Mamdani to Redesign Brooklyn Army Plaza With Connections to Prospect Park

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is looking to make Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza more accessible and aesthetically pleasing in a major re-envisioning. 

The mayor’s office and the New York City Department of Transportation announced Monday it will launch a public review process for a renovation of the spaces around the park’s Civil War monument, as well as transit improvements for bus riders, cyclists and pedestrians.

The street safety improvements will help link the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch to nearby Prospect Park and streamline commutes for the estimated 32,900 daily bus riders through the monument, according to the administration.

The administration will begin gathering feedback from the public through a series of workshops starting April 23.

“Grand Army Plaza is the gateway to Brooklyn’s backyard, Prospect Park — and it should welcome New Yorkers with street design that puts safety first,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Anyone who’s tried to cross here knows how dangerous and chaotic the streets can be. This redesign is long overdue and will provide a sense of ease and enjoyment to one of Brooklyn’s most important public spaces.”  

The city began eyeing street safety improvements between Prospect Park and Grand Army Plaza in 2024 under former Mayor Eric Adams, who campaigned on surface transit improvements in the area during his mayoral campaign in 2020. A study from two years ago showed 85 percent of the 3,600 survey respondents were in favor of a plan that never came to fruition.

“The days of New Yorkers having to navigate a labyrinth of roads and intersections just to get to Prospect Park are finally numbered,” Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said in a statement. “Grand Army Plaza will soon function as a world-class gateway to a world-class park, streamlining traffic and delivering much-needed pedestrian and cyclist safety improvements.”

The city expects to complete a review of the scope of the project this year, with more specific plans to be made public in 2027, according to the administration.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.