[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6152992,"mediaKeyId","5495104-35479edfad5f93ecc26f374b5e3c68ed","parentId",5495104,"title","City agencies seek land‑use approvals for Broadway Junction public‑realm projects, NYPD relocation and MTA map change","audioSeconds",1715,"startMs",493365,"endMs",2208890,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5495104-35479edfad5f93ecc26f374b5e3c68ed&start=493&end=2208","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5495104-35479edfad5f93ecc26f374b5e3c68ed/thumbnail_493365.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6152992/Kings-County-Brooklyn-Borough/New-York/City-agencies-seek-landuse-approvals-for-Broadway-Junction-publicrealm-projects-NYPD-relocation-and-MTA-map-change","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6152992-1bcb316b95ceef734cba0763d8ba31d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143091&Signature=bKPqPpF4~ze1QBNUqdGqTX0z5YqBMmFg8rqYY-1TthdiNjRLZR0F1PwT1HT3-Y0Zw3WBNF66sCKcVxBjH~NBHu12w9ixPPYWvwGoh6ywv2wo8l8A3GsbJrFkgjXEEwcuHNBtQbr1HKb1lcawtCJ4qfV3RbhpwqSTrk7VyhgVmFy~yGddjQmfA4cPG6F29LugsyvNjAZDKwwnoNlF5-wt-SduOiKIQQeuK4-MwbQS9TYXat-cbDglGmhVB3v9ITVefbQQFZNrAtzZNx4Tke5GQmPgwzKuzPxQn1p-28petsi2N07mjGH0p3BimBAZQYW-QpB38cW2aaJYp6-wmOmBSA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Brooklyn Borough ","date","2025-06-23T20:55:43Z","article","City agencies presented plans on June 11 to reclaim public land around Broadway Junction Station, relocate the NYPD Transit District 33 facility, build two new public plazas and advance an MTA map amendment to support an ADA accessibility expansion.

Julianne Herskowitz of the New York City Economic Development Corporation told the borough board the project package has $130,000,000 in city and federal funding to improve pedestrian safety, add public open space and better connect neighborhoods to transit. “We are pleased to share that we have 130,000,000 in city and federal funding allocated to this project to improve pedestrian safety, create safer streets, better access to transit, and build new beautiful and accessible public open space in and around Broadway Junction Station,” Herskowitz said.

The public‑realm plan would deliver two new open spaces: an extension of Callahan Kelly Playground that reclaims about a half acre of parkland currently occupied by an above‑grade NYPD facility, and a roughly 5,000‑square‑foot plaza on the southeast corner of Van Sinderen Avenue and Fulton Street on an MTA‑controlled lot. The extension would create a combined park area of “over 4 acres” when combined with existing parkland, agency presenters said. The streetscape program includes improvements on Van Sinderen Avenue and Broadway to improve pedestrian and transit connections.

As part of the package, the NYPD would relocate Transit District 33 from an above‑grade, 15,000‑square‑foot facility within mapped parkland to a new purpose‑built four‑story, 35,000‑square‑foot building at a portion of 1508 Herkimer Street. Inspector Kenneth Gorman, commanding officer of Transit Borough Brooklyn, said the new facility is intended to meet operational needs without increasing staffing and will include a street‑facing community room and off‑street parking for the fleet. “This is a incredible project for us, not only to help the police department in the district, but also to help us be a better partner to the community,” Gorman said.

The project ties to a separate MTA accessibility program. Arturo Espinosa of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the city map amendment request would formally transfer the street bed of Sackman Street into park jurisdiction as MTA expands station access and constructs new overpasses to connect platforms and entrances. Espinosa said the MTA is working with Parks and that the map change follows prior community board review; Community Board 16 voted to approve the map change in May.

Parks staff highlighted the restored parkland benefits. Elizabeth Ernish, an urban planner at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, said Callahan Kelly Playground was parkland until 1982 and that restoring the former street bed to Parks jurisdiction would extend access to residents. “From 1945 until 1982, that was park. And then it was changed, and we're gonna bring it back,” Ernish said, noting that the new plaza would serve residents who currently live beyond a short walk to existing parks.

Agencies described implementation steps and workforce goals: EDC said design procurement for the streetscapes and Callahan Kelly extension is underway, with construction targeting 2028–2031 for the public‑realm projects. The NYPD facility construction is anticipated to begin in 2026 and complete by 2028. EDC said it set a 30% MWBE target for the Callahan Kelly design contract, will exceed a 7% federal disadvantaged business goal on streetscapes, set a 30% community‑hire labor‑hours target prioritizing NYCHA and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, and announced $1,400,000 in funding to five local nonprofit workforce programs.

Public testimony included support from William Wilkins, executive director of multiple East New York economic development organizations, who urged agencies to deliver high‑quality design and stewardship. No formal vote was taken at the borough board hearing; the borough president's office will review the applications and submit recommendations to the City Planning Commission, which will hold subsequent hearings.

Distinguishing discussion from action: agencies requested borough board approval for four discretionary land‑use actions and presented supporting plans; Community Board 16’s May approval of the MTA map amendment was noted as a prior formal action. The borough board did not record a decision on the requests at the June 11 hearing.

