Mayor de Blasio hopes to spruce up Downtown Brooklyn with new improvement plan

Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to glitz up Downtown Brooklyn by creating new parks, stores and a sprawling greenway. The city plans to reinvent the so-called "Brooklyn strand" by turning the parks, plazas

News 12 Staff

Jul 18, 2014, 2:49 AM

Updated 3,713 days ago

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Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to glitz up Downtown Brooklyn by creating new parks, stores and a sprawling greenway.
The city plans to reinvent the so-called "Brooklyn strand" by turning the parks, plazas and greenways between Borough Hall and Brooklyn Bridge Park into a promenade of sorts. There are also plans to make streets safer and more inviting.
The city is looking to create a business improvement district for the Brooklyn Cultural District, and create more retail space on the ground floors of city-owned buildings. There are hopes that the 11 major education institutions in the area can collaborate to make Downtown Brooklyn a national leader in technology.
Residents in the borough that spoke with News 12 Brooklyn are on board with the new improvements and hope it will create a business boom. There is no word yet on how much de Blasio's plan will cost.