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Park by Brooklyn Borough Hall could get big upgrades if judges give up parking spots
By
Liam Quigley
Published May 15, 2025
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By
Liam Quigley
Published May 15, 2025
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A push for a dramatic overhaul of the green space at Brooklyn Borough Hall faces formidable foes: judges who don’t want to give up their beloved parking spaces.
The proposal from the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, which is backed by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Councilmember Lincoln Restler, would reimagine Cadman Plaza and Columbus Park with upgrades that include a new lawn, pavilion, dog run and skate park.
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership President Regina Myer said the project would make the area more welcoming.
“What we’re looking at is a transformation, not unlike transformations over the past several decades, at places like Madison Square or Union Square, where the parks have been reimagined to really be embraced by everybody around them,” she said.
But the plan would also mean eliminating a 30-spot parking lot used by judges and staff at nearby courthouse.
“The security of our judges is our highest priority,” Al Baker, a spokesperson for the court system, said in a statement. “The current lot, which has been in that location since the courthouse was built in the middle of the last century, provides the necessary security for our judges who are under increasing threats.”
“While we have engaged in discussions with the Brooklyn elected officials regarding an alternate location for the judges’ parking lot, no alternatives have yet been proposed that would provide adequate security for our judges,” Baker added.
The city would have to allocate funding to the proposal, which is the result of community meetings over the last two years.
The plan represents the most comprehensive proposal in recent memory to reimagine the parkland near one of the entrances to the Brooklyn Bridge.
Reynoso noted that as borough president, Eric Adams allowed staffers to illegally park in pedestrian areas around Borough Hall with impunity. Reynoso said he unwound that policy and banned parking in the plaza.
A parking lot reserved for judges would be repurposed.
Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, WXY, MVVA
“I already removed vehicles from Borough Hall,” he said. “It didn't feel like a park more than it did like a thoroughfare, a throughway for residents. And we're going to change that."
Restler, who represents the area, said he’s hoping to allocate significant resources to the new park in the city budget. He said outgoing Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue supports the plan.
“ It is some of the most underutilized park space in the borough of Brooklyn,” he said. “What we need is a massive infusion of resources to turn Columbus Park into a destination, central park space for adjacent communities and for Brooklyn as a whole.”
But Restler conceded that the court system was not on board.
“The leadership at [the Office of Court Administration] has made clear that parking is like a third-rail issue for them,” Restler said. “They are laser focused on protecting every single parking spot that they could have access to in the city of New York.”
A similar dispute arose near the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, where court officials bitterly resisted bicycle infrastructure upgrades, including a protected lane outside Manhattan Criminal Court.
The plan calls for removal of some fencing to open up the space for pedestrians and enjoyment of green space.
Myer said that opening up space that is currently locked behind fences will make the park more enjoyable for everyone.
“That would mean greener spaces, lawns where everyone can use them, and more seating in both the sun and the shade,” she said.
The plan for the project notes that Borough Hall's steps are a popular skate spot, causing a nuisance to some officials that could be addressed through the new skatepark.
As borough president, Adams sought to thwart the skateboarders with planters and a ribbon of turf carpet by the steps.
The plan includes the option for the city's transportation department to turn two small streets outside the Cadman Plaza Post Office into shared streets with lower speed limits.
The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership will host a presentation and discussion about the plan on Thursday evening at Borough Hall.
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brooklyn
Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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