A New Road Forward - Unlocking the Potential of Coney Island Avenue

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A New Road Forward:Unlocking the Potential of Coney Island Avenue

Prepared for the Church Avenue BIDby the Pratt Center for Community DevelopmentDecember 2010

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to the NYC Department of Small Business Services and the Empire State Development Corporation for funding this initiative.

Thanks to the following for lending their support to this planning process:

Professor Jonathan Martin and Assistant Professor Alison Schneider and students from the Fall 2009 Pratt Institute graduate planning studio class

Madina Restaurant

Mohammad Razvi and Reza Hasan, COPO (Council of Peoples Organization)

Georges Jacquemart, Principal, Buckhurst, Fish & Jacquemart, Inc.

Justin Bland, Pratt Center intern

Sadra Shahab, Pratt Center intern

Coney Island Avenue advisory committee:

Sandy Aboulafi a

Linda Cohen

Roberta Feinstein

Anne Gaudet

Kyle Gebhart

Rosemarie Hester

Emily Hultman

Ron Klein-Handler

Michael Joy

Eric Landau

Chris Bockelmann Norris

Anne Pope

Kristina Preussner

Hasan Raza

Bill Seery

Mariana Slepovitch

Courtney Williams

Glenn Wolin

Liena Zagare

Cover photo by Lorna Keuning

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3

A New Road Forward: Unlocking the Potential of Coney Island Avenue

I. Introduction 4

II. Existing and Emerging Conditions 8

III. Retail Analysis 14

IV. What We Heard 18

V. Vision Statement 21

VI. Recommendations 22

VII. Conclusion & Next Steps 28

INTRODUCTION

4


IntroductionWith beginnings as a Native American footpath to a 30-

year stint as the route of the horse-drawn Coney Island

and Brooklyn Railroad (which took people to the popular

Coney Island seaside resort), to its 65-year history as the

Coney Island Avenue electric-powered railroad (which was

discontinued in 1966), Coney Island Avenue has devel-

oped into a fi ve-mile long major thoroughfare that stretch-

es from the southwest corner of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park

to Coney Island itself. Unlike neighboring thoroughfares

like Flatbush Avenue to the east and Ocean Parkway to

the west, Coney Island Avenue owes more of its history to

the efforts of private actors (e.g., the various companies

that built its transportation lines over the years) than to

public sector-sponsored planning interventions.

Today, mixed-use buildings with commercial establish-

ments on the fi rst-fl oor and housing on the upper fl oors

characterize the avenue’s built form, along with low-rise

structures that house auto and construction-related ser-

vice businesses. Multiple vehicular travel lanes in both

directions, a local bus, and an express bus help contrib-

ute to its status as a heavily traffi cked corridor.

This report will examine Coney Island Avenue’s

northernmost section (from Parkside Avenue to Cortelyou

Road), which serves as an oft-cited boundary between

several residential neighborhoods. On the west side of

the corridor, the Kensington neighborhood developed

after Ocean Parkway was built; it has a variety of housing

types and is extremely ethnically diverse. Parkville is a

small neighborhood to its south that is home to a large

Pakistani population, many of whom are recent arrivals

to the U.S. On the east side of the avenue just south of

the Parade Ground, the Caton Park neighborhood has

a high-density residential building stock and is home to

many African American and West Indian households. To

its south, a suburban-esque housing stock characterizes

the neighborhoods of Prospect Park South and Ditmas

Park. These neighborhoods were designed in the late

1800’s to be a physical (and socio-economic) refuge from

the hustle and bustle of city life; the large, architecturally

rich, single-family houses with large yards refl ect this.

Brooklyn’s until recently hot real estate market reached

these neighborhoods (sometimes collectively referred to

as “Victorian Flatbush”), creating higher rents and hous-

ing values and helping pave the way for higher-end shops

and restaurants to open on Cortelyou Road. The real es-

tate boom did not truly reach Coney Island Avenue before

its recent decline; most of the avenue’s new development

projects of the last few years are currently stalled.

Origin and purpose of the project Despite its strategic and highly visible location just south

of Prospect Park and the Parade Ground, and adjacent

to neighborhoods with relatively strong real estate and

growing immigrant populations, there is widespread

sentiment among local residents that the northernmost

section avenue leaves much to be desired. Unwelcoming,

dangerous, and obstacle-ridden sidewalks and a relative-

ly weak selection of goods and services mean that many

people simply avoid the corridor altogether or use it only

when absolutely necessary.

Recognizing the untapped potential of Coney Island Av-

enue, the Church Avenue Business Improvement District

Stalled development at Hinckley Place Photo: Liena Zagare

INTRODUCTION

5


School District 15

School District 20

Council District 39

Community District 7



Council District 40

School District 17

School District 22

72nd Police Precinct

66th Police Precinct70th Police Precinct

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18 ST

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DORCHESTER RD

41 ST

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17 A

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WEBSTER AV

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WOODRUFF AV

45 ST

REEVE PL

CATON PL

E 10

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SHER

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FRIEL PL

VANDERBILT ST

TURNER PL

TERRACE PL

GREENWOOD AV

TENNIS CT

LINDEN BLVD

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PARKVILLE AV

ALBEMARLE RD

PARADE PL

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Parade Ground

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Prospect Park

Study Area and Vicinity

School Districts

Council Districts

Police Precincts

Community Districts

INTRODUCTION

6


(i.e., “the BID”) received funding from the New York City

Department of Small Business Service’s “Avenue NYC”

program to study the corridor’s northernmost stretch.

The BID (whose service area is Church Avenue between

Coney Island Avenue and Flatubsh Avenue) is interested

in exploring how Coney Island Avenue could be a “gate-

way” to the Church Avenue community and the greater

Flatbush neighborhood by attracting people from places

like Prospect Park and the Parade Ground. Apart from

the BID’s interest and proximity to the avenue’s northern

section, limited resources prevented this study from tak-

ing on the entire fi ve-mile long corridor; as such, the study

area is from Parkside Avenue to Cortelyou Road.

The overarching goal of the planning study is to recom-

mend a series of preliminary steps that should be taken

as part of a multi-pronged apporach to revitalize Coney

Island Avenue’s northern stretch and help it better meet

local needs.

