Two Projects in Brooklyn Could Affect Popular Green Spaces

Shadows cast by a proposed 14-story tower on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights, twice the allowable height under current zoning, would have a “significant adverse impact” on plants in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, according to a draft environmental impact statement released by the Department of City Planning in May.

Next door to the garden, west of its main entrance on Eastern Parkway, the city plans to build a 40,000-square-foot skate facility in Mount Prospect Park, a recreation area that New York State determined in June is eligible for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

If constructed, both projects could significantly transform the landscape of both popular public green spaces in the heart of Brooklyn.

In June, Community Board 9, an advisory group whose area includes Crown Heights South, adopted resolutions opposing both the Franklin Avenue tower and the choice of Mount Prospect Park for the skate park.

But Antonio Reynoso, the Brooklyn borough president, and Crystal Hudson, the local city councilwoman, share mixed views of the projects. Both stand against the tower, with Mr. Reynoso issuing a report on July 25 recommending that the city reject the “upzoning” that would enable its development. By contrast, the two elected officials are enthusiastic enough about the skate park to have guided capital funding to the project, $2 million from the borough president’s office and $3.3 million from the City Council.