With spring starting, there is unfortunately some bad news for Brooklyn oak trees: a fast-moving and deadly fungal disease that afflicts oak trees has been identified in Green-Wood Cemetery. It's Oak Wilt and can kill an oak tree within a couple of months of infection. The Red Oak group (whose leaves have lobes with pointy tips) are especially vulnerable.

How has gentrification affected the way community members feel about Prospect Heights, and what do they want for the neighborhood's future?

To answer these questions, Intersection | Prospect Heights collected oral histories and survey responses from over 500 current and former residents of Prospect Heights. The results are discussed in a new paper, "We're All Part of the Neighborhood," available for download from the Intersection | Prospect Heights web site.

The report describes how a surge in development since 2000 coincided with a sharp increase in housing cost. In the process, a large segment of Prospect Heights' population was displaced as more affluent residents moved in. While residents' perceptions of public education and security from crime have improved, the sense of community that many cherish may be threatened.

Greenland Forest City Partners is offering 303 affordable studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments at 38 Sixth Avenue (corner of Dean Street). Apartments will be awarded through a lottery administered by the City of New York. Eligible tenants may earn between $20,126 for an individual and $173,415 for a family of six. Amenities include a fitness center, lounge, childrens' playroom, yoga studio, bike storage, game room, and pet grooming area, as well as laundry facilities on each floor.

More information, including a detailed breakdown of the available units by income target and a schedule for information sessions, is available at www.38sixth.com.

These units, offered to prospective tenants of a wide range of incomes, represent an opportunity for community members concerned about being priced out of Prospect Heights to receive a stabilized lease at an affordable rent. Residents of Brooklyn community districts 2, 3, 6 and 8 receive lottery preference for 50% of all affordable apartments offered at Atlantic Yards. To apply for the 38 Sixth Avenue lottery, visit HPD's Housing Connect site (applications close March 14). If you have not yet registered for Housing Connect, you can do so here.

Although national events kept much of our focus in 2016, it was a busy year locally here in Prospect Heights, and if you blinked, you might have missed something. Here are some of the highlights of the past twelve months.

BROOKLYN, NY, December 7, 2016: Today, the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council (PHNDC) and the Office of Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams announced that Vanderbilt Avenue, the central boulevard of Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights neighborhood, will be enhanced with historic street lighting. Fifty historic M type fixtures will replace all existing lamps, traffic and pedestrian signals from Atlantic Avenue to Plaza Street.

On October 19, representatives from the Department of Transportation held a community planning workshop at the Hope City Empowerment Center on Washington Avenue. The purpose of the workshop was to gather input on the location of Citi Bike stations in the western part of Community Board 8 and Community Board 9. DOT expects to install the stations during the summer of 2017 in an area bounded by Atlantic Avenue, Rogers Avenue, Lefferts Avenue, Washtinton Avenue, Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue (see map below; click to enlarge). 15-20 stations are expected to be installed in the part of the area north of Eastern Parkway, including Prospect Heights. DOT will present specific proposed locations to Community Boards 8 and 9 prior to finalizing the plan.