Who is this for?Part of the challenge with the northern stretch of Coney

Island Avenue is that it lacks any sort of organization to

act as its steward (e.g., business improvement district,

local development corporation, merchants’ associa-

tion, etc). Adding to this, the stretch of the street from

Prospect Park all the way down to 18th Avenue is the

boundary between two police precincts and two commu-

nity districts: one side of the street belongs to one, and

the other side of the street to the other. From Prospect

Park to Church Avenue, the street also is the dividing

line between two school districts and two City Council

districts. Due to this condition, at best, there is confusion

about jurisdiction and catchment areas, and at worst, the

avenue is overlooked and ignored.

In addition to its peripheral status at the edge of so

many “districts,” Coney Island Avenue has distinct sets

of stakeholders, each of whom has a different perspec-

tive on the corridor. There is the longtime cluster of

auto-related facilities that are zoned to do business there

and their customer base, not all of which lives nearby.

There are the merchants who own small shops such as

bodegas and small eateries. Finally, there are the people

and families who live in the residential neighborhoods on

either side of the avenue. Some of them regularly patron-

ize businesses there, but many of them do not. We made

efforts to engage each of these sets of interests to help

inform this report, but due to limited resources for doing

labor and time-intensive merchant outreach (especially

vis a vis the relative ease of designing, disseminating,

and analyzing the results of a shopper survey), the voices

of nearby residents ultimately emerged as the strongest.

Even though there are different constituencies for the

avenue, their aspirations are not inherently contradic-

tory. As such, this report is intended to inspire a new

path forward for Coney Island Avenue for anyone or any

group with a stake in its future. It does not lay out a

comprehensive development plan per se, but it outlines a

platform of actions around which interested stakeholders

can organize to make fundamental improvements to Co-

ney Island Avenue while laying the groundwork for future

formal planning engagements.

Project MethodologyTo help it complete this study, the BID hired the Pratt

Center for Community Development as a technical con-

sultant. Building on the work done by a Fall 2009 Pratt

Institute graduate planning land use studio course that

focused on Coney Island Avenue (between Parkside and

Cortelyou), the Pratt Center gathered primary and second-

ary data to gain an understanding of how factors such

as existing zoning, land use patterns, business practices,

traffi c conditions, and attitudes of nearby residents all

contribute to the set of conditions we see on the avenue

today.

From the outset of preparing this planning study, the

INTRODUCTION

7


Church Avenue BID placed a high priority on public

participation, both as a tenet of a community-based

approach to planning and because there currently is

no organization that acts as a steward for the northern

section of Coney Island Avenue. As such, the BID wanted

to assemble a locally-based advisory committee for the

project with whom we could share fi ndings and consult

with about their thoughts and aspirations for the avenue.

We spent the fi rst several weeks of the project conducting

outreach to the various groups of people who collec-

tively are the avenue’s local stakeholders. We recruited

potential participants for the committee in several ways,

including announcing the initiative at meetings of Com-

munity Boards 12 and 14, making contacts with local

neighborhood associations and non-profi t organizations,

and knocking on the doors of businesses on the avenue.

Ultimately, we assembled a group of volunteer advisory

committee members who over the past few months have

provided feedback, ideas, and other types of support for

this effort.

There were other ways in which we consulted with the

community: we published an online survey of shoppers

and other “users” (which 375 people completed) to better

understand how local residents and other stakeholders

relate to Coney Island Avenue, and we interviewed some

of the merchants who operate businesses there.

EXISTING AND EMERGING CONDITIONS

8


Before recommending ways forward for the avenue, it is

important to examine some of the fundamental condi-

tions and regulations that interweave with eachother to

make northern Coney Island Avenue what it is today. By

having a better understanding of factors such as zoning

types and boundaries, land use patterns, demographics,

and the corridor’s physical characteristics and conditions,

our recommendations for effecting change are more

likely to be rooted in reality.

ZoningThe zoning pattern on the east side of Coney Island Ave-

nue differs from the west side in that the former is zoned

for residential development, and the latter is largely

zoned for auto-related and industrial uses. The following

explains this in more detail. For even more information

about allowable building densities, height limits, and uses

allowed under certain zoning districts, please refer to the

Department of City Planning’s Zoning Handbook, an an-

notated guide to the city’s zoning resolution with helpful

photographs, diagrams, and charts.

Commercial zoning districtsThe east side of the avenue (which was recently rezoned

as part of a 2009 rezoning of the Flatbush neighborhood)

has a commercial “C2-4” zoning overlay, a commercial

zoning district that is overlaid onto a base residential

zone. This commercial zoning designation allows for

smaller retail stores that are typically on the ground fl oor

-- with apartments on the upper fl oors -- and that cater to

the immediate neighborhood (e.g., grocery stores, beauty

parlors, and funeral homes).

The west side of the avenue is remarkably different in

its zoning and thus in its business types. Apart from the

block between Beverley and Avenue C which has a “C2-3”

commercial overlay on top of a residential base zone, it

falls entirely into a “C8-2” commercial zoning designa-

tion. This zoning designation, which is not a commercial

overlay, is a commercial base zone for automotive and

other heavy commercial services. For this reason, there

is a concentration of auto repair and other car-related

businesses on the corridor’s west side. This type of zon-

ing district is mainly found along major traffi c arteries

throughout the city, where concentrations of automotive

uses have developed.

Residential zoning districtsThe east side of the avenue is zoned for medium density

housing. On the west side, the predominant C8-2 zoning

designation -- the one that allows auto-related fi rms to

locate there -- does not allow housing to be developed.

The only part of the west side where housing can be built

is the block between Beverley and Avenue C, where an

“R5” zoning designation allows for housing to be built at

a lower density than what the residential zoning districts

allow for on the east.

Auto businesses on the west side Photo: Justin Bland


9


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Data source: PLUTO 2010, NYC Department of City Planning

Commercial ZoningC8-2 base zone

C2-4 overlay

C2-3 overlay

Parade Ground

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CO

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Residential ZoningR5

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R6B

R7A

Parade Ground

Text

Zoning


10


Land Use and OwnershipMany sections of corridor, especially from Church Avenue

to Cortelyou, are mixed-use in nature, with commercial

uses on the fi rst fl oor and residential uses above. How-

ever, there are many exceptions to this pattern in several

spots throughout the study area: the northernmost sec-

tion of the avenue across from the Parade Ground where

a large apartment building and a private school and

church are; the auto-related businesses dispersed along

on the west side (none of which share building space with

apartments); three gas stations on the west side and two

on the east; and a concentration of three-story apartment

buildings on the east side near Coretlyou that do not have

storess on the fi rst fl oor.

