The Fort Greene Greenmarket, located at Washington Park btw DeKalb & Willoughby, will be open regular hours 8AM-4PM this Saturday but there will be NO food scrap collection or textiles collection. For a city-wide listing of Greenmarket status for the weekend visit theGrowNYC Blog .

Make sure to stop by Myrtle’s newest bar and lounge, Cielo, for our Artober reception this Wednesday at 6:30pm. Come out to sample Cielo’s tasty Latin fusion fare, and raise a glass to local artists and art! Light refreshments on us.

The reception is a single event that celebrates the art and artists featured during Myrtle Avenue’s month-long Artober series (see full list of artists below). During the past month, Artober has seen 8 art exhibitions hosted by Myrtle Merchants; 4 artist receptions & talks; the installation of Tomorrow, a new sculpture, in Fort Greene Park; the This Is BrooklynMyrtle Windows Gallery exhibition. The Myrtle Windows Gallery will remain on view until early November.

In addition, the installation of new tree guards, each custom designed by local artists and students, is set to take place within the next couple of weeks along Myrtle Avenue between Flatbush and Classon Avenues.

In addition to these events on Myrtle Avenue, the exhibit War Journalists is also currently on display (through October) at BLDG 92, the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s visitor center. BLDG 92 is also the venue for a new play, A History of Launching Ships , with the final performances taking place this weekend. Get ticket info here.

Please see the full list of Myrtle and Myrtle area interior exhibition spaces below:

Cielo Bar Brooklyn (474 Myrtle) Chris Pardi (painting)

Connecticut Muffin (423 Myrtle) Kerri Ferrara (painting)

DC Optics (390 Myrtle) South of the Navy Yard Artists / Out of Sight (mixed media) The first of four SONYA exhibitions features urban-inspired, colorful work that reflects what is great, marvelous and powerful.

The Emerson (561 Myrtle) Dave Barron

Gnarly Vines (350 Myrtle) Fabrice Trombert (photography)

Green in BKLYN (432 Myrtle) Deborah Stevenson (painting)

Hadas Gallery (541 Myrtle) Rosa Katznelson / Jubilation (painting and digital) Born in Argentina under a period marked by virulent anti-Semitism, Katznelson paints in defiance to the adversity she experienced as a child.

Mojito Cuban Cuisine (82 Washington Avenue) Cesar Velez / Corners of a Soul (mixed media) 20 original pieces are made from recycled materials; even the paints are handmade by the artist! Every piece is a testimony of a place in the mind.

Owl & the Pussycat (154 Vandberbilt) Michael Shepherd/Origami Tsunami mixed media paintings Words, Birds & Scribbles

Pillow Café & Lounge (505 Myrtle) Ainsley Burrows combine dadaist, surrealist, graffiti art and modern expressionism. His messages are whimsical and political at the same time.

The Brooklyn Food Coalition (BFC) has organized a conversation titled “Moving Toward Race in the Food Justice Movement” between the NYC food justice community and Malik Yakini , Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Detroit Food Policy Council and a 2012 James Beard Foundation Awardee,Lorrie Clevenger with Black Urban Gardeners and Why Hunger and Daisy Chung , Executive Director of Restaurant Opportunity Center.

The conversation will address the questions:

• How do we create a food movement that is lead by the food justice movement?
• How do we ensure that the food justice movement lifts the leadership and ideas of those most a?ected by the present food system?
• How do we tell the story of the history and present day reality of the food system that illuminates the e?ects of racism?

When: Friday, October 19th, 5-8 pm

Where: The Pantry, 407 Lewis Avenue at Decatur St., Bed-Stuy, C/A to Utica Avenue, B 25, 26, 15

$25 for BFC members – become a member today by clicking here
$35 for non-BFC members

Small bites included and affordable cash bar. All proceeds are donated to the Brooklyn Food Coalition.

Don’t miss this important conversation and networking opportunity! Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.

