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New Mayor Eric Adams (far left), a man gets a COVID-19 vaccine left), neBorough President Antonio Reynoso (above), and southern Brooklynites plead for a new ferry line (below).
COURIER LIFE, JANUARY 7-13, 2022 3
the new borough president,
Reynoso will have signifi cant
sway over issues facing Brooklyn,
including appointments to
community boards, and weighing
in on land-use changes.
4. Will the coney ferry
happen?: The proposed Coney
Island ferry has been long in
the woks, as locals have debated
for years now over the proposed
landing location. Located on
the more in-land side of the Coney
Island peninsula, the ferry
would not take travelers to the
local amusement park, which
many advocates have deemed
as a missed opportunity.
5. What will come of
Grand Prospect Hall?:
Grand Prospect Hall, the
iconic Park Slope-based event
venue, was sold and later gutted
by a developer. Along the
Prospect Expressway, the
venue became notorious for
its commercials boasting that
the hall would “mek your
dreams come true.” The owner
of the establishment, Michael
Halkias, died in 2020, and the
building was later sold.
6. All the construction
in Gowanus: The highlycontroversial
Gowanus neighborhood
wide rezoning was
passed at the end of 2021, allowing
private developers
to build much tallers towers
in the area, provided they
include affordable housing
units. Now, construction companies
are gearing up to pour
into the area and kick-off the
long-debated construction.
7. 10 Years after Sandy:
This year marks the 20th anniversary
of Superstorm Sandy,
which rocked New York City
and devastated the infrastructure
in the Five Boroughs.
Now, as lawmakers in the nation’s
capital have passed a
bipartisan instrastruce bill,
Gotham will see a signifi cant
amount of investment in the
city’s subways, roads, and
shorelines — including much
investment along the Kings
County coast.
8. Business recovery:
When the pandemic hit, countless
businesses were sent into
a state of worrying despair
as customers fl ocked to their
homes and avoided in-person
gatherings. Now, thousands of
mom-and-pop shops will head
into the new year looking to
rebound after a particularly
trying two-year stretch.
9. NYPD Budget: The
much-debated budget of the
New York City Police Department
will be up again
this year, with a new mayor
that has pledged to keep the
amount of funding for the police
the same (or more), while
many members of the incoming
City Council have committed
to voting on behalf of
reducing the budget. The budget
process will need to be resolved
in June.
10. Redistricting!: As
2020 brought the census, 2022
will bring redistricting to
New York State. The process
of drawing new maps for local
congressional seats and
state legislative districts may
change who voters are represented
by, and will certainly
change the electoral prospects
of many local politicians.
11. Crown Heights Associated:
The site of Nostrand
Avenue’s Associated supermarket
has a new owner,
throwing yet another wrench
into the contentious redevelopment
of the site. That puts
the area in a severe shortage
of local supermarkets, if
the Associated branch closes
— which the local landlords
have pledged not to do permanently.
12. Brooklyn Bridge bike
lane... will it inspire others?:
The long-awaited Brooklyn
Bridge bike lane opened
in 2021, and inspired the hope
of countless cyclists to dream
of more infrastructure supporting
local pedal pushers.
Mayor Eric Adams will now
take the reins, with the ability
to (potentially) open new
cycling lanes.
13. Community boards:
One of the lowest levels of
government, the community
board, is a constantly evolving
body of locals who turnover
yearly in their unpaid posts,
which serves as the eyes and
ears of the city government
on issues like land use. Now
that Antonio Reynoso is in
borough hall (which appoints
community board members),
the boards may look signifi -
cantly different, and weigh in
differently on various issues.
14. Vaccine mandates:
New York City had one of the
strongest vaccine mandates in
the United States. As unvaccinated
Americans are legally
barred from entering bars,
restaurants, and other indoor
activities, people and businesses
around the Five Boroughs
are wondering if the
mandates will loosen during
Mayor Adams’ tenure.
15. The return of big
events?: Life in the big city is
more than just bars and restaurants
— as we have easy
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