Private ownership is the norm here. All of the land on

the corridor between Parkside and Cortelyou--except for

Prospect Park and the Parade Ground--is privately-owned.

These highly utilized public resources represent potential

assets for Coney Island Avenue as they could help draw

people to and from the corridor. Currently, however, the

physical and psychological connection between the street

and the park is weak for two major reasons: a) the lack

of programming in the Parade Ground’s Bowling Green

area1; and b) the unpleasant nature of taking Coney

1. From 2001 to 2009, the Bowling Green cottage was the home

of the Prospect Park Youth Center. It is currently vacant.

Island Avenue as a travel path to the park and Parade

Ground.

The study area’s different land uses (i.e., a major park,

car repair businesses, apartment buildings) give it an

inconsistent “streetwall” that is often disrupted by car

washes and gas stations; this creates a challenge for

developing a cohesive shopping area. The lack of city-

owned land means that private landowners will have to

be key players in any development that takes place on

this stretch of the corridor.

DemographicsRace and ethnicityThe neighborhoods surrounding Coney Island Avenue are

fairly diverse in race and income, even by New York City

standards. Racially, it somewhat mirrors New York City

but has a higher percentage of whites and a lower per-

centage of Latinos. The foreign-born population is 56%,

signifi cantly higher than the 36% fi gure for the entire city.

Much of this can be attributed to the large Pakistani and

South Asian population that lives in the southwest section

of the study area. After stricter immigration regulations

caused many in the Pakistani community to leave Kens-

ington and Parkville after 9/11, there are anecdotal signs

that this community’s population has stabilized over the

last several years. The other major component of the

demographic study area’s foreign-born population is West

Indian, whose members tend to live in the area between

the Parade Ground and Church Avenue.

IncomeThere are a broad range of incomes within the study

area. For example, parts of Victorian Flatbush have

median household incomes over $65,000 while the area

sometimes referred to as Caton Park only has a median

household income a bit over $25,000 (according to the 2.

Comparably low income levels are found in the southwest

Place of worship next to a storage lot Photo: Justin Bland


11


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CATON AV

CHURCH AV

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BEVERLY RD

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ALBEMARLE RD

Exclusively residential

Mixed residential-commerical

Commercial (not auto-related)

Warehouse / industrial

Auto-related (includes parking)

Private institutions and medical services

Vacant

Land Use

Source: PLUTO 2010, NYC Department of City Planning


12


section of the demographic study area, where the South

Asian community is concentrated.

Emerging demographic trendsThese fi gures are based on 2000 Census data, and it will

be important to update them when the geographically

fi ne-grained data from the 2010 Census is released. Re-

gardless, there are some post-2000 demographic trends

of note:

• The socio-economically stable Prospect Park South

neighborhood continues to be the most affl uent part of

the study area. This has implications for the types of

businesses that could attract this population to the cor-

ridor in the future.

• Victorian Flatbush/Ditmas Park is continuing to experi-

ence an infl ux of younger and higher-income households,

which could also determine the type of retail that could

do well on Coney Island Avenue.

• The northern part of Kensington seems to be in the

midst of a transition to households of higher incomes,

many searching for a more affordable alternative to areas

like Windsor Terrace and Park Slope. Moreover, this area

also has several major stalled residential developments

which could bring additional higher income households to

the area in the future if they are completed.

• The Pakistani community seems to have stabilized fol-

lowing its post-9/11 losses, and its business community--

while feeling the effects of the current economic reces-

sion--has followed suit, opening up more stores on Coney

Island Avenue over the last several years.

The demographics of the neighborhoods that surround

the avenue represent a vibrant yet undertapped market

for its businesses. The higher-income areas of Victorian

Flatbush have spending power that the avenue’s busi-

nesses could better harness (there is more on this in the

next section). Also, households in Kensington tend not to

be as affl uent, but there are a greater number of them to

create a constituency for the avenue’s businesses.

Traffi c and Pedestrians Vehicular Traffi cConey Island Avenue is a major north-south automobile

thoroughfare with an average of two traffi c lanes in each

direction. It is a designated truck route, and is served by

local and express busses. The road is very wide: 70 feet

wide from curb to curb. (In comparison, Church Avenue is

about 43 feet wide). The center lane alternates between

a single-direction, left-turn only lane; a bi-directional

left-turn lane (sometimes dubbed a “suicide lane”); and a

painted median.

There are serious impediments to the smooth fl ow of

traffi c on Coney Island Avenue. The lack of dedicated left-

turn signals (i.e., traffi c lights with green arrows) results in

major traffi c back-ups at major intersections like Church

Avenue and Cortelyou. Double-parked cars at businesses

up and down the corridors -- a consistent condition -- also

contributes to clogged traffi c.

In order to better understand the amount of traffi c that

fl ows on the avenue, Pratt graduate students and profes-

sional transportation planner Georges Jacquemart con-

ducted a traffi c count of the Church Avenue intersection

during peak hours. They counted “critical movements”

(the volume of traffi c movements that confl ict with eacho-

ther, such as left-turning vehicles in an intersection) and

found that Coney Island Avenue has signifi cant excess ca-

pacity. This excess capacity points to an exciting opportu-

nity to introduce various traffi c-calming measures without

signifi cantly impacting traffi c congestion on the avenue.


13


PedestriansPedestrian traffi c, a mainstay of successful urban shop-

ping districts, is low to moderate at best. This can largely

be attributed to poor sidewalk conditions (described in

the next section) and the relatively weak retail offerings

that cater to pedestrians. Also, long blocks mean that

people have to walk far to actually reach a crosswalk.

Even once they reach one, many pedestrians report

feeling unsafe when they cross the avenue; allotted times

for crossing are very short, and crosswalks are poorly

marked and strangely located.

Streetscape The overall appearance of the avenue leaves much to

desired. Many of the auto service and parts businesses

which dominate the east side of the street contribute

to the poor streetscape conditions with vehicles that

obstruct the sidewalk, oil from car repair shops that spills

out onto the sidewalk, and consistent double-parking.