Attribution: quotations and factual statements in this article are drawn from testimony by Julianne Herskowitz (EDC), Inspector Kenneth Gorman (NYPD Transit Borough Brooklyn), Elizabeth Ernish (NYC Parks), Arturo Espinosa (MTA), and public testimony by William Wilkins.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Brooklyn Borough Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, ULURP Hearing, June 11, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City agencies presented plans on June 11 to reclaim public land around Broadway Junction Station, relocate NYPD Transit District 33, and advance a city map amendment to support an ADA station expansion.","taxTitle","Kings County - Brooklyn Borough, New York","taxId",3520,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6152996,"Applicant seeks rezoning at 535 Morgan Avenue to allow 20,265‑square‑foot supermarket",417,68640,486010,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5495104-35479edfad5f93ecc26f374b5e3c68ed&start=68&end=486","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5495104-35479edfad5f93ecc26f374b5e3c68ed/thumbnail_68640.jpg","/articles/6152996/Kings-County-Brooklyn-Borough/New-York/Applicant-seeks-rezoning-at-535-Morgan-Avenue-to-allow-20265squarefoot-supermarket","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6152996-42062b71c82fa28c2ce31499a5897e6d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771143091&Signature=iwsvBYM~Q8e3YOWFeI0ZJGPzDj~39B~TEtLhH5LtHmRoeXQkLIw1YVFubENjt8mJm1Dgbu~nDx5osSRAytGD33XFQ0G0ZnkiTqM1C3yMxpkCKaiFaFtHtQh9tLQhr~G5vPkQfcWJZAarwx392zXOvW0dCYbNfEzR5MFNmgMN4rygI9JkPQ8dNmbwZYNFY4K9tOikzdyZ4J3b784IeAVE3AAClNJN8DXKI-u~wNgt898ZoZe-TL35auvLKHuSnF~rVKELOen2eKy2CfTQtMdp5zg0qKwvAXDW7mFQaTxn8Sci9yCiVbqhfkml2ko-ILaNJwR2ONnJG-tSlEr9eQGIzA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A developer asked the Brooklyn borough board at a June 11 public hearing to rezone a full block at 535 Morgan Avenue in East Williamsburg from an M1-1 manufacturing district to a C7-1 commercial district to allow a 20,265‑square‑foot supermarket to replace an existing Staples store.

The rezoning proposal would convert an existing one‑story retail building within a block bounded by Meeker Avenue, Morgan Avenue, Kingsland Avenue and Lombardi Street so a supermarket under the Aldi chain could occupy the former Staples space, Justin Jarbo, a Roth Group representative for the applicant, said at the hearing.

The change would remove current M1‑1 limitations that prevent retail stores larger than 10,000 square feet and would permit a supermarket tenancy in the existing 20,265‑square‑foot space, Jarbo said. “We are proposing to rezone the site from the current M1‑1 District to C7‑1 to facilitate the change in use of the existing Staples store,” he said.

Why it matters: the rezoning would allow a large-format grocery to locate in an area zoned for light manufacturing, potentially changing the mix of permitted retail uses along this block and enabling a new supermarket without new construction. The applicant said no new building is proposed; the action would facilitate a change of tenancy only.

Key details presented at the hearing: the site is an irregular parcel totaling over 100,000 square feet and is developed with two sections, including an easterly one‑story retail building housing AutoZone, Dollar Tree and Staples and off‑street parking. Jarbo described an off‑street parking area he said currently totals 110 spaces, later specifying the parking adjacent to the retail building as 94 spaces and accessory McDonald’s parking as 16 spaces. He said existing leases for McDonald’s, AutoZone and Dollar Tree have multiple years remaining.

Jarbo also described transit access, saying the site is about a half‑mile from G and L train stations and is served by the B24 and B64 bus routes. He said the C7‑1 district would increase the permitted floor‑area ratio for commercial uses from 1 to 2 and would reduce FAR for community facility uses from 2.4 to 2, but added that no new construction is planned at this time.

During questions, Spencer Williams, director of land use and topography for Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, asked whether the applicant planned to participate in the Fresh Food Retail incentive program; Jarbo replied, “No. Not at this time.” Williams also asked about pedestrian safety and urban design feedback from Community Board 1; Jarbo said the applicant is available to discuss improvements with DOT and is open to making improvements as necessary.

There was no registered public testimony on the item at the hearing and the panel closed the item without taking a vote. The borough president’s office will review the application and submit recommendations to the City Planning Commission, which will hold its own public hearing at a later date.

Attribution: statements in this article come from meeting testimony by Justin Jarbo, Roth Group representative for the applicant, and questions from Spencer Williams, director of land use and topography for Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

The borough board did not take formal action at the June 11 hearing; community feedback and any formal votes will be recorded in subsequent hearings before the City Planning Commission or by Community Board 1 as those bodies consider the application.","A private applicant asked the Brooklyn borough board to rezone a manufacturing-zoned block at 535 Morgan Avenue from M1-1 to C7-1 so an existing 20,265-square-foot Staples space can be retenanted as an Aldi supermarket; no vote was taken and no public testimony was offered at the hearing.","actionData","errors"]

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City agencies seek land‑use approvals for Broadway Junction public‑realm projects, NYPD relocation and MTA map change

Applicant seeks rezoning at 535 Morgan Avenue to allow 20,265‑square‑foot supermarket