We’ve rounded up some of the biggest real estate and infrastructure updates across Brooklyn. New developments are being proposed or underway in DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene, and Gowanus, and the borough is seeing a range of infrastructure advancements, from subway changes to a new boardwalk for Coney Island to floodwater systems in Prospect Park and Greenpoint. Read on for the latest updates shaping Brooklyn’s future.
Our new Events Calendar is here featuring convenient filters by category, location, ages, dates and more to make your Brooklyn social life as fun and meaningful as possible.
Have you checked out CONNECT – where families find what matters? Whether you are looking for a preschool, face painter, speech therapist, writing tutor, camp, meal delivery service, child therapist or piano teacher, CONNECT is the one-stop solution for parents, easy to navigate and curated!
47-story mixed-use building slated for Cadman Plaza West
205 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, currently a 6-story office and commercial building, will become a 47-story mixed-use development with 136 residential units. Located on Cadman Plaza West, the building is across the street from Brooklyn Borough Hall. The site was purchased by a Manhattan developer for $140 million.
Historic trolley powerhouse in Willowtown to be converted into condos
38-44 State Street, in the Willowtown section of Brooklyn Heights, is being converted into condos. The former parking garage, with an Art Deco facade, was once a trolley powerhouse. The proposal will convert the one-story building into a five-story condo building with 5 units. The yellow brick facade will be preserved, with the condo set back behind it, and topped with rooftop terraces.
Mixed-use development proposed for former Jehovah’s Witnesses headquarters in DUMBO
The LA-based CIM Group is proposing the Panorama complex at 25-30 Columbia Heights, on the border of DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights, into a residential development. Currently an office building, the building is the former world headquarters for The Jehovah’s Witnesses. If approved, the 627,000-square-foot development would bring hundreds of new apartment units to the Brooklyn waterfront.
Construction wraps up on Fulton Street tower in Downtown Brooklyn
Construction is now wrapping up at The Brook, a 601-foot-tall tower at 567 Fulton Street. The 51-story residential tower has 591 apartment units, 178 of them designated as affordable housing. The Brook is bordered by DeKalb Avenue, Fulton Street, Flatbush Avenue Extension, and Bond Street. The highest floor has a huge rooftop terrace with views of the city skyline. There is also an outdoor swimming pool, an indoor basketball court, a game room, and a coworking lounge. Occupancy began in November, and all construction should be finished in early 2026.
Excavation begins at 95 Rockwell Place in Fort Greene
Developers have begun excavation at 95 Rockwell Place, located between Lafayette Avenue and Fulton Street. When finished, the tower will 489 feet tall, with 38 stories and 158 units. At the ground level, there will be 32,568 square feet of commercial space and a cellar level. The former property was a 5-story building that has now been demolished. Foundation work on the tower will begin this winter, and completion is expect in Summer 2027.
New Life Time athletic club will open in Gowanus
The athletic club Life Time has announced another Brooklyn location on the Gowanus waterfront. Still in development, 175 Third Street will be the largest building in Gowanus when it is finished. The new Life Time Club will occupy 85,000 square feet, with year-round rooftop hot and cold pools, saunas, and a bar. Indoors, it will have a co-ed wet suite with sauna, steam, red-light and infrared therapies. There will also be pickleball, coworking lounge spaces, and a Kids Academy with supervised childcare for 3 months and up. The club is slated to open in 2028.
Union Market and more retailers coming to massive Gowanus development
The Brooklyn grocer Union Market has a signed a lease for a 10,000-square-foot grocery store at 499 President in Gowanus. Union Market carries speciality and organic groceries, with six locations across Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan. The mixed-use development at 499 President is slated to become a neighborhood hub, with other retail tenants including Italian cafe Corto, Spear Physical Therapy, pizzeria Paulie Gee’s, and Royal Palms Shuffleboard. The mixed-use building includes 350 rental units.
