Politics & Government

Shedding Some New Light on Flatbush

Eighth Avenue Triangle Park received working streetlamps last week, after 20 years without them.

After 20 years of darkness, Flatbush Avenue is finally getting a little light.

Last week, the North Flatbush Business Improvement District installed a set of new streetlights at the Eighth Avenue Triangle Park, which has been without working streetlights for at least 20 years.

The Triangle Park at Eighth Avenue, as well as Sixth, Seventh and Carlton avenues, went dark initially thanks to gas streetlamps that repeatedly cracked or broke, costing a fortune to maintain.

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The lamps – which were eventually shut down all together – were first installed by Brooklyn Union Gas in the 1970s, part of an economic development program that offered up free gas lamps throughout Brooklyn. Many of these lamps still exist in front of Park Slope brownstones, which the company rehabilitated as part of the project.

Five years ago the NFBID secured $200,000 from Borough President Marty Markowitz to not only add street lamps to these darkened corners of Flatbush, but standardize the type of street light found across the avenue. Shortly thereafter, Mayor Michael Bloomber squashed the plans with a moratorium on all new streetlights, but the NFBID was able to reallocate the funding to the transform the triangles into new public spaces – including streetlights.  

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Before the end of summer, the NFBID plans to install similar lights in the triangles at Sixth, Seventh and Carlton avenues. The new lights will be installed as part of a $2.7 million face-lift for Flatbush Avenue that will, , expand the triangular plazas at Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Carlton avenues and transform them into public spaces.

“It’s very exciting,” said Sharon Davidson, Executive Director of the NFBID. “First, it’s making our neighborhood a lot safer. It also represents the beginning of our Capital Streets Project. In the end, our neighborhood will look a lot nicer.”

The new streetlights are “Type B” poles, a replica of a streetlight designed in the early 20th century that’s common in New York. 

“We wanted to keep with the historic identification of what we had before,” said Davidson.

Eventually, the triangles will also boast new tables and chairs, more trees and new benches.

“I hope people will now make use of the public spaces we have and enjoy sitting in the plazas,” Davidson said.


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