Proposal to expand Greenway in Southwest Brooklyn takes first step

November 2, 2020 Raanan Geberer

Bicyclists approach the Verrazzano Bridge on Shore Park, part of the Brooklyn Greenway route. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Greenway Initiative

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Planning studies are set to begin for two sections of Greenway in Brooklyn and Queens, the city Parks Department and Department of Transportation recently announced, heralding a project they refer to as “Destination: Greenways!”

And one of these two segments, described as being “along Brooklyn’s Southwest shoreline,” corresponds to a segment of the planned Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway that is only partially completed, from Leif Erickson Park to Coney Island.

The nonprofit Brooklyn Greenway Initiative has proposed a unified Greenway for pedestrians and bicyclists along Brooklyn’s shoreline for many years.

While many segments have been completed and are now enjoyed by both Brooklyn residents and visitors, others are still unfinished, most notably the planned route along the Sunset Park waterfront and the portion approaching Coney Island from the east and west, as well as within Coney Island itself.

The study will outline cost estimates for investments in “key areas in Central Queens and along Brooklyn’s southwest shoreline, with a focus on connecting existing fragmented greenway segments,” the Parks Department said in a statement.

“The Destination: Greenways! Project is the beginning of a realization of a vision for southern Brooklyn that I have been advocating for since coming into office, where every person has access to open space and every community has high-quality waterfront,” said State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, who represents the Southwest Brooklyn area that the new Greenway section would traverse.

“As the visioning process begins, we can work together to plan a cohesive Narrows Waterfront Park that will have a tremendous impact on our southern Brooklyn communities,” Gounardes added.

Borough President Eric Adams said, “For years, I have been proud to support the completion of the Brooklyn Greenway by allocating $1.5 million towards the project, which would reconnect Brooklynites to our waterfront while offering safe connections for cyclists and provide crucial resiliency measures to protect southern Brooklyn from extreme weather events.

“Destination: Greenways! is a crucial and long overdue step forward in this process, and I look forward to hearing feedback from local residents on how the coastal stretch from Bay Ridge to Coney Island can best be utilized in the upcoming virtual hearing,” the borough president said.

A Parks spokesperson said, “We work in close partnership with the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and share common goals for the Brooklyn Greenway. Their efforts to maintain and fill the gaps of Brooklyn’s existing greenway network will only increase the efficiency and success of Destination: Greenways! We appreciate BGI for their continued partnership and community advocacy, and we look forward to working together.”

A Brooklyn virtual meeting on the process, in which local residents can give feedback, is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m.