Upgrades in Brooklyn Heights: new elevators at Borough Hall, renovations at Clark St. subway station, and street resurfacing nearing completion
Three new elevators are now in use at Brooklyn’s Borough Hall, making the station fully ADA accessible. One elevator goes from the street to the mezzanine, and two elevators go down to the platform. At Clark Street, the MTA has finished a series of renovations, including painting and priming, replacing missing tiles, installing lighting, and repairing a water line. And recent milling and resurfacing of roads in the neighborhood, including on Cranberry Street and Henry Street, is nearing completion.
New Lower School for Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn Heights
A new hub for Packer’s Lower School, called the Garden House, was recently completed by WXY Studio in Brooklyn Heights. The renovation transformed an 1869 brownstone into a 17,250-square-foot, four-level building, New York City’s first mass timber school building. The building has a wood structure and brick façade made of 100% recycled clay, as well as two green roofs.
NY Times spotlights stalled redevelopment of BQE’s Triple Cantilever in Brooklyn Heights
The newspaper recently examined the crumbling Triple Cantilever in Brooklyn Heights, which city officials have failed to redevelop over the years despite many proposals. Recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation let the clock run out on a $4 billion plan for the deteriorating section of highway. The Adams administration had been pushing to finalize a redesign before Zohran Mamdani takes office, but local officials and community groups—long critical of the plan’s transparency and scope—welcomed the pause. Read the Times’ full article here.
Coney Island Boardwalk to get $1 billion makeover
The city has allocated $1 billion to completely rebuild the 3-mile-long Coney Island Boardwalk. The work will happen in phases, and there is no planned design as of yet, but a new boardwalk could be unveiled within a decade. The new boardwalk will be 80 feet wider, with more ramps and accessibility upgrades. The project will also include a renovation of the NYC Parks buildings, including lifeguard stations and public restrooms. The new structure will also be built to withstand storm waters.
Metrocard to be phased out in the new year, plus new subway fares in 2026
It’s time to say goodbye to the MetroCard, which will be phased out on December 31, 2025, after 31 years in use. The New York Transit Museum’s exhibit FAREwell, MetroCard will celebrate the history of the fare card, and will open to the public December 17. With the MetroCard’s retirement, the MTA will roll out new fares starting January 4, 2026. The base fare will rise from $2.90 to $3. Single Ride tickets will increase $3.25 to $3.50. See all changes to fares here.
Planning of Interborough Express (IBX) is underway
The Interborough Express (IBX), which will connect underserved areas of Brooklyn and Queens, is currently in the engineering and design phase, and could transform Brooklyn neighborhoods including Midwood, Borough Park, Sunset Park and Flatbush. 19 stations are being planned, across 14 miles of the two boroughs. The proposed line could move riders between Jackson Heights, Queens to Sunset Park, Brooklyn in just 32 minutes. Read more about the transformative $5.5 billion project here, which is anticipated to be completed in the 2030s.
New cultural venue by Public Records team is coming to Sunset Park’s MADE Bush Terminal
The team behind Public Records in Gowanus has partners with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to develop a 1,000-person music and arts venue at MADE Bush Terminal in Sunset Park, expected to open in late 2026. The venue will host live music, large-scale art installations, and more large-scale events. In addition to the venue, the project is planning for a new ferry landing and a 5-acre waterfront park by the pier.
Prospect Park’s Bluebelt system will protect against Brooklyn flooding
$68 million has been allocated by the city to build Brooklyn’s first Bluebelt system in Prospect Park, which would use the park’s natural landscape to protect against flooding. The project intends to enhance the park’s lake and wetlands to manage rainfall and flooding, protecting the park and surrounding neighborhoods from stormwater flooding. This announcement comes with a $20 million lakeshore restoration already underway in the park. Design will begin now, with construction slated for 2029.
Gateway to Greenpoint project to create green space and prevent flooding
The City has broken ground on the $1.9 million Gateway to Greenpoint project next to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Facility in North Brooklyn. The site will be transformed into a community plaza with trees, plants, and seating, with chambers underground that can capture nearly one million gallons of stormwater a year, helping reduce flooding and keeping pollution out of Newtown Creek. Construction will finish in Fall 2026.
Do you want all local parenting news in your inbox? Sign-up for our weekly newsletter now!
Updated: December 16, 2025.
