By Joseph Morales

              Clove Road is a small street in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn,(not to be confused with Clove Rd in Staten Island), that has a rich history but is abandoned in the present. Clove Road was far more significant in Brooklyn’s transportation network during colonial times(when horseback was the main mode of transportation), as Clove Rd ran from modern-day Fulton St to what is now Empire Blvd, and then continued as Canarsie Avenue to the west of Holy Cross Cemetery and then east on what is know known as Cortelyou Rd and entering Canarsie. Clove Rd got its name from the Dutch word “kloven” which means cleft, which meant that the road was originally in a valley in between two hills that have since been flattened.

              However, in the present day the road is just a dilapidated one block segment between Montgomery St and Empire Blvd. The road is extremely uneven and has the appearance that makes the road look like it may have not been repaved in an unusually long time. The road is inaccessible via Montgomery St as there is a lamp post with street signs as well as a sidewalk running directly through the intersection. Since the street is one way toward Empire Blvd, cars  pretty much cannot drive through it. Overgrown shrubs and cars in angled parking take up much of the street space and there are little curbs or sidewalks, making the street dangerous for pedestrians.  Vacant lots are present on both sides of the street, with part of the street being directly behind a supermarket parking lot. 

Clove Rd as seen above has an uneven road surface and some overgrown shrubs as seen to the left.

Dilapidated Sidewalk on Clove rd as shown above. Narrow with overgrown shrubs.

Intersection of Clove Rd and Montgomery St. As cars cannot enter Clove Rd here and Clove Rd is a one-way street, the street is practically unusable for motorists.

         Given the state of this crumbling roadway, the NYCDOT seeks to convert it into a public plaza. This ambitious plaza would include the Cultural Museum Of African Art with community event space in the vacant lot on the corner of Clove Rd and Montgomery St. The plaza would also include, community facility -medical offices, as well as other commercial facilities such as restaurants and retail, turning this street from practically abandoned to the town square of Crown Heights, bringing new jobs,activities as well as art and culture to the already vibrant and bustling community.  There will also be a cafe, spa and pool along with a community event space and 49 residential units. The plaza will also make it easier to walk between Montgomery St and Empire Blvd without using New York Avenue or Nostrand Avenue. Other less ambitious but still impactful plaza projects nearby include the Hillel Plaza near Brooklyn College and the Avenue C Plaza in the Kensington area of Brooklyn, which also turned underutilized roadways into plazas with outdoor space for recreational and commercial uses. Other massive plazas in NYC that’ve been successful are Diversity Plaza in Queens and Fordham Plaza in the Bronx. The area of Diversity Plaza had gone from that of a complex intersection to the place where people from all over Queens and the city go to shop, enjoy cultural events and activities, participate in religious activities and so much more, a success in which Clove Rd might be able to emulate, especially given plans for development around Clove Rd. 

The partner for this plaza is Karl Cohen, a longtime community activist, president of the 71st Precinct Community Council, developer of Nostrand Avenue mixed use building and local business owner since 1974. As the partner for the plaza, he is responsible for reaching out to the public for data and input as well as preparing a funding plan to manage the plaza for the long term. Partners for NYCDOT plaza projects are also responsible for a maintenance agreement with the NYCDOT as well as programming and events in the plaza in order to make the plaza vibrant centers of community activity. Karl Cohen seems extremely ambitious and excited to run the plaza, as he told the Brooklyn Paper in 2020, “This is a dream that I have had for many years, since 1984 when I first purchased that property.” My vision is really to make it into a state of the art park, and a state of the art building as well”. The design team for the project is TSA Studio Architects, which has worked on many commercial, residential and preservation projects across NYC such as the Tribeca Townlofts , the NYAA Academy Of Art and  the Park Of Awareness@St.Vincent.

         The plaza would certainly benefit from its proximity to mass transit, which will make the plaza accessible to those from throughout Brooklyn and NYC, with the 2 and 5 trains being a few blocks away at the Sterling St station along with the B44-SBS which is one of the city’s busiest bus routes. Also, within walking distance are the B43 and B49 buses, wth the B41 as well as B,Q and S trains being accessible via a quick ride on the B43 or about a 15 min walk. 

          There had been immense community support for the project from the former community city councilman, Dr. Mathieu Eugene of the 40th district in Brooklyn, Former City Council Democratic Majority Leader Laurie Combo and even former Brooklyn Borough President and current NYC Mayor Eric Adams. Several community groups such as the Brooklyn Crown Heights Lions club( a local community service group) and  The Byways and Hedges Youth for Christ Ministry Inc. also have supported the project. Unfortunately, there have been little developments about the project since it was announced by the NYCDOT in December 2020 and the link to the plaza proposal has been taken down. It does seem like there will be a mixed use development at the site according to a sign posted on the barricade to one of the lots at Nostrand Avenue and Empire Blvd though it is unclear if that is the same development initially planned in the plaza. Work on that building which is owned by The Hudson Companies would be completed in April 2025.  Another poster at the lot stated a commercial project owned by Minortico Realty Corp  would be completed there by Winter 2019 which of course has passed. Unfortunately, according to the CM of the project from Minortico Realty Corp, said that one of the reasons behind the project’s delay was that one of the funders died of COVID-19.  Hopefully, this project that has the potential to make such a lasting impact on Crown Heights and all of Brooklyn has been completed.

Acknowledgements

“NYC DOT.” NYC.gov, https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pedestrians/nyc-plaza-program.shtml. Accessed 7 September 2022.

NYCDOT. “Clove Rd Plaza, Community Board 9, December 2020.” nyc.gov, 2020, https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/clove-rd-plaza-cb9-dec2020.pdf. Accessed 7 September 2022.

Verde, Ben. “Pedestrian plaza planned for Clove Road in Crown Heights • Brooklyn Paper.” Brooklyn Paper, 4 December 2020, https://www.brooklynpaper.com/clove-road-crown-heights-pedestrian-plaza/. Accessed 7 September 2022.

“Projects — TRA Studio Architecture.” TRA Studio, http://www.trastudio.com/project. Accessed 7 September 2022.

“Mayor de Blasio Announces Start of Diversity Plaza Construction in Jackson Heights.” NYC.gov, 21 July 2017, https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/508-17/mayor-de-blasio-start-diversity-plaza-construction-jackson-heights#/0. Accessed 7 September 2022.