$8M upgrade of Downtown Brooklyn’s Fulton Mall begins

Improvements will make shopping strip greener, more pedestrian-friendly

August 5, 2024 Mary Frost

This rendering shows a more attractive seating area, permeable pavers and bigger tree pits in front of Macy’s in Downtown Brooklyn. The improvements are part of a $8M streetscape upgrade starting this week. Rendering: DBP

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DOWNTOWN — Work begins Thursday on an $8 million streetscape upgrade to the busy Fulton Mall shopping strip.

The Fulton Mall Streetscape Improvement Project aims to make Downtown’s Fulton Street — Brooklyn’s largest economic hub — greener and more pedestrian-friendly.

Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, NYC Parks Department and the city’s Department of Transportation have been working together on the project. Funding was provided by the Mayor’s Office.

This photo shows the current seating area and plantings in front of Macy’s in Downtown Brooklyn. Photo: Mary Frost, Brooklyn Eagle

Parks will be enlarging planting beds and installing new trees, new benches and permeable pavers next to the curb on Fulton Street from Boerum Place to Flatbush Avenue.

The project’s construction will be split into nine phases, with work taking place only at night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday to Friday, DBP said. Each phase will encompass two blocks. Phase 1, starting Thursday, will tackle the north side of Fulton Street between Boerum Place and Jay Street.

The streetscape project is expected to be completed by fall 2025.

“With new street trees, tree pits, and seating on the way to Fulton Street, Downtown Brooklyn is about to get even more beautiful,” NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said in July 2023 when the plans were first announced. “This project shows how multiagency collaboration and public-private partnerships can enhance our public spaces for the benefit of all New Yorkers.”

Part of a larger Downtown improvement plan

The Fulton Mall Streetscape Improvement Project is part of a larger $40 million city plan to improve Downtown Brooklyn’s streetscape, transportation and public space, including pedestrian and roadway user safety enhancements and improved bus service, announced by the city in 2023.

One goal is to shift Fulton Mall away from the old-school, car-centered model. DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in the 2023 announcement that the improvements include wider sidewalks, protected bike infrastructure and dedicated bus lanes.

Some of the improvements planned for the Fulton Mall include new benches, new sidewalks, permeable pavers and expanded tree pits. Illustration: DBP

“Downtown Brooklyn has become a thriving mixed-use neighborhood, and these improvements will further enhance the downtown experience for shoppers, office workers, and residents alike,” Regina Myer, DBP president, said at that time.

Since its 2004 rezoning, Downtown Brooklyn has experienced “significant increases” in residential population, new businesses and jobs, DBP said. According to the Fulton Mall Improvement Association, the street attracts 100,000 visitors a day.

This bench-lined walkway is part of Columbus Park, the heart of Brooklyn’s Civic Center in Downtown Brooklyn. Photo: Mary Frost, Brooklyn Eagle

Group also wants to redesign Columbus Park

DBP has been working over the years on a larger, evolving “Public Realm Action Plan” with design firms including WXY architecture + urban design (WXY). As part of that vision, the groups want to redesign Columbus Park and Borough Hall Plaza, as well as Korean War Veterans Plaza, which they call underutilized.

In February 2024, a standing-room-only crowd gathered at Brooklyn Borough Hall for a workshop to weigh in on these plans.