Bed-Stuy Alive!: Generating Positive Change
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Trisha Laforse was the first female to cross the finish line in the 2004 Restoration 10K race.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
OUR TIME PRESS; VOL. 14 NO. 40; October 8-14, 2009
by Colvin W. Grannum
The last five years have been filled with much economic development progress despite two years of a national recession. The community board, business leaders, civic organizations, community based organizations, elected officials and residents have worked diligently to create an attractive and safe community in Bedford-Stuyvesant. We strive to create a community where families are safe, residents have jobs that provide for economic security, affordable housing is available for the diverse range of working families that call Bedford-Stuyvesant home, families’ homes are protected from foreclosure, students excel and go on to college or otherwise improve their marketability in the workplace, and businesses thrive.
by Colvin W. Grannum
The last five years have been filled with much economic development progress despite two years of a national recession. The community board, business leaders, civic organizations, community based organizations, elected officials and residents have worked diligently to create an attractive and safe community in Bedford-Stuyvesant. We strive to create a community where families are safe, residents have jobs that provide for economic security, affordable housing is available for the diverse range of working families that call Bedford-Stuyvesant home, families’ homes are protected from foreclosure, students excel and go on to college or otherwise improve their marketability in the workplace, and businesses thrive.
Over the past five years, Restoration has aggressively pursued a comprehensive agenda through strategic initiatives designed to generate confidence in the local economy. For example, the availability of fresh, affordable produce is a major issue in historically low-income communities like Bedford-Stuyvesant. Super Foodtown of Bedford-Stuyvesant opened for business five years ago and is one of the most attractive and customer responsive neighborhood supermarkets in New York City. Foodtown was joined shortly thereafter by Duane Reade, which provides critical prescription services to our families, particularly seniors.
For more than 40 years, no nationally branded full service family style dining concept considered it feasible to operate in Bedford-Stuyvesant. In early 2005, Applebee’s of Bedford Stuyvesant opened its doors. Applebee’s is truly a communityoriented and intergenerational concept. It’s one of the few places where you can see a milk shake and a martini being delivered to the same table or a young couple and an elderly couple dating in adjoining booths. It’s a great place to relax with your friends, family and neighbors.
Foodtown, Applebee’s, Duane Reade prove that our local economy can support major brands. Their ongoing success gives confidence to existing shop owners and potential investors, including local small entrepreneurs. In fact, since these three strategic investments, we have witnessed a significant increase in the number of small retail businesses not only on Fulton Street but also on Bedford, Tompkins, and Stuyvesant Avenues, and an awakening on Malcolm X Boulevard.
For more than 40 years, no nationally branded full service family style dining concept considered it feasible to operate in Bedford-Stuyvesant. In early 2005, Applebee’s of Bedford Stuyvesant opened its doors. Applebee’s is truly a communityoriented and intergenerational concept. It’s one of the few places where you can see a milk shake and a martini being delivered to the same table or a young couple and an elderly couple dating in adjoining booths. It’s a great place to relax with your friends, family and neighbors.
Foodtown, Applebee’s, Duane Reade prove that our local economy can support major brands. Their ongoing success gives confidence to existing shop owners and potential investors, including local small entrepreneurs. In fact, since these three strategic investments, we have witnessed a significant increase in the number of small retail businesses not only on Fulton Street but also on Bedford, Tompkins, and Stuyvesant Avenues, and an awakening on Malcolm X Boulevard.
Building on this momentum, property and business owners on Fulton Street successfully created the Bed-Stuy Gateway Business Improvement District (BID) with the assistance of Restoration. The BID was launched on October 1 and will focus on strengthening Fulton Street’s position as a robust commercial corridor. Fulton Street will be cleaner, safer and attractive to a wide range of retail businesses. In addition to the services the BID will provide, the city has agreed to invest $12 million in improving the streetscape of Fulton Street from Classon to Troy Avenues including at least 75 trees, new sidewalks, trafficcalming devices, new sidewalks and other improvements. The investment of an additional $9 million in the renovation and redesign of Restoration Plaza will further anchor Fulton Street as a destination for dining, shopping, entertainment and culture. The renovation will make Restoration Plaza more energy-efficient and more accessible to businesses and residents and facilitate the use of Restoration Plaza for cultural and educational activities. These strategic investments by the City of New York were strenuously advocated for by councilman Al Vann.
