Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership BID executive director Jennifer Brown hopes the city's budget for the next fiscal year will include $21M for a neighborhood plaza project. The plan is to make the 37k SF temporary pedestrian plazas on Broadway permanent. The money would be used for permanent surface treatment, sustainable horticulture and utilities connections, Commercial Observer reports. The plazas were initially installed by the NYC DOT in 2008 as part of a pilot project to reconfigure traffic and provide pedestrian safety. Seven years later, they've been such a success that it's time for them to become permanent. Brown expects the DOT will need at least $7M to launch the design process. There will also be several public workshops to get community feedback before coming up with a final design. In addition to new paving, amenities will include enhanced accessibility, seating, planting and lighting. [CO]
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