News

There’s a lot going on in our neighborhood and the surrounding communities.

Check back here regularly for the news affecting Brooklyn Heights and reports on the issues we’re tracking.

Community Provides BQE Feedback

Jun 12

Fixing the BQE -- and doing it right -- is going to take time, perseverance, and vision, but it IS possible -- and community input is crucial. This is why we asked you to respond to a BQE survey, and the results are in! View survey results

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DOT Unveils New BQE Conceptual Plans

Dec 20

Hundreds of people from Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, DUMBO, Fulton Ferry, Vinegar Hill and Downtown Brooklyn participated in DOT-led workshops in early December to review preliminary design concepts for the Atlantic to Sands section of the BQE corridor. We want to THANK YOU for making time in your schedules at this very busy time of year to engage in this critical and complicated process. Turnout matters!Read More...

Koren Volk is BHA President

Mar 8

We are very pleased to introduce to you the BHA's new President, Koren Volk. Koren will serve in this capacity until March 2024.Read More...

Mayor Announces Plans for BQE

Aug 4

Eighteen months after his expert panel submitted recommendations, and four weeks after we published an op-ed in the NY Daily News, Mayor de Blasio has announced plans for the short-term repair of the Triple Cantilever. The proposed measures will maintain the structure long enough to allow for the development of a long-term vision for the future of the entire corridor.

DOT's plans for the shoring up of the cantilever include implementation of measures to stop water infiltration and slow down corrosion, reduce the lanes from six to four, expand monitoring of the structure’s health, and install weigh-in-motion technology to reduce overweight trucks on the structure (pending final approval from the Governor). These measures will extend the life of the structure for 20 years.Read More...

Don’t Let the BQE become the next Champlain Towers!

Jul 8

The BHA has been working with our fellow members of the Coalition for the BQE Transformation to keep the BQE at the top of the agenda for New York City and State lawmakers. Like you, we have been waiting for months for the city to release a plan outlining what it is doing to keep motorists and pedestrians safe on the cantilever, while simultaneously laying the foundation for a longer-term transformation of the BQE corridor. We are tired of waiting and fearful about the potential consequences of doing so much longer. 

Erika Belsey Worth, BHA President, co-authored this Op-Ed which is featured in the NY Daily News online today (PDF file of Op-Ed). We hope the Mayor and the Governor will listen. 

2021 Annual Meeting

Feb 24

This year's meeting featured a panel discussion with candidates for Brooklyn's 33rd Council District. We also honored the Arab-American Family Support Center, Becky Carpenter, Peter Kendall Clark, and Martin Schneider, and gave updates about past and ongoing BHA initiatives.Missed the meeting? You can read Mary Frost's summary in the Daily Eagle, or watch it here: Read More...

The Future of Montague Street

Jan 26

Survey Results Are In

We asked and you responded – 1,381 of you to be exact! We appreciate the incredible response and will use your input to support the creation of a vibrant and successful Montague Street.Read More...

Tree Survey

Sep 16

The BHA is launching a neighborhood-wide tree survey to help us locate trees in need of TLC.

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Standing Together in Troubled Times

Jun 5

On Thursday, June 4, almost ten thousand people gathered at Cadman Park to mourn George Floyd, as a simultaneous memorial was taking place in Minneapolis. Diverse hands, voices, and colorful signs were raised, and all knelt in solidarity with Black and Brown Americans who for too long have endured discrimination and abuse. Speakers included George’s brother Terrence Floyd, civil rights leaders, and a host of elected officials.Read More...

Mayor’s BQE Panel Releases its Report

Jan 30

Download the full report here. The panel's three core recommendations are as follows: Read More...

Unified Vision for the BQE

Nov 26

The Brooklyn Heights Association working with A Better Way, the Cobble Hill Association and nine other neighborhood groups and organizations has drafted a unified vision statement and sent it on November 26 to the Mayor's BQE Panel as well as to our elected officials.Read More...

Clark St Station Overhaul UPDATE

Nov 4

The community came out in full force on September 16 to hear and be heard on the issue of the possible subway station closure at Clark Street. To kick off the meeting, NYC Transit President Andy Byford presented three different options for repairing the aged and failing elevators in the Clark Street 2/3 subway station. President Byford repeatedly said that he was interested in hearing from the community and that no decision had been made. A survey was distributed...and the results are in!Read More...

photo of Lara Birnback, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Heights Association

Lara Birnback to Join the BHA as Executive Director

Jul 11

We are very pleased to announce that Lara Birnback will join the BHA as our new Executive Director.Read More...

Mayor’s Panel Confirms Promenade Highway Unlikely to Pass

Jun 27

The Mayor’s BQE Panel met on June 27th with stakeholders from up and down the BQE corridor. The announcement by Panel Chair Carlo Scissura that DOT’s proposal for a 6-lane elevated highway on the Promenade “has very little chance of being approved” given the political and legal approvals it would face received an enthusiastic response. Read More...

Potential Closure of Clark St Station

May 9

BHA Enlists the Help of Elected Officials Regarding the Potential Closing of the Clark Street Subway Station

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Town Hall Meeting a Roaring Success

Apr 5

The Community Sent the City a Clear Message: We Won’t Back Down

A rousing refrain was heard at Wednesday night’s Town Hall that the Brooklyn Heights community will “stand its ground and won’t back down” in its resolve for a better BQE plan. Read More...

Standing Room Only at our Annual Meeting

Mar 4

Our community is active and engaged, if attendance at our Annual Meeting is any indication. Some late-comers were not allowed in, as the Founders Hall at St. Francis had reached its maximum capacity. For those who were not able to attend, we have compiled links to our hand-outs, the Treasurer's Report, the President's presentation and articles in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle covering the evening.

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BQE Update January 2019

Jan 16

Our community is united in its opposition to DOT’s plan for a 6-lane highway on the Promenade.

While the 75 year old BQE triple cantilever must be rebuilt, we are advocating for better temporary solutions.  The BHA is working with the community, planners, and engineers to develop a better solution and have presented it to DOT and to our City and State elected officials.Read More...

BHA statement on the BQE Reconstruction plan by DOT

Oct 2

BHA and Community Oppose "Innovative" Approach

The BHA was extremely heartened by the strong attendance at the Department of Transportation’s September 27 presentation of their proposed approaches to the necessary reconstruction of the BQE. Of the two options, first, a lane-by-lane reconstruction (“Traditional Approach”), and second, a temporary 6-lane highway on the Promenade to expedite reconstruction of the roadway below (“Innovative Approach”), DOT gave clear preference for the second, “Innovative,” option.Read More...