The up-zoning of Fulton Street was a step toward comprehensive, long-term planning to broaden Fulton Street’s appeal to businesses and residents. The up-zoning permits more residential and commercial density on Fulton Street which is attractive to retailers because such density will almost certainly result in higher volumes of business. Restoration is also commissioning a land-use study to best determine how to achieve greater densities while respecting the architectural character of the overall neighborhood.
Restoration, in partnership with BRP Development, is undertaking the development of several mixed-use and mixed-income projects on Fulton Street that will produce affordable housing and flexible commercial space. Our goal is to develop several hundred units of mixedincome housing and in excess of 30,000 square feet of commercial space which we intend to divide for businesses owned by local entrepreneurs as well as major retailers.
We have set forth here just a brief sampling of the projects Restoration has launched in the past five years. Several others include: the Booklyn Financial Empowerment Center @ Restoration Plaza where three financial counselors are available full-time to assist with credit issues, budgeting and other financial planning; Restoration’s Upwardly Mobile Youth Development Program where 97 percent of our 36 high school seniors graduated and 92 percent were accepted into colleges including MIT, NYU, U Penn and many SUNY and CUNY schools, and 100 percent of our juniors advanced to their senior year; Restoration’s New York City Justice Corp. which works more than 100 young men and women who have been involved in the criminal justice system to prepare them for employment and assist them in finding jobs, especially with local businesses and nonprofits and Greening Central Brooklyn Block by Block, an environmental sustainability initiative being undertaken by the Coalition for the Improvement of Bedford-Stuyvesant (CIBS).
Bed Stuy is Alive!—please join us this weekend for the Bed-Stuy Alive! Kickoff featuring Restoration Rocks on Saturday afternoon and the Restoration Community Run and Walk on Sunday morning. Your presence will help create, redefine Bedford-Stuyvesant and generate positive change. Please visit Restorationplaza.org for more details.
(Colvin W. Grannum is the President and CEO of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Inc. Since March 2001, he has served “Restoration,” the nation’s first community development corporation founded by community leaders and U.S. Senators Robert Kennedy and Jacob Javits in 1967.)
The up-zoning of Fulton Street was a step toward comprehensive, long-term planning to broaden Fulton Street’s appeal to businesses and residents. The up-zoning permits more residential and commercial density on Fulton Street which is attractive to retailers because such density will almost certainly result in higher volumes of business. Restoration is also commissioning a land-use study to best determine how to achieve greater densities while respecting the architectural character of the overall neighborhood.
Restoration, in partnership with BRP Development, is undertaking the development of several mixed-use and mixed-income projects on Fulton Street that will produce affordable housing and flexible commercial space. Our goal is to develop several hundred units of mixedincome housing and in excess of 30,000 square feet of commercial space which we intend to divide for businesses owned by local entrepreneurs as well as major retailers.
We have set forth here just a brief sampling of the projects Restoration has launched in the past five years. Several others include: the Booklyn Financial Empowerment Center @ Restoration Plaza where three financial counselors are available full-time to assist with credit issues, budgeting and other financial planning; Restoration’s Upwardly Mobile Youth Development Program where 97 percent of our 36 high school seniors graduated and 92 percent were accepted into colleges including MIT, NYU, U Penn and many SUNY and CUNY schools, and 100 percent of our juniors advanced to their senior year; Restoration’s New York City Justice Corp. which works more than 100 young men and women who have been involved in the criminal justice system to prepare them for employment and assist them in finding jobs, especially with local businesses and nonprofits and Greening Central Brooklyn Block by Block, an environmental sustainability initiative being undertaken by the Coalition for the Improvement of Bedford-Stuyvesant (CIBS).
Bed Stuy is Alive!—please join us this weekend for the Bed-Stuy Alive! Kickoff featuring Restoration Rocks on Saturday afternoon and the Restoration Community Run and Walk on Sunday morning. Your presence will help create, redefine Bedford-Stuyvesant and generate positive change. Please visit Restorationplaza.org for more details.
(Colvin W. Grannum is the President and CEO of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Inc. Since March 2001, he has served “Restoration,” the nation’s first community development corporation founded by community leaders and U.S. Senators Robert Kennedy and Jacob Javits in 1967.)