These are some of the most commonly cited reasons why

people do not enjoy walking along the corridor. Many

local stakeholders even reported that they make a point

of avoiding walking along the street. Other factors that

contribute to poor streetscape conditions include the fact

that there are almost no street trees sbetween Parkside

and Cortelyou. Also, waste baskets are an anomaly, exac-

erbating the problem of garbage-strewn sidewalks.

Finally, the lack of street lights and a dearth of business-

es that are open at night makes the corridor prohibitively

dark for many local residents.

Cars being repaired on the sidewalk Photo: Liena Zagare SW corner of Coney Island Avenue and Church Avenue Photo: Liena Zagare

14

RETAIL ANALYSIS


It is important to understand what kind of businesses are

on Coney Island Avenue today and what types of busi-

nesses could be supported there in the future. This sec-

tion will begin to consider the existing mix of businesses

on the corridor, the geographic areas from which current

and potential customers can come, and the types of

goods and services that are experiencing retail “leakage”

from the avenue (i.e., for which people shop elsewhere).

Current Business MixLike many commercial corridors, Coney Island Avenue has

a mix of convenience and comparison goods. The former

category is largely composed of bodegas and small eater-

ies and includes other neighborhood-serving retail like

hardware and hair salons for which customers generally

do not travel far.

Businesses that sell “comparison” goods and services,

on the other hand, tend to draw customers from beyond

the immediate neighborhood. The avenue’s auto and

construction-related businesses comprise the bulk of this

category. Coney Island Avenue is also home to several

non-commercial establishments such as places of wor-

ship, medical offi ces, a private school, and an assisted

living facility for adults.

The mix of comparison and convenience businesses

aside, there is a hodgepodge nature to the collection of

business on the corridor which negatively impacts its

potential as a cohesive, multi-stop shopping strip. Other

than auto-related businesses that are clustered together

throughout spots on the study area’s west side, there

seems to be little pattern to where different business are

located along the corridor. Examples of such incongru-

ity include a large grocery store next to a roofi ng supply

company, a health clinic/methadone treatment center

adjacent to a motorcycle shop, and a Russian bath house-

with a restaurant supply store on one side and a moving/

storage business on the other. Future planning efforts

should explore this issue by considering what types of

new complementary businesses could encourage multi-

stop shopping or considering how the corridor could be

marketed as an eclectic mix of businesses.

Retail Trade AreaBased on the fi ndings of this study, we have outlined

two approximate trade areas from which customers are

drawn to the corridor to shop for convenience goods and

services. In formal retail market studies, a primary trade

area is technically defi ned as the geographic area from

which 60% of shoppers originate. In order to estimate

the primary trade area for the northernmost section of

Coney Island Avenue, we mapped the residences of 85

people who were interviewed by graduate students in

Pratt’s planning studio course in the Fall of 2009. Since

these “man-on-the-street” (i.e., intercept) interviews were

conducted on Coney Island Avenue, they necessarily

captured people who already tend to shop on the avenue;

hence, the estimated “primary” trade area.

The “potential” trade area is larger in geography and is

based on the home residences (i.e., the nearest intersec-

tion) of the 350-odd people who supplied their address in

the online survey administered by the Pratt Center in the

Spring of 2010. While many of these survey respondents

do indeed shop on the avenue, many others indicated

An auto tire business on the wast side Photo: Justin Bland

15

RETAIL ANALYSIS


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SHER

MA

NST

LINDEN B

FRIEL PL

TURNER PL

TILD

19ST

MARTEN19

AV

SNYDE

WLA

K

E DR

VANDERBILT ST WOODRUFF AV

GREENWOOD AV

REGENT PL

TENNIS CT

FARRA

KERMIT PL

WALSH CT

SLOCUM PL

BU

CK

ING

HA

MR

D

ALBEMA

CORTEL

PRO

SPECT

PAR

KSW

STORY

ST

DURYEA

ST PAUL'S CT

WALDORF CT

NEW

KIR

KA

VPLZ

PEDOVPS

DE KOVEN CT

MATTHEWS CT

WELLINGTON CT

PRE

EBEX

ITC

OR

BIN

CT

BEVE

CORTELYOU RD

E5

ST

E12

ST

ALBEMARLE RD

E16

ST

E10

ST

ALBEMARLE RD

E2

ST

E15

ST

E19

ST

E13

ST

E10

ST

PEDO

VPS

E8

ST

DITMAS AV

E8

ST

E7

ST

OC

EAN

PKW

Y

E9

ST

E7

ST

ALBEMARLE RD

AV I

E7

ST

CORTELYOU RD

OC

EAN

PKW

Y

E17

ST

E16

STE5

ST

E18

ST

PARKVILLE AV

E17

ST

E8

ST

E9

ST

GLENWOOD RD

E19

ST

Estimated Retail Trade Areas

Sources: Pratt Institute and Pratt Center stakeholder surveys, 2009 & 2010 0 0.10.05

Primary trade area

Potential trade area

Online survey respondent home address (nearest cross-street)

Competitive retail areas

Subway Stations

Ditmas ParkKensington

Parkville

Prospect Park South

Parade Ground

GreenwoodCemetery

16

RETAIL ANALYSIS


that they tend to shop in other competitive retail areas

and mainly use Coney Island Avenue to catch the B68

bus or to reach other destinations such as Prospect Park

or the subway station on Cortelyou Road. However, the

survey results show that if the avenue’s image improved

and there was more shopping variety, Coney Island

Avenue’s commercial offerings would appeal to a much

larger geography than it currently serves.

The demographics of the broader potential trade area

-- which include many of the neighborhoods directly to

the east of Coney Island Avenue -- hint at uncaptured

spending power. This correlates with a fi nding from an

earlier Pratt Center study of Church Avenue that many

households in Prospect Park South do not shop in their

immediate neighborhood. It is interesting to note that

the opinions from both surveys -- the intercept survey of

people walking along the avenue and the online survey

which included people who do not shop there much -- do

not vary considerably. The physical appearance of the

avenue was the priority issue for both groups, followed by

a desire for a broader range of retail.

Coney Island Avenue’s status as a major traffi c corridor

serves as a connection for drivers travelling between

northern and southtern Brooklyn. Some of these drivers

are customers of the auto repair shops that are concen-

trated on the avenue’s west side. They can be thought of

as an expansion of the local trade area since they draw

people from beyond the local neighborhoods.

