A Downtown Brooklyn resident started the website Downtown Brooklyn School Solutions to ask for a new public elementary school in response to the neighborhood rezoning and building boom. There are already more than 100 families behind the request and a petition’s up as well. As the website points out, “Nearly 15,000 people have moved to Downtown Brooklyn in the last 10 years and that number could double in the next five to 10 years thanks to the rezoning of the neighborhood and resulting residential building boom.” It does seem hard to ignore the huge amount of high-rise towers now under construction — 29 Flatbush, 388 Bridge, Willoughby West, and City Point, not to mention the residential plans for the Ashland/Fulton Triangle in the BAM Cultural District. The map above outlines all the new development for the area since 2005 (black building are built, blue are in development, and orange are announced). Here’s the DoBro School Solution’s take on the neighborhood development boom. And there is no public elementary school in Downtown Brooklyn, nor does the city have plans to build one. Elementary kids in Downtown are zoned into P.S. 287 near the Navy Yard, P.S. 8 in North Brooklyn Heights, P.S. 261 in Boerum Hill, and P.S. 38 in Gowanus. Some of the new developments planned for the BAM cultural district are zoned for P.S. 20 in Clinton Hill. The group of parents plan to meet with reps from public, private and charter schools and seek the support of local pols. If you’re interested in getting involved or joining the group to push for a local elementary school, go here.


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. I don’t agree. This is an area that never had a neighborhood school because it was never residential. It is becoming much more so. It’s not unreasonable to expect the city to provide new neighborhood elementary schools based on population shifts.

  2. I had the same thought. For PS8 I suppose you could say Concord Village and the little sliver north of Tilary between the bridges is downtown but I’m not sure anyone calls it that.

    I do agree with the bigger point that there are a lot of housing units coming online with no new schools. There’s a separate post on the site about PS 8. Dumbo and Brooklyn Bridge park construction have brought tons of new kids into the school…it went from underutilized to overcrowded (even with annex) and the building boom continues – but no new school space added.

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