The Brooklyn Food Coalition (BFC) has organized a conversation titled “Moving Toward Race in the Food Justice Movement” between the NYC food justice community and Malik Yakini , Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Detroit Food Policy Council and a 2012 James Beard Foundation Awardee,Lorrie Clevenger with Black Urban Gardeners and Why Hunger and Daisy Chung , Executive Director of Restaurant Opportunity Center.

The conversation will address the questions:

• How do we create a food movement that is lead by the food justice movement?
• How do we ensure that the food justice movement lifts the leadership and ideas of those most a?ected by the present food system?
• How do we tell the story of the history and present day reality of the food system that illuminates the e?ects of racism?

When: Friday, October 19th, 5-8 pm

Where: The Pantry, 407 Lewis Avenue at Decatur St., Bed-Stuy, C/A to Utica Avenue, B 25, 26, 15

$25 for BFC members – become a member today by clicking here
$35 for non-BFC members

Small bites included and affordable cash bar. All proceeds are donated to the Brooklyn Food Coalition.

Don’t miss this important conversation and networking opportunity! Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.

In a little over a month since the release of the Park Avenue Safety Plan, nearly 600 concerned citizens have already shown their support by signing the petition, in hard copy andonline . If you haven’t signed already, please add your voice.

Bus bulbs are sidewalk extensions at bus stops that improve safety, bus operations, and provide extra space for amenities. The extension improves safety because it shortens the distance that pedestrians need to cross, while calming traffic. They improve bus operations because buses don’t have to pull over and then back out into traffic. Lastly, bus bulbs provide extra sidewalk space for things like bus shelters or benches for waiting passengers.

Using passenger data provided by the MTA, we proposed four bus bulbs on Park Avenue, at westbound North Portland, Carlton, Washington, and eastbound Carlton.

Stay tuned for more updates and spotlights…

Pratt celebrates 125 years this year. The institution is kicking off the celebration with a gala tonight at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, which was designed in 1929 by a Pratt alum.

Also tonight, in honor of the 125th anniversity of Pratt, the lights of the Empire State Building will glow in gold.

Wishing a hearty congratulatons to Pratt Institute on 125 years!

Join the Greene Hill Food Co-opfor food, kids activities, dancing and more at their 2012 Fall Celebration, co-hosted by Bed-Stuy’s ownSound Liberation Front (SLF)!

Who? Everyone in the neighborhood, even if you’re not a Member of the Co-op!
What’s it Cost? Nothing! It’s FREE!
When? Saturday, October 6, from noon to 6pm. (Rain date Oct. 13)
Where? Our backyard, at 18 Putnam Av.

This is also a great opportunity for non-members to come check-out the co-op and, for this day only, shop at the store! Come see first-hand why you should become a member!

For more information clickhere.

It’s Artober on Myrtle Avenue! Throughout the month, stroll the avenue to enjoy public sculpture, studio art, and even new street furniture! We’ve got a new Myrtle Windows Gallery exhibition opening next week, the Tomorrow sculpture by Akihiro Ito at Fort Greene Park, 50 new tree guards and benches featuring designs by local artists and students coming in late October, and 10+ exhibitions, events and talks happening at local businesses throughout the month. View complete exhibition and event listings for Artober here.

Make sure to join us on October 24th at new Myrtle bar, Cielo, at the Artober reception. Come out to sample Cielo’s tasty Latin fusion fare, and raise a glass to local artists and art! Light refreshments on us.

It’s been less than three weeks since we released the Park Avenue Safety Plan. Nearly 500 concerned citizens have already shown their support by signing the petition, in hard copy and online. If you haven’t signed already, please add your voice.

Now is a good time to examine one of the many proposals in the plan. Our kickoff event was held on Park Avenue at St. Edwards, which is in the middle of a four-block superblock which runs from Navy Street to North Portland. There are no safe pedestrian crossings in this four-block stretch, even though both sides have dense housing, parks, schools, and churches. We propose traffic signals and crosswalks at St. Edwards and Monument Walk. The crossing at St. Edwards is particularly important. Not only is St. Edwards in the middle of the superblocks, but a crossing there would lead directly from Ingersoll Houses and PS 67 to the entrance of the newly restored section of Commodore Barry Park. Stay tuned for more updates and spotlights in the coming weeks…

The Myrtle Avenue Plaza – set to break ground in October 2014 – has been a project many years in the making.  Below is a recap of how the plaza came to be, including input from local residents and merchants and support provided by various elected officials and the City.  Read the latest construction news here.