Retail LeakageThe results of both surveys show that many people

frequent other nearby shopping areas. Both groups cited

Cortelyou Road as a common alternative shopping area.

However, respondents from the intercept surveys were

more likely to also shop on Church and Flatbush Avenues

than were the online survey respondents who cited

Park Slope as a shopping destination with much more

frequency.

Retail leakage occurs when members of a community

spend money outside of it. Analyzing the amount of leak-

age from the Coney Island Avenue commercial corridor

provides an estimate of how much retail square footage

-- by retail category -- the area could support. The Pratt

Institute graduate planning studio class conducted a pre-

liminary leakage analysis which showed that there is un-

captured spending power from households living close to

Coney Island Avenue. It identifi ed several retail categories

that are currently experiencing leakage from Coney Island

Avenue. The largest categories were: a) restaurants (par-

ticularly those with table service; b) convenience stores

and bodegas; c) pharmacies; and d) clothing stores.

Future planning studies about the avenue should do

further research into these retail categories, to better un-

derstand why local residents are shopping elsewhere for

these types of goods. This could help inform a future plan

to strenghten the commercial offerings found on Coney

Island Avenue.

17

RETAIL ANALYSIS


E 7 S

T

E 8 S

T

RU

GB

Y RD

AV C

AR

GYLE R

D

CHURCH AV

E 16 ST

CATON AV

OCEA

N P

KW

Y

E 5 S

T

E 9 ST

BEVERLY RD

E 17 S

T

CON

EY ISLAN

D A

VSTR

ATFO

RD

RD

E 18 S

T

MA

RLB

OR

OU

GH

RD

ALBEMARLE RD

PR

OSP

ECT EXWY

CATON PL

E 10 ST

FRIEL PL

TURNER PL

CORTELYOU RD

KERMIT PL

DORCHESTER RD

SLOCUM PL

BU

CKIN

GH

AM

RD

WESTM

INSTER

RD

LEWIS PL

HINCKLEY PLP

A R K C

IR

PED OVPS

MATTHEWS CT

OCEAN PKWY

ALBEMARLE RD

E 7 S

T

OCEA

N P

KW

YE 8 ST

OCEAN PKWYE 1

7 ST

E 8 ST

OCEA

N P

KW

Y

CORTELYOU RD

KERMIT PL

Business Types

Source: Pratt Institute Studio Class, Field Observation, Fall 2009

Auto-related

Construction equipment and hardware stores

Home furnishings and antiques

Eating or drinking establishment

Deli / bodega

Grocery / food market

Financial and printing services

Hair salon, pharmacy, spa, or laundromat

Other

Undetermined

WHAT WE HEARD

18


Using different outreach tools, we heard the voices of

current shoppers and other Coney Island Avenue “users,”

people who use the corridor minimally if at all, and a few

handfuls of business owners. While perspectives of what

the avenue has to offer diverge, there are also several

common threads of opinion. One of the most signifi cant

ones is that whether one talks to current shoppers or

those who barely shop there at all, people would like to

see its physical conditions improved and its shopping

possibilities expand.

From Shoppers and Other UsersMembers of this project’s advisory committee asked us

to gather opinions aasbout Coney Island Avenue from a

broader set of stakeholders, including those who were un-

able to attend evening meetings. Therefore, we designed

and implemented a short survey questionnaire to better

understand how people relate to the avenue. Thanks to

help from advisory committee members -- in particular,

Liena Zagare of the Ditmas Park Blog -- in disseminating

the online survey, 375 people fi lled it out. The following

are the main fi ndings:

How people relate to the corridorConey Island Avenue is a highly visible corridor that is

a large presence for the neighborhoods that fl ank it.

Whether they actually shop there or not, people who live

close to the corridor tend to have some type of relation-

ship to it. Even those who often shop in competing retail

areas go to the corridor to get the bus and/or reach other

neighborhoods.

• Almost 75% of respondents go to Coney Island Avenue

at least twice a month.

• People tend to reach the avenue by foot: over half of

respondents walk to get there.

• Restaurants, food shopping, and auto-related busi-

nesses are the most common commercial destinations.

• Patronizing businesses is not the only reason why

people visit the corridor: one-quarter of respondents use

it to catch the B68 bus, and people commonly use to

reach other nearby neighborhoods.

• Nearby shopping areas compete with Coney Island

Avenue: Cortelyou Road and Park Slope are the most

popular alternative shopping areas. (In contrast, the man-

on-the-street interviews found that in addition to Corte-

lyou Road, Church Avenue and Flatbush Avenue were

common alternative shopping areas.)

Opinions about current retail offeringsWhile there is a signifi cant degree of ignorance about the

types and quality of goods and services sold on Coney

Island Avenue, most people are of the opinion that the

variety of businesses is poor. To a lesser degree, respon-

dents complained about the poor quality of merchandise;

however, food and restaurants were rated higher than

non-food merchandise.

• Business diversity is lacking: a large proportion of

respondents (70%) think that the variety of businesses is

poor.

• The quality of goods is another complaint, though

less commonly cited than the lack of business diversity:

almost 50% of respondents think that the general quality

of merchandise is poor.

Photo: Liena Zagare

WHAT WE HEARD

19


• Many people are simply unaware of what stores are

selling on the avenue: over 25% of respondents had no

opinion about the general quality of merchandise.

• People rate food and restaurants higher than non-

food merchandise, but only about 33% of respondents

regarded their quality as good.

Opinions about streetscape conditionsPerspectives about the physical condition of the street

and sidewalk are fairly straightforward: there is wide-

spread agreement that much improvement is needed to

make the streetscape more pleasant.

• Pedestrians tend to not feel safe when they cross the

avenue.

• The sidewalks tend to be dirty and in disrepair.

• 90% of respondents reported that they do not enjoy

walking along the avenue.

Aspirations for the futureThis is where the interests of various stakeholders

converge. Both the interception survey and the online

survey found that increased business variety and physical

enhancement of the streetscape were the most urgently-

needed changes for Coney Island Avenue.

• More shopping options is the most popularly desired

change (the same was true for the man-on-the-street

survey respondents).

• Food stores, restaurants, clothing, a bank, and other

neighborhood-serving retail (e.g., book stores, hardware

stores, bakeries, ice cream shops) were common busi-

ness types that respondents would like to see on the

avenue.

• Improving the physical quality of the corridor (street

trees, pedestrian safety and comfort) was the second

most commonly desired change.

