The Brooklyn Heights Association greatly appreciates your joining with so very many of your neighbors at the recent BQE Town Hall at Plymouth Church to shout out a collective “No Way, No How” to the Promenade Highway.

The success of the Town Hall – the packed house and our elected officials saying they would not support a plan that lacks widespread community support - sent an unmistakable message to City Hall.

But it could not have happened without the BHA’s and A Better Way’s unrelenting efforts to court our elected officials, mobilize resources, and convey our message that a better solution must be found.

As a result of our sustained pressure, and the strong support of you, this community and a cadre of elected officials, the Mayor announced on the day of the Town Hall that a blue-ribbon panel would take a completely fresh look at the project.

The BHA publicly called for just such a panel in January. It seems the Mayor heard!

At the BQE panel’s first engagement with the community on April 25th, Carlo Scisurra, its chair, said that “we’re going to look at everything.” But the very first alternative, developed by Marc Wouters Studio in conjunction with the BHA, has opened the door to many creative ideas for rebuilding the crumbling BQE and better integrating it into the surrounding communities.

The panel now appears to be a game-changer, signaling that the City is prepared to adopt a less environmentally destructive solution than the 6-lane Promenade Highway. It is too early, though, to declare victory.  Together, we must continue to advocate for a 21st century solution that does not in any way, shape, or form include a six-lane highway at our doorstep. 

To make this happen, the BHA has engaged strategic, historic preservation, and legal consultants. While the community has been generous, our expenses continue and more funds are urgently needed to sustain our advocacy.

We ask you to donate to the BHA’s BQE Fund or to send a check to:  Brooklyn Heights Association, 55 Pierrepont Street, Box 17D, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Please be as generous as you can. And thank you again for making the Town Hall a huge success.