Celebratory event for DOT bus plan the highlight of CB6 monthly meeting, but with a few questions

At April’s general meeting, board members raised several concerns about the Flatbush Avenue Bus Priority Plan, which includes new center-running bus lanes, boarding islands and new parking and loading changes.

The plan aims to speed up bus service along Flatbush Avenue, with the second phase currently in construction between State Street and Grand Army Plaza. Some of the qualms were around the plan’s rerouting of the B63 bus, which runs through CB6.

Under the plan, Cobble Hill-bound B63 buses will turn left onto Bergen Street from Fifth Avenue, right onto Fourth Avenue, and then left onto Atlantic Avenue, continuing along the regular route. Currently, the bus turns onto Atlantic Avenue via Flatbush Avenue.

Avoiding Flatbush Avenue limits the obstruction of the more frequent B41 bus, according to Dekka Michael of the MTA.

On the Bay Ridge-bound B63, buses will turn right onto Fourth Avenue from Atlantic Avenue, left onto Dean St, then right onto Fifth Avenue, continuing along the regular route.

Bergen and Dean
Transportation Committee Co-Chair, Tony Melone, raised a concern about how the MTA can allow additional large vehicles to travel safely along Bergen and Dean, which already carry the B65 bus.

“Bergen Street and Dean Street are narrow streets, we concur,” said Michael, adding that the existing bike lanes on both streets help slow down traffic. “Those are the best streets because they already have bus routes on them. We don’t anticipate any disruption in their current use.”

Melone also mentioned a repeated suggestion: swapping the B45 and B63 to prevent the latter from making several new turns.

“Some of us had advocated for this reroute as opposed to switching to B63 and the B45 only because the B63 remains our only east-west connected bus left in the district,” said CB6 Land Use Coordinator Rebecca Kobert, rebutting Melone’s swap statement.

The B71 bus was the other continuous east-west route in CB6 before it was eliminated in 2010 due to budget cuts and low ridership. There have been recent (however unsuccessful) efforts to revive that bus.

While Flatbush Avenue will remain open to vehicular traffic during construction, Michael said bus stops would be temporarily relocated, with signage posted at stops. The B41, however, will continue running along Flatbush during construction.

“There’s construction and different detours for construction and your signs are very evasive,” said board member Karen Broughton, saying she’s experienced inaccurate construction signage and schedules on other routes.

“If a bus stop is being temporarily removed, we will also sign appropriately, and we will have them staffed so that will help minimize the inconvenience for our customers,” said Michael, in response to Broughton.

This phase of the project is expected to wrap up in the fall.
Continuing on the topic of transportation, the board overwhelmingly voted to return parking enforcement to the Dept. of Transportation (DOT), where it was before 1996. The support for this, Melone said, would allow the New York City Police Department to focus on crime reduction.

“They [the NYPD] need to concentrate on that and let the DOT do the parking,” said board member Jerry Armer. “It just makes sense.”
Goldman on BMT

Congressman Dan Goldman came by and spoke after the vote, shifting focus to the comment period extension for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal (BMT) redevelopment.
“I think it’s really important that that process play out and is as thorough as possible,” said Goldman, encouraging his constituents to be informed on the project’s

Environmental Impact Statement.
The public comment period closes on May 8.

Goldman also addressed the cleanup of the toxic Public Place site, expressing his concern about the timeline and funds for it. Opining on the luxury housing that’s already been constructed in the area, he said, “The fact that so much of the luxury housing has already been built and the location for the affordable housing is still mired in some controversy about how to deal with the environmental cleanup, I think, is exactly why so many people are skeptical of these types of redevelopments.”

The congressman said he is continuing to follow up with the DEC on how to tackle the cleanup logistics “as fast as possible.”

Bye to Rebecca
The board also bid farewell to its land use coordinator, Rebecca Kobert, who left for a position at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Kobert was appointed to the board in 2020 and resigned before starting her paid part-time coordinator role in June 2024. District Manager Mike Racioppo read a proclamation for Kobert, printed on a plaque awarded for her service.

“The work she did for the district will continue to pay dividends for years to come,” Racioppo read. “We aspire to carry that work forward, knowing it will be near impossible to match.”

“Thank you, I’m overwhelmed,” Kobert said, after the proclamation.

When asked via email whether a new land use coordinator would be hired, Racioppo said, “Yes.” He also stated that the hiring process would begin “ASAP.”

The next general board meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m, at the Van Alen Institute.