Notable quotesThe survey asked some open-ended questions where

respondents could express themselves freely, and these

are some of highlights that nicely evoke some very com-

mon sentiments about Coney Island Avenue.

“I think a combination of more efforts to make it

look less like a highway and more like a neighbor-

hood street would be useful--trees, bike racks and

more and better shopping options.”

“The biggest problem is that it is horrible to walk

along. In the summer there is NO shade, making

it very unpleasant to stroll along on the way to

the park or for shopping. Adding new businesses

is a great idea, but I still wouldn’t walk along CIA

because it is gross. No trees, lots of eyesores,

poorly cleaned/maintained spots that make it very

unpleasant.”

“It’s the only part of my regular day in New York

City that feels swamped by commercial blight and

suffers from an absence of community involve-

ment.”

From Business OwnersWe had conversations with 15 merchants, which yielded

some feedback about the corridor as a place to do busi-

ness. While limited resources prevented us from talking

Photo: Justin Bland

WHAT WE HEARD

20


to more business owners, the general consensus is that

Coney Island Avenue is a good place to do business:

many have been there for more than ten years, and none

of the people with whom we spoke have plans to relocate

or close.

A signifi cant proportion of business owners and opera-

tors on Coney Island Avenue appear to be immigrant

entrepreneurs. This is particularly apparent in the small

food, eateries, and household goods stores that cater to

members of the South Asian community; many business

signs are in Urdu, a language spoken by many Pakistani

immigrants. Any future efforts to organize the avenue’s

merchants should take cultural and language differences

into account.

• Auto-related businesses tend to have larger geographic

customer bases than other business types.

• Some of the auto-related businesses complement

eachother; for example, customers from the Hollywood

Car Wash are known to patronize Mr. Customs next door.

• Despite a longtime presence on the avenue, many

businesses rent their space.

• Unlike many shoppers and other users, some business

owners feel that there is adequate enforcement of traffi c

and parking regulations.

• None of the merchants indicated that they have

recently considered relocating their business off of the

avenue.

• While some of the merchants’ complaints echo those

of shoppers and users (e.g., poor streetscape conditions),

their negative sentiments tend not to be as strong as the

latter group.

Photo: Justin Bland

Photo: Liena Zagare

VISION STATEMENT

21


Coney Island Avenue is a place that generates distinct

opinions. For many merchants and business owners

(and people who frequent businesses there), this corridor

is a convenient and relatively affordable place for small

businesses. It works for them, at least to some mean-

ingful degree. However, in the eyes of many people who

live in the neighborhoods that fl ank the avenue, it is a

street that is failing miserably, both as a shopping area

and even simply as a street for walking or reaching other

nearby neighborhoods.

By examining the avenue’s existing and emerging condi-

tions and listening to the voices of local stakeholders, it

is clear that the potential of this commercial corridor is

currently unmet. In order to move forward, a vision state-

ment for the future is helpful to begin organizing around

and inspiring a new path forward for the corridor:

The potential of Coney Island Avenue to better

serve and connect people and neighborhoods

should be unlocked, by fostering stewardship

through which stakeholders can work toward a

set of short-term improvements while laying the

foundation for future planning efforts.

The next section of the report will describe a set of short-

term and long-term recommendations for tapping into the

potential of Coney Island Avenue so that it can meet the

needs and aspirations of a broader set of stakeholders

than it currently does. The recommendations are based

on fi ve main goals to pursue in order to realize this vision:

1) Encourage community-building efforts through an advocacy group

2) Build the capacity to to plan for future development

3) Make the corridor more functional for all users, including pedestrians, bus riders, and drivers

4) Improve streetscape conditions

5) Create a gateway to Coney Island Avenue

Photo: Justin Bland

RECOMMENDATIONS

22


1) Engage in community-building efforts through an advocacy group

1a) Promote stewardship of the avenue through the creation of a “Friends of CIA” group

Currently, there is not a single entity that acts as a stew-

ard for this section of Coney Island Avenue. There are no

tenant groups, merchant organizations, or BID’s on this

part of the corridor. It doesn’t even fall within the jurisdic-

tion of a single community board since the east side of

the avenue is part of Community District 14, and the west

side is part of Community District 12. While there are

clearly many individual private actors with a strong stake

in the avenue and its future (e.g., property and business

owners), ultimately their interests tend to be very narrow.

Even in the case of small business owners who want to

contribute to broader efforts to improve the corridor and

the business climate there, a serious lack of extra time

prevents them from actually doing so.

The lack of a group whose mission it is to revitalize, or

even oversee, the corridor is a

major obstacle to seeing any

real change there. The multi-

layered nature of the chal-

lenges facing the avenue (e.g.,

rampant double-parking and

sidewalk obstruction, intersections that are diffi cult to

cross, lack of a retail mix) requires collective action to ef-

fectively call on the appropriate city agencies to help local

stakeholders implement desired improvements. In order

to address the current conditions and lay the foundation

for attracting new businesses and development to Coney

Island Avenue, a group of local stakeholders should come

together to collectively implement short and long-term

actions.

The advisory committee with whom we consulted during

the process of preparing this report is an ideal founda-

tion for creating a “Friends of CIA”-type group that could

spearhead efforts to revitalize the corridor. Most of these

people are already civically engaged (e.g., via block as-

sociations, Community Board 14, etc.), and they could

tap into their local networks to bring even more people on

board. Ideally, this new group should form an affi liation

with one or more existing small business advocacy orga-

nizations such as the Church Avenue BID or the Flatbush

Development Corporation.

1b) Organize a public launch for the new “Friends of CIA” group

The group’s members should organize an public event to

introduce itself to the community at large and publicize

its existence and mission. Local elected offi cials should

be invited, and it should be used as an opportunity to

recruit more stakeholders.

1c) Work towards short-term improvements

Once a core group comes together, they could begin

organizing around their aspirations for bringing change to

Coney Island Avenue. The group should prioritize actions

to take in the short-term to build community and strenght-

en networks of people who want to work on improving the

avenue. Here are examples of such actions:

• Advocating for the NYC Department of Transportation

to make needed changes and improvements (please

refer to goal #3 for more about this.)

• Creating community murals to beautify neglected

spaces

• Activating underutilized spaces for the community to

use and enjoy (please refer to Recommendation 4a

for more about on this).

