award to transform bqe underpass near pier 6, brooklyn bridge park

Josef Szende (jszende@atlanticavebid.org)

Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District, 718-734-4219
ATLANTIC AVENUE WINS $75,000 BID CHALLENGE AWARD TO TRANSFORM BQE UNDERPASS NEAR PIER 6, BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK
PLANS INCLUDE A NEW MURAL AND A READY-TO-BUILD TRANSFORMATIVE DESIGN BY END OF 2013
New design will set a new precedent for overcoming elevated highway & railway structures that cut through neighborhoods around the New York City.

Brooklyn, NY (December 7, 2012) - The Atlantic Avenue BID has won a $75,000 grant to re-design the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway underpass that connects its thriving business district to the Brooklyn Bridge Park. The goal is to transform the underpass into an inviting gateway linking the waterfront to Atlantic Avenue's dynamic shops and restaurants.

This BID Challenge Award comes from the City's Department of Small Business Services and was made possible by an initiative of Deputy Mayor Robert Steele. The Atlantic Avenue BID worked with Planning Corps (planningcorps.org) to put together a proposal that includes lighting, way-finding, artwork and an interactive experience, that Planning Corps co-leader Eric Galipo has dubbed the 'F(UNDERPASS)'. 

Ever since the opening of Brooklyn Bridge Park, Atlantic Avenue's businesses have been cut off from the Park's Pier 6 by the BQE, even though they are right next to this wonderful green space. The park is a destination but going there requires visitors to traverse a dirty and unpleasant underpass. This grant will facilitate a much better connection between Atlantic Avenue's diverse mix of retail and this distinctive park.

To execute the project, the BID will partner with the Design Trust for Public Space (designtrust.org), who will manage a participatory design process that will arrive at a ready-to-build design by the end of 2013. In tandem, Groundswell (groundswellmural.org) - the City's most prolific mural-making organization - will be working with the BID to create artwork on the walls of the underpass within 2013.

The success of this grant proposal comes as a result of a collaboration between BID board members Sandy Balboza, Irene Van Syke, and Nat Rubin (owner of The Moxie Spot restaurant at 81 Atlantic Avenue); Atlantic Ave BID Executive Director Josef Szende, and a huge network of local elected officials and non-profit organizations that assisted with creating the proposal and letters of support.

Elected officials who furnished letters of support include: Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez; Council members Brad Lander and Steve Levin; Assemblywoman Joan Millman; and State Senators Velmanette Montgomery and Daniel Squadron. Supporting organizations include the Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association; Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation; Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy; Brooklyn Greenway Initiative; SUNY Downstate Long Island College Hospital; New York City Department of Transportation Brooklyn Borough Office; One Brooklyn Bridge Park Condominium; and the Brooklyn YWCA.

"We commend the Atlantic Avenue BID for receiving an SBS Challenge Grant and are thrilled that they will able to move forward with implementing their ideas to improve the BQE underpass," said Regina Myer, President of Brooklyn Bridge Park. "Atlantic Avenue is an important commercial corridor that serves as more than just the entrance to Pier 6 -- it also acts as the gateway to the southern portion of the park. Beautifying the area beneath the BQE will not only attract more park visitors, it will also offer many more opportunities for us to work closely with our neighbors along Atlantic Avenue."

“I’d like to extend my congratulations to the Atlantic Avenue BID and its Executive Director, Josef Szende," said City Council Member Steven Levin. "This award is a terrific recognition of the hard work done by so many of Atlantic Avenue’s merchants in their first year as a business improvement district. By thinking creatively, we can create an underpass that is not only an inviting entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park, but also draws visitors to retail destinations and restaurants throughout the Atlantic Avenue commercial corridor. I know that this grant is the first of many great initiatives that will make Atlantic Avenue a true retail destination.”

“Three cheers for the Atlantic Avenue BID!" said City Council Member Brad Lander. "With this BID Challenge Award, the dark underpass that has divided the business corridor on Atlantic Avenue and Brooklyn Bridge Park will be transformed into an interactive connector between two outstanding destinations. Neighborhood residents and visitors alike will benefit from increased safety and local artwork. I am happy to have introduced Atlantic Avenue BID to Groundswell, whose murals empower our youth and celebrate community voices, and I look forward to joining with neighbors in the participatory design process for this dynamic new space.”

"Improving the connection between Brooklyn Bridge Park and Atlantic Avenue's local shops is not only good for residents, but can also increase business activity, strengthening our local economy," said local Congressional Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY).

"The BID's proposal is one step toward creating a much-needed gateway between Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Atlantic Avenue corridor," said New York State Senator Daniel Squadron. "By beautifying the underpass in the short-term and turning it into an innovative public space for the long-term, this will be a part of increased, vital access and safety between our neighborhood and Brooklyn Bridge Park. That means a more accessible and convenient community for residents and increased foot-traffic for our local businesses. I was very happy to organize a brainstorming meeting and support the creation of this critical gateway, which will go a long way toward making our neighborhood even more vibrant and livable. Congratulations -- and now let's get to work!"

"My sincerest congratulations to the Atlantic Avenue BID on receiving your first of many development grants!" said New York State Senator Velmanette Montgomery. "The vision and participatory process that resulted in this achievement has produced a plan for civic improvement that will unite all the neighborhoods in the BID to the benefit of all! I look forward to supporting the BID for many years to come."

"I congratulate the Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District on their award winning application," said New York State Assemblywoman Joan Millman. "When their community-based design process is completed there will be a seamless transition from Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 to the variety of shopping experiences to be enjoyed by both visitors and community members alike."