ok...I'll be the negative one....
my whole concern is that Unity Plaza ISN"T downtown. We already have two somewhat underutilized public spaces downtown - The Landing courtyard and Hemming Plaza. Diluting things further by adding another one doesn't seem to be a positive thing.
I'll see your negativity and go all in with positivity...
The current state of Hemming Plaza is nothing short of criminal. Will that change with a new RFP to manage the park? Unsure at this time as the first RFP was laughable, at best.
The Landing courtyard is used quite a bit... and any future renovations to the Landing (and there will be) will only further enhance the use of this space. I am not concerned one bit about that.
Brooklyn is essentially 'mid-town'. It's a transitional neighborhood from the urban core to an intown neighborhood which shares many urban qualities. These types of MidTown areas are experiencing a rebirth nationwide. For it not to be in the coversation of 'downtown' would be insane.
Brooklyn is poised to be the Southeast's next great neighborhood. I firmly believe that. Beyond an ash-riddled baseball field, there aren't any 'public spaces' in Brooklyn except for the Riverwalk... which is beyond excellent for what it is, a passive connection to a great natural asset-but the Riverwalk is not the same kind of public space as say an actively programmed, gathering place where the inner square and outer square act in harmony with each other like that of Unity Plaza. UP will be a centerpiece of the neighborhood and something I believe will be the envy of many peer communities.
