Residents and businesses push back as city prepares Brook Park Road streetscape work; deadline set for property owners

Brooklyn residents and business owners pressed city officials on April 14 over a streetscape project for Brook Park Road, saying they did not receive the detailed plan and asking why the city expected uniform landscaping where semi-truck activity is common. City staff said property owners had multiple notices and a public forum last year, and that owners who do not complete the required street-property work by April 30 will have the work done by the city and be assessed for the cost.

Misty Winkler, the property owner at 10840 Brook Park Road, told council she and her partner had pulled permits in 2022 to resurface their parking lot, apron and sidewalks and had inspections by city staff, but that they did not receive the diagram the city’s letter referenced. “We never received a diagram,” Winkler said at the second public session. She said a city letter asked for a $5,000 cash deposit per property until the work is finished and that she could not get clear answers about what remained to be done.

Director Butler answered that the city’s letters relate to work in the public right-of-way — “the street property, that’s everything from the sidewalk over to the middle of the street,” Butler said — and that the city’s 2025 streets program includes repairs to aprons, sidewalks and the grass strip between sidewalk and curb. Butler said the letters and a public forum gave property owners an option to complete the work themselves by April 30; where owners do not, “the city is going to undertake the work itself” and assess the cost to property owners. He described the $5,000 amount as a refundable deposit the city requires to protect the public right-of-way during privately conducted work.

Business owners and managers said some operational uses make grass or planted strips impractical. Councilman Kevin Tanski and others urged city staff to meet with the affected businesses and the city engineer, Mike Henry, to review the plans and consider alternatives where heavy truck traffic will likely damage plantings. Anthony Pagano, who manages a Brook Park Road property and asked to meet with Henry, said he and other property owners have invested in improvements but need clarity on scope and cost. “If it's alright, I would really like to get in touch with Mr. Mike Henry and keep moving forward,” Pagano said.

Mayor Van Kirk and council members said the streetscape plan followed the master-plan and the city engineer’s recommendation and stressed that many properties in the corridor had been neglected previously; the city’s goal, they said, is consistency and visual improvement. The mayor and Butler said some property owners already had permits and the engineer has agreed that previously completed sidewalk or apron repairs need not be redone, which could reduce costs for those owners.

Butler said he would put the Winklers and others in direct contact with Mike Henry to review the plans and confirm whether previously completed work satisfies the streetscape requirements. Council members also reiterated willingness to meet with affected businesses to assess whether materials such as stamped concrete, pavers or alternative treatments should be considered in high-traffic locations.

The key near-term items recorded in the meeting: the city reiterated an April 30 deadline for private completion of public-right-of-way work tied to the 2025 streets program; the city requires a refundable $5,000 deposit to cover potential damage during private projects; and the city will proceed with the work and assess costs where property owners do not comply.