Protect Fort Greene Park: Modify and Mitigate the Tower on Flatbush!
What’s Happening?
Did you know that a proposed rezoning is underway for 395 Flatbush Ext. (between Dekalb and Fulton)? This is the corner across from Junior’s and Brooklyn Paramount, above the Dekalb Ave B/Q/R subway entrance, 3 blocks away from Fort Greene Park.
The proposed 72-story, 840-foot-tall building, would be the second tallest tower in Brooklyn, and would introduce 1,263 dwelling units, of which 325 to 379 would be designated as permanently affordable for households with incomes averaging at or below 80 percent Area Median Income (AMI), pursuant to applicable requirements of the City’s MIH Program. 80% AMI income limit per HUD is $90,720 for a family of one, $103,680 for a family of two, $116,640 for a family of three.
See draft environmental impact statement for more information on the project HERE.
We understand that the city needs more housing—in particular, deeply affordable housing. Many people living in Brooklyn and the area would not qualify for the units at 395 Flatbush Ext because their income is too low. For this reason, we support community efforts to deepen the affordability of the units.
At the same time, the city needs to protect its green space. We have significant concerns about the impacts of the 395 Flatbush Ext. project on Fort Greene Park, and are sharing actionable suggestions to the development team to partner with our community of park users.
Negative Impacts
As currently designed, the tower would cast hours of substantial shadows on Fort Greene Park, primarily in the spring and fall. The shadows will fall across the central lawn and tennis courts in the afternoons, impacting valuable passive and active space in the park. The loss of over two hours of sunlight would make it more difficult to reseed and restore the park’s lawns to a usable state, lengthening the time lawns would be fenced off and use-restricted.
Fort Greene Park would also feel the impact of additional unmitigated use. An estimated 2,500 people and 1,000 dogs would live at 395 Flatbush Ext. Fort Greene Park already has over 250,000 unique users per year. Park use per acre in Fort Greene Park is actually double that of Prospect Park and nearly the same as Central Park, the most visited park in the country. Existing heavy use, compounded by additional unmitigated use, would increase the wear and tear on the park, contributing to erosion and other impacts.
Learn more about the impacts from our testimony on the draft scope of work for the environmental review HERE.
Our Demand: Modify and Mitigate!
The Fort Greene Park Conservancy respectfully requests that the developers:
Modify the height and design of the building to greatly lessen the additional shadow impacts.
Mitigate impacts of the additional park use by making a substantial contribution to a new M&O (maintenance & operations) Fund for the park.
Your Role and Call to Action!
Sign this petition to join us in demanding the above modifications and mitigation. Please verify your e-mail address after signing to make sure your signature counts!
Show up at the September 3, 2025 CB2 ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Process) Public Hearing at 6pm at St. Francis College (179 Livingston St). We know it’s the night before the school year starts, but we need you to show up! RSVP here.
Share this petition with your friends and neighbors.