Project History

2005: Working with Pratt Institute urban planning professors and students, we held a workshop open to all local stakeholders to gather public perceptions of all public space on Myrtle Avenue and suggestions for improvements.

2006-2007: With help from the Project for Public Spaces, we held two public planning workshops to solicit more concrete ideas for improving four specific areas along the avenue.   These sessions identified the Myrtle Avenue service road between Hall Street and Emerson Place as a prime location in need of new pedestrian amenities.  Community members and the Partnership explored ideas and developed conceptual plans (see below).

2007-2008: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Councilmember Letitia James committed $1.5M in capital funding to recreate this public space.  Additionally, about $2 million was raised in cooperation with the NYC Department of City Planning from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program.

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) selected Myrtle Avenue in the first round of the NYC  Plaza Program, bringing the total project budget to $6M.

2009-2011: We organized a Community Advisory Committee of local stakeholders and conducted two public meetings in 2010-2011.  AECOM, the design partner retained by DOT, used information from the Partnership, DOT, the Advisory Committee, and the public meetings to create a design.

2012: The Public Design Commission approved the final design.

2013-2014: With support from SBS, the Partnership created a Construction Mitigation plan to reduce the negative effects of construction on businesses within and surrounding the construction footprint.  The plan includes highlighting business specials, organizing events, mailing information to 2,900 local addresses, providing additional sanitation, distributing construction updates from DDC, improving signage, and adding visual interest to the area through the installation of a 1,200-ft construction fence wrap designed by artist Nami Yamamoto in partnership with DOT and DDC.

2014: Construction began in the fall of 2014 and was scheduled to last 12-18 months.

2014-2017: The NYC Department of Design & Construction oversees the severely delayed project. To help counter the impacts of construction, the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn BID releases a “Come In, We’re Open” campaign to encourage local shoppers and diners to support businesses affected by ongoing construction.

July 2017: Construction continues, marking 36 months after work began (two years over-scheduled from the original timeline provided by the City). After completion, the plaza will be a space to sit and relax, eat lunch or enjoy events.  Have ideas for what types of events and programs should happen in the plaza?  Please share your thoughts through this short survey.

October 2017: The plaza receives plantings – including dozens of trees and hundreds of grasses, shrubs, flowers, and ornamental plantings. A permanent public art piece, Formosa by Matthew Geller, is installed.

Project Funders

• • NYC Department of Transportation (DOT)

• • Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz

• • Councilmember Leticia James

• • Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program

• NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)

The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership was awarded “Best Tree Guard” in New York City by MillionTreesNYC. The winning tree guard is located near 438 Myrtle Avenue at Waverly. The custom laser-cut artwork was designed by Natalie Apuzzo, while the ornamental plantings were sponsored by St. Joseph’s College.

This tree guard is one of 40 custom tree guards installed on Myrtle Avenue under our Street Furniture Design Initiative. The modular frame was designed by the Pratt Design Incubator. Panel art was submitted by local artists.

Be on the lookout for new tree guard installations this fall!

MillionTreesNYC is a PlaNYC initiative with the Parks Department and New York Resoration Project.

We offer mini-grants ranging from $50 to $250 to support projects, events and programs that benefit residents living in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, specifically those living north of Myrtle Avenue. We encourage applications from existing small organizations, block associations, volunteer groups, school-based student organizations, and informal groups of citizens based in and serving the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill neighborhoods.