2) Build capacity to plan for future development

2a) Affi liate with an existing organization and/or create a new organization

RECOMMENDATIONS

23


After the Friends of CIA group organizes some activities

and/or events for the short-term, a permanent non-profi t

organization should be established to plan for the long-

term development (i.e., two to ten years) of the avenue.

Such an organization could decide to do things like a

formal retail market study and/or a marketing strategy to

develop a long-term plan for the corridor.

2b) Seek out funding

In order to be eligible for many available funding sources,

the Friends of CIA group should fi le the apporpriate paper-

work with the Internal Revenue Service to incorporate as

a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization.

2c) Conduct planning studies to explore the potential for commercial development

Especially in light of new, geographically fi ne-grained data

from the 2010 Census, it will be important to follow up

this report with an updated analysis of local demograph-

ics. This would be an important component of a formal

land use/retail study that a new organization could un-

dertake to help identify which types of commercial -- and

non-commercial -- development would be most appropri-

ate and benefi cial to surrounding communities. When

planning for the future of Coney Island Avenue, it will be

important for a new organization to actively engage pri-

vate landowners, neighborhood residents, and other local

stakeholders in a participatory planning process.

The fi ndings and recommendations of a formal planning

study could lay the foundation for the organization’s

future programs. Depending on the nature of the recom-

mendations, they may lead to the implementation of a

retail marketing strategy. Activities related to such an

effort could include:

• Conducting merchant retention and improvement

• Encouraging local entrepreneurs to consider Coney

Island Avenue as a place to do business

• Creating communication channels among merchants

• Assisting retailers in diversifying their offerings

• Publicizing existing businesses

3) Make the corridor more functional for all users, including pedestrians, bus riders, and drivers

3a) Petition the NYC Department of Transpor- tation to study the avenue and make needed changes

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC-

DOT) has fl agged Coney Island Avenue as a candidate

for a 2011 traffi c-calming study. Such a study could

ultimately point to various measures that DOT could take

to make Coney Island Avenue easier and safer to cross

(e.g., painting intersection lines onto the street, adjusting

the timing of traffi c signals).

It will be important for local residents and other stake-

holders to establish community buy-in for pedestrian and

traffi c improvements. Here are some ways to help make

the case to the NYCDOT that the community has strong

aspirations to make the corridor more friendly to pedes-

trians:

Document challenging conditions for pedestriansCreate a simple document (with visuals) that describes

Photo: Liena Zagare

RECOMMENDATIONS

24


which conditions make it diffi cult for pedestrians to safely

cross the avenue, intersection by intersection. In addi-

tion to submitting the document to the NYCDOT, it can

be publicized and used as an organizing tool to encour-

age more impacted people to advocate for pedestrian

improvements.

Conduct a walk-through tour with NYCDOT staff-ersNYCDOT staffers are available and willing to take a tour

of pedestrian (and traffi c) conditions on the avenue, and

local stakeholders should use this opportunity to show

the agency an on-the-ground perspective in advance of

its tentative traffi c-calming study.

Lobby NYCDOT to complete a traffi c-calming studyEven though DOT has identifi ed Coney Island Avenue as

the subject of a future traffi c-calming study, local stake-

holders need to show that they support such a process.

The survey results show that there is widespread senti-

ment that vehicles on the avenue are too fast and unruly

and that this behavior makes the corridor highly unpleas-

ant.

3b) Improve illumination at night

The lack of streetlights makes for a very dark corridor

at night, which is part of the avenue’s lack of appeal for

pedestrians. Coupled with the large number of busi-

nesses that are closed during after-hours, the lack of light

detracts from pedestrian activity. Survey respondents

specifi cally called out the Cortelyou Road intersection and

the section between Church Avenue and Prospect Park as

being particularly dark and desolate at night.

Conduct a street light inventoryCreate a simple document that shows where street lights

currently exist. (This could be integrated into the docu-

ment of pedestrian issues on the corridor.) By showing

their location in relation to areas that are currently well-lit

at night, the document could begin to prioritize areas that

need street lights.

Request that DOT conduct a street auditUse the inventory of existing street lights as part of a

formal request to DOT to study the feasibility of installing

additional street lights.

3c) Improve conditions for people waiting for the bus

As an important bus route, local passengers wait on

Coney Island Avenue for the B68 to connect them to Pros-

pect Park or for the X29 for express service to Manhattan.

DOT recently installed one of its new modern shelters at

northeast corner of Church and Coney Island Avenues,

but additional ones are needed.

Submit suggestions for new bus shelters to DOT After documenting locations where a critical mass of bus

riders wait, submit a request to DOT to consider installing

bus shelters there.

3d) Make it easier for people on bikes to patron-ize businesses

There are almost no bike racks on the avenue’s side-

walks. According to many survey respondents, the lack

of them is sorely felt. More bike racks could encourage

people to patronize businesses on the corridor that they

currently avoid in favor of other retail areas with adequate

bike parking.

Photo: Justin Bland

RECOMMENDATIONS

25


Encourage property owners to install bike racksThe recent demand for bike racks across the city has

outpaced DOT’s ability to provide them, so in response,

the agency has allowed individual property owners to

purchase and install their own bike racks. Local stake-

holders who own property should request the appropriate

permits for installing a bike rack, and those who do not

own property should encourage those who do to consider

this idea.

Submit a bulk request for bike racks to DOT Another way for local stakeholders to get more bike racks

on Coney Island Avenue is for local community groups to

submit bulk requests, which DOT prioritizes.

3e) Address the conditions created by dangerous and traffi c-clogging vehicles

One of the most commonly heard complaints about Co-

ney Island Avenue is the headaches caused by vehicles,

both those that are stationary (i.e., double-parked) and

moving along the avenue. Many auto-related businesses

use the sidewalk as space to park vehicles that are either

drying (in the case of car washes) or are being stored

before or after maintenance work is done on them. This

creates signifi cant obstacles for people who are simply

trying to walk along the sidewalk.

Engage in “shuttle diplomacy” Local stakeholders should create channels of commu-

nication between auto-related businesses who violate

sidewalk obstruction codes and those affected by their

operations. This could include outreach to auto business-

es to persuade them to curb their behavior or a postcard

campaign to demonstrate that community members

would like them to be better neighbors.

