The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council
The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council (PHNDC) brings Prospect Heights community members together to build a safer, more just and sustainable neighborhood.
phndc.org is a portal for the exchange of news, events and information among Prospect Heights community members interested in the development of this unique and historic neighborhood.
Vanderbilt Avenue will be closed to traffic, and open for dining and socially distant recreation as part of New York City’s Open Streets: Restaurants program.
The program will begin Friday, August 7, and is currently authorized through October 31. During this time, Vanderbilt Avenue will be closed to traffic from Pacific Street to Park Place, and parking not allowed, on the following days:
During these hours, the B69 bus will be rerouted along Washington Avenue.
Participating restaurants include:
Open Streets: Restaurants is a great opportunity to enjoy stretching out on Prospect Heights’ “main street” while supporting local businesses. We hope you enjoy outdoor dining and relaxation on Vanderbilt Avenue responsibly, observing safe social distancing practice.
You can help! If you are interested in volunteering as a community marshal during the program, we encourage you to sign up here .
If your business has not yet signed up to participate in Open Streets: Restaurants, but would like to, please complete this form.
You are welcome to send comments and questions to streets@phndc.org.
Thanks very much for your support for local business and your commitment to the Prospect Heights community!
The New York City Department of Transportation has approved PHNDC's request to include Carlton Avenue from Park Place to Bergen Street and Underhill Avenue from St. John's Place to Bergen Street in its Open Streets program during the COVID-19 emergency.
These blocks will operate as Open Streets from 8am through 8pm daily. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) will place barricades at the start of the day and remove them each evening.
In 2016, the Prospect Heights National Register Historic District was expanded to include nearly 920 neighborhood buildings. Owners of properties in the National Register district are eligible to receive State and federal tax credits to help offset the cost of rehabilitating their buildings. A map of the NR district, showing eligibility for State and federal tax credit programs, is here.
The New York State preservation tax credit program is currently available to owners of income-producing properties, as well as individual homeowners (including owners of cooperative apartments). It provides a tax credit of 20% of the amount of qualified expenses that are part of a project to rehabilitate a historic building. To be eligible, a property must be in a distressed census tract (shown in green on the map).
Unfortunately, after March 31, 2020, properties in the Prospect Heights National Register District will no longer qualify for this credit. However, we understand from New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation that if a property owner sends in a Part 1 application before March 31, they will retain eligibility for the program for five years.
Therefore, property owners who are considering a renovation in the next five years of a building that would otherwise qualify for the New York State preservation tax credit should act quickly to file so they can preserve their elibility for this significant tax benefit.
For more information, see the New York State Parks web page on tax credits.
As we look forward toward the future of our community in the coming year, it’s a good time to reflect upon the significant changes that have come to Prospect Heights over the last decade. It was this decade that saw the dynamic, scale and quality of life in the northwest part of our neighborhood shaken by the completion of Barclays Center, and the construction of the first four residential buildings at the Atlantic Yards project. It was also the first decade during which nearly 850 historic buildings in Prospect Heights were protected by New York City landmark district designated near the end of 2009. And of course the years since 2010 have been marked by the continued gentrification of the neighborhood.
Here is a look back at these and other events that shaped the last decade in Prospect Heights.
Recently, the New York State legislature passed amendments to the rent regulation laws, which will alter or eliminate many common elements of the landlord/rent regulated tenant relationship. These new laws include:
The new laws represent, in our opinion, a shift in the balance of power from the landlord of the rent regulated building to the rent regulated tenant: the laws remove many tools and incentives for landlords to vacate and decontrol regulated apartments and turn them into market rate units. Prospect Heights has seen significant displacement of residents by income over the last fifteen years. In PHNDC’s 2016 neighborhood survey, residents identified social and economic diversity as being one of the characteristics most important for a good quality of life. Residents also most frequently cited housing as the area in need of greatest improvement in Prospect Heights. We believe these new laws will make it easier for Prospect Heights tenants in rent stabilized housing to remain in the neighborhood as housing cost continues to increase, so consider their passage a win for our community.
More information about the rights of tenants, and services available to assist them, is available at http://www.phndc.org/KnowYourRights.
In February, PS9’s parent-teacher organization voted to rename itself in honor of Sarah Smith Garnet. On April 4, the Department of Education approved the change. At the time when slavery was legal, Garnet became the first African American woman principal in New York. She also co-founded the first African American women's suffrage club. which met locally at 405 Carlton Avenue. Beginning July 1, PS9 will be known as the Sarah Smith Garnet School.
More information about Sarah Smith Garnet is available here.
