Brooklyn’s biggest stories this week: Record-breaking NYC Half, two Oscars for a Prospect Heights songwriter, the 51st St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Tom Brady’s surprise school visit and new sports card store, a $37.5 million Prospect Park groundbreaking, 15 mph school slow zones, SeltzerFest sold out, Lidl in Crown Heights, and more trouble for Dumbo Heights. Read on for the latest!
Events & Entertainment
Park Slope Went Green
The 51st Annual Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day Parade returned to Park Slope on Sunday, March 15. The parade — led by Grand Marshal and PIX11 reporter Magee Hickey — started at Bartel-Pritchard Square and marched down 15th Street to Seventh Avenue with bands, Irish dancers, antique cars, and face painting for kids. The annual Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade followed on Saturday, March 22. If you missed the fun, no worries: the Gerritsen Beach parade is coming up on March 28.
30,000 Runners, One Bridge, One New Record
The United Airlines NYC Half on Sunday, March 15 set a record as the largest half marathon in New York Road Runners history, with 30,229 finishers crossing the line. Kenya’s Hellen Obiri won the women’s open division in a course-record 1:06:33, smashing the old mark by 30 seconds. South Africa’s Adriaan Wildschutt took the men’s title in 59:30 in his NYRR debut. The pro field included 26 Olympians and Paralympians. Among the 30,000-plus finishers: Broadway stage manager Brandon Allmon-Jackson, who ran while undergoing chemotherapy for stage 4 colon cancer, and Safiatu Diagana, a Queens-based first-time half marathoner who ran while fasting for Ramadan.
Brooklyn’s Own Took Home Two Oscars
Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15. Songwriter Kim “Ejae” Eun-jae, a Prospect Heights resident and the singing voice of Rumi, the film’s main character, delivered an emotional acceptance speech for the hit song “Golden,” which became the first K-pop track to win an Oscar. “Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop,” she said. “But now everyone’s singing our song.”
SeltzerFest Sold Out (Again)
The second annual Brooklyn SeltzerFest took over Industry City on Sunday, drawing a sold-out crowd for a full day of fizzy nostalgia. Hosted by the Brooklyn Seltzer Museum — which operates out of the borough’s last classic seltzer factory — the festival featured seltzer tastings from around the world, live klezmer music, comedy from Jackie Hoffman and Anna Roisman, and the Third National Egg Cream Invitational. Topo Chico won the People’s Choice Award for Fan Favorite Seltzer; upstart brand Seltzie took Best Seltzer from the judges’ panel. BBP’s own Corey was on the scene.
Schools & Safety
15 MPH Slow Zones Coming to 800 Schools
Mayor Mamdani announced on Monday that the city will reduce speed limits to 15 mph outside more than 800 schools this year, the largest expansion of Sammy’s Law to date. The law, named for 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein who was killed by a speeding driver in Brooklyn in 2013, gives the city authority to lower speed limits on individual streets. About 500 schools already have 15 mph zones; by year’s end, the total will hit 1,300, with every eligible school location covered by the end of Mamdani’s first term. In neighborhoods where speeds were previously lowered to 20 mph, vehicle crashes dropped 14% and car-related injuries fell 31%.
Real Estate & Development
Prospect Park Breaks Ground on $37.5 Million Restoration
City officials broke ground Monday on the restoration of the Vale, an eight-acre stretch in Prospect Park’s northeast corner that hasn’t been touched in more than 50 years. The $37.5 million project — the single largest capital investment in the park since Lakeside — will restore the historic Children’s Pool, transform a former rose garden into a pollinator meadow and nature exploration area, and add a small pavilion with composting restrooms. The design came out of years of community input, with more than 2,000 residents weighing in. Completion is expected in 2027.
Kushner and RFR’s Dumbo Headache Returns
The Kushner-RFR four-building office portfolio in Dumbo Heights landed back in special servicing this week, Crain’s reported. The landlords are staring down a $480 million mortgage and associated debt due in six months. Vacancy at the complex — which includes 117 Adams Street, 55 Prospect Street, 81 Prospect Street, and 77 Sands Street — has nearly doubled in the past year. The two firms narrowly avoided disaster in 2024 with a last-minute refinancing, but the buildings’ declining occupancy and the looming debt suggest another white-knuckle stretch ahead.
The Hotel Bossert Is Finally Waking Up
After more than a decade of broken promises, the Hotel Bossert at 98 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights is finally under renovation. SomeraRoad, which bought the building for $100 million last year, began replacing the old scaffolding this week so that facade repairs can start. The 1909 landmark — once known as the “Waldorf-Astoria of Brooklyn” and the site of the Dodgers’ 1955 World Series celebration — will be converted into 60 to 70 condominiums. Interior demolition begins in April or May, with exterior restoration later this year. A new restaurant is planned for the ground floor, with SomeraRoad reportedly in talks with “very accomplished restaurateurs.” Montague Street hasn’t had this much to look forward to in a long time.
Transit
Park Slope’s 7th Avenue Station Nears Finish Line
The 7th Avenue F/G station in Park Slope — which became fully accessible in 2023 after years of community advocacy and the installation of three new elevators — is nearing the end of a broader overhaul as part of a $700 million MTA initiative. Remaining work includes reconstructed platforms, a new canopy, and improved lighting, with the full project expected to wrap up this spring.
Openings
Tom Brady Surprised Downtown Brooklyn Students
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady paid a surprise visit to Prospect Schools’ Downtown Campus this week, talking with 5th and 6th graders about sports and collecting before tossing out footballs and trading card packs. The visit marked the grand opening of CardVault by Tom Brady at 80 Flatbush Avenue, just steps from Barclays Center. It’s the chain’s 13th U.S. location and second in New York City, stocking brands like Topps, Panini, and Pokémon. The first 25 customers received a branded hat, and one fan won a mini helmet signed by Eli Manning.
Crown Heights Gets a Lidl
Lidl opened its doors at 1730 Bedford Avenue in Crown Heights on Wednesday, March 18, bringing a 33,000-square-foot discount grocery store to a corner that residents have long called a food desert. The German chain’s ribbon cutting was at 7:40 AM, with the first 100 customers scoring gift cards worth $5 to $100. The store is part of a new mixed-use complex at Bedford and Empire Boulevard that also includes 57 apartments — more groceries and more housing on the same block.
Sports
Brooklyn FC’s First Home Game
Brooklyn FC hosted Hartford Athletic at Maimonides Park on Saturday, March 21 at 7 PM in the club’s first-ever home match. The team entered riding high after their inaugural win on March 8 — a 1–0 victory over Indy Eleven, with Juan Carlos Obregón Jr. scoring the first goal in franchise history.
On the Court
It was a building week for the Nets at Barclays. Brooklyn fell to Portland 95–114 on Monday, then hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday for Women’s Impact Night, losing 92–121. The Nets close out the week Friday with a rivalry matchup against the Knicks at 7:30 PM — always a charged atmosphere at Barclays, and a good chance to turn things around heading into next week’s West Coast road trip.
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