Explore design-oriented solutions A community task force should be assembled to assess

the space needs of auto-related businesses that consis-

tently obstruct the sidewalk with vehicles. With a better

understanding of how such enterprises currently use their

space, design solutions may emerge that point to ways in

which they can use existing space more effi ciently.

Request increased police enforcementLocal stakeholders should lobby their local police pre-

cincts to enforce existing double-parking and sidewalk

regulations.

4) Improve streetscape conditions

4a) Improve cleanliness

Garbage strewn on the sidewalks is another commonly

cited problem that detracts from the avenue’s image.

Apart from calling 311 to report egregious violators to

the city, there are several actions that local residents and

business owners can take--both alone and in conjunction

with the city--to address this complaint.

Encourage property and business owners to “adopt-a-basket”Any person, group, store building manager, etc. can

participate in this program sponsored by the NYC Depart-

ment of Sanitation. One can apply for and receive a litter

basket (and plastic liners) by agreeing to monitor it for

usage and remove the liners regularly for pick-up.

Photo: Justin Bland

RECOMMENDATIONS

26


Conduct public education about sanitation pick-up schedules and proceduresAnecdotal evidence suggests that some people are

unaware of Department of Sanitation regulations that

dictate when and exactly where to put out household

and business refuge. A simple public education pam-

phlet to educate property owners and managers could

be disseminated to outline procedures and local pick-up

schedules.

Explore design solutions for unsightly garbage containersAround New York City, one can fi nd examples of small

structures for garbage cans where recycling and garbage

can remain out of sight before trash pick-up day. Property

owners whose buildings produce a lot of garbage should

be encouraged to use these.

4b) Provide shade, cooling, and improve aesthetic conditions by planting street trees

It is a very common sentiment among local stakeholders

that the avenue is seriously lacking in street trees. The

paltry amount of trees on the stretch of Coney Island

Avenue from Parkside to Cortelyou is sorely felt: when

forced to choose one thing they would like to see different

here, more than 20% of survey respondents said trees.

Moreover, there is a strong body of evidence that shows

that urban street trees provide numerous health, comfort,

and environmental benefi ts to surrounding residential

and business communities.

Request street trees from the cityThrough the city’s One Million Trees program, any prop-

erty owner can request that the city plant a tree at a

particular address or several along a whole block. It is

important to note that not all requests can be fi lled im-

mediately, and there may be up to one year’s wait before

the city may actually plant new trees.

Encourage business and property owners to plant street treesIn addition to asking the city to plant trees, property

owners can take matters into their own hands by planting

their own after submitting a free permit application to the

Parks Department. (If the sidewalk must be broken in or-

der to create a tree pit, a property owner must also apply

to the Department of Transportation for a permit.)

5) Create a gateway to Coney Island AvenueThe northern part of the study area, located just south of

Prospect Park and the Parade Ground and intersecting

the Church Avenue retail corridor, represents an area that

if reimagined and ultimately redeveloped could greate a

“gateway” to Coney Island Avenue and better connect the

vibrant residential neighborhoods of Caton Park/Pros-

psect Park South/Ditmas Park, and Kensington/Parkville

to eachother. A number of underutilized sites in this area

present an opportunity for developing temporary and

permanent uses that would help draw more people from

surrounding neighborhoods to Coney Island Avenue.

5a) Organize community-oriented events for key

underutilized spaces

The southwest section of the Parade Ground near the

Bowling Green cottage and the parking lot at the south-

east corner of Church and Coney Island Avenues1 are two

underutilized spaces that could be activated by putting

on community-oriented events such as an outdoor fi lm

screening or a fl ea market. With some short-term organiz-

ing by the Friends of CIA group, such events could take

place as soon as Summer 2011.

1 The parking lot, which is owned and used by the Preferred

Health Partners health clinic during offi ce hours, is unutilized most

evenings and on the weekend.

RECOMMENDATIONS

27


5b) Study the needs of people who use the Parade Ground

Interview and/or survey the various sets of Parade Ground

users to better understand the types of businesses that

they might patronize nearby if they existed. The season-

al nature of the Parade Ground should be considered

when assessing the viability of developing retail options

geared toward this user group.

5c) Explore options for developing key vacant sitesThere are two large, privately-owned vacant sites on the

northern stretch of Coney Island Avenue that should be

developed. A future organization that is founded for the

purposes of acting as a steward of Coney Island Avenue

(see Goal #5) should consider how to redevelop these

sites in ways that benefi t the surrounding community. The

sites in question are:

1) Stalled development site at 527 Coney Island Avenue

2) Vacant site across from 39 Turner Place that was

a car repair business (which is being considered for a

new public school)

Photo: Justin BlandPreferred Health Partners parking lot

Parade Ground

E 7 ST

E 8 ST

E 9 ST

AV C

CON

EY ISLAN

D A

V

STRA

TFOR

D R

D

CATON AV

CHURCH AV

BEVERLY RD

AR

GYLE R

D

E 10

ST

OC

EAN

PK

WY

FRIEL PL

TURNER PL

ALBEMARLE RD

WESTM

INSTER

RD

CATON PL

SLOCUM PL

LEWIS PL

CORTELYOU RD

HINCKLEY PL

MATTHEWS CT

KERMIT PLE 8 ST

Stalled development

Preferred Health Partners parking lot

Vacant site (former auto repair business)

Key Vacant and Underutilized Sites

28

CONCLUSION & NEXT STEPS


Moving forward, Coney Island Avenue has the potential

to be less of a divider and more of a connector for the

people who live and work on the avenue as well as for the

communities that surround it. With increased attention

and concerted efforts by local stakeholders who envision

it as a more functional corridor, improvements can be re-

alized in the short-term. These could include issues that

are not necessarily tied to future development, such as

introducing traffi c-calming measures and beautifi cation

initiatives. In the longer-term, such efforts could expand

to include a community-based planning process to guide

development on the avenue.

In the near future, a core group of people who were part

of this study’s advisory committee should come together

and brainstorm about actions they could collectively take

in the next six months to a year. Immediate actions could

include planting trees on the avenue and reaching out to

the NYC Department of Transportation to express support

for a traffi c-calming study. Simultaneously, this core group

of people should reach out to more local stakeholders

– with a particular emphasis on business owners – and

encourage them to participate in a fl edgling “Friends of

CIA”-type group.

A New Road Forward - Unlocking the Potential of Coney Island Avenue

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