Project History

After organizing many of our own public events, the Partnership recognized the value that a street event brings in terms of building community and providing safe space for play and gathering of neighbors. We know that many local block associations already organize block parties on blocks just north and south of Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, and we would like to support your efforts to continue to do so. Here’s how we may be able to help:

• After a few years of organizing Move About Myrtle and the Brooklyn Urban Arts Market, we have assembled an extensive contact list of local organizations that might be willing to provide programs or activities for block parties for either a small fee or sometimes for free. We’d be happy to put you in touch with them.
• MARP staff has learned learned quite a bit about permitting for street closures, amplified sound and other things. We can provide advice and point you to the agencies that can help you get your necessary permits.
• The new Community Builders Mini-Grant Program would provide small grants to support community-based and community-organized programs and events. These grants would be small (no larger than $250), and could be applied to activities that are public, free, and benefit or improve the areas of Fort Greene or Clinton Hill north of Myrtle Avenue. Download the Community Builders Mini-Grant Guidelines and Application here.

Past Grantees

• Hill Stock Block Party
• F.O.K.U.S./The Stoop
• Ingersoll Tree Lighting Ceremony
• Just Because Prom Project
• Walt Whitman Tenants Association/Family Day Celebration

Application:

• Community Buidlers’ Mini-Grant Application

Project Overview

Myrtle Avenue is serious about trees.  Street trees not only bring an aesthetic appeal to the commercial strip, but also play an important role in filtering the air and providing shady respite from the afternoon sun.  The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Business Improvement District (BID)’s street tree stewardship program entails both protecting existing trees and planting additional trees.  The BID identifies and requests locations for new trees, waters young trees, aerates and mulches tree beds, weed tree beds, prune dead and low branches, and takes inventory of Myrtle Avenue’s street tree stock.

Project History

The project started with requests for new trees and watering young trees. In 20xx, the BID embarked on a large capital project to expand xx Myrtle Avenue street tree pits to the city’s new 5’x8′ standard. The larger tree pits allow more air and water to penetrate the root zone and provide more space for mature trees to grow. The expanded tree pits allowed the BID to create a uniform tree guard design (internal link) for Myrtle Avenue.

Later, efforts went toward caring for the tree beds themselves, be aerating and adding mulch regularly. Since 2011, the project has expanded to incorporate minor tree pruning (up to 15′ off the ground).

Accomplishments

• Since 2005, requested and received 53 new street trees (planted by the NYC Parks Department)
• Since 2008, watered an average of 46 young trees each summer
• Aerate and mulch tree pits regularly, about once every two years
• Removed Belgian blocks from 34 tree pits (these blocks reduce air/water flow and increase soil compaction)
• Installed 40 custom tree guards
• Pruned 88 trees in 2011-12
• Completed extensive tree and tree pit inventory in 2011

Project Funders

• Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Business Improvement District (BID)
• New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

Related Projects

• Beautification and Maintenance
• Myrtle Tree Guards and Benches

Recent News

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Our Healthy Communities Initiative engages community members in improving access to healthy, affordable food in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill; supporting residents as they grow their own food; increasing community nutrition education & physical fitness opportunities; cultivating leaders of all ages;  and documenting the food & health needs and desires of our community, especially for those with low incomes and seniors.

Current Projects

Age Friendly Myrtle Avenue

Through the Age Friendly Myrtle Avenue initiative, we aim to foster a safe, inviting, engaging place for our older adult neighbors…

Community Gardens

Residents of public housing along Myrtle Avenue are growing their own food and flowers in two locations: Ingersoll Garden of Eden & Whitman Victory Garden…

Farm to Neighborhood

The Farm to Neighborhood program connects regional farmers with neighborhood retail outfits and restaurants…

Myrtle Eats Fresh Community Chefs

Through a series of training workshops, Community Chefs solidify basic culinary skills and nutrition knowledge, and develop an ability to share these skills…

Past Projects

Community Food Assessment

This report was researched and created in collaboration with local residents and food advocates with the goal to obtain a `snapshot’ of the local food system…

Community Food Council

The mission of the Fort Greene-Clinton Hill Community Food Council is to link and strengthen community efforts to support healthy eating…

Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand

The Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand, established in summer 2010, has provided fresh, local, affordable produce to community residents from 6 regional producers…