Activating Church Avenue's Nightlife

CHURCH AVENUE CORRIDOR
Flatbush Avenue to Coney Island Avenue

The Marriage at Cana is instructive for the activation of Church Avenue's nightlife. Like the transformation of water into wine, the activation of nightlife along the Church Avenue Corridor can revitalize the Flatbush community.

During the day and at night, the Church Avenue corridor between Ocean Avenue and Coney Island Avenue possesses two distinct characteristics.

In the day, the corridor pulses with the activity of a business district. Merchants like Bank of America and Bobby's Department Store cater to the wide-ranging needs of a mobile population; residents crisscross Church Avenue while negotiating steady vehicular flow; and the transportation infrastructure (B35 bus, B & Q trains, and livery cabs) drops off and takes away riders.

At night, the Church Avenue Corridor takes on a different mood. With a reduction in the flow of people and vehicles, a side not visible during the day is revealed. The sidewalks become passable, commercial activity becomes barely recognizable, and lighting emanating from street lights casts a festive glow.

The calming of commercial activity along the Church Avenue Corridor at night presents a unique opportunity for the activation of a nightlife intrinsic to the culture and residents of the Flatbush community. Like the Smith Street corridor in Carroll Gardens, a vibrant nightlife will strengthen Flatbush's small business community, provide a creative and social outlet to the neighborhood's young adult population, and enjoin new neighbors with the community's more established residents.

With the renovation of Lakeside and the Loews Kings Theater as well as the transformation of the Church Avenue street scape, developing the nightlife along the Church Avenue corridor is an imperative for the transformation of the Flatbush community.