Brooklyn’s biggest stories this week: A brand-new pre-K facility sits empty on Van Brunt Street while parents petition the city to open it, a penthouse in Williamsburg sets a new Brooklyn price record, 30,000 runners take over the borough for the NYC Half and Park Slope turns green for the 51st St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Plus: weather whiplash, gun violence updates and a swan that’s never been seen in New York City before. Read on for the latest!
Schools
A Brand-New Pre-K Cennter Sits Empty. Parents Want Answers.
A fully built-out pre-K facility at 42 President Street / 129 Van Brunt in the Columbia Street Waterfront District — designed to hold 135 seats for the neighborhood’s youngest learners — is sitting empty and locked, and local parents have had enough. Community member @jessiemro has launched a petition pressuring the city to open the facility, which was constructed and furnished but never activated. The Adams administration claimed there wasn’t enough demand; parents in the transit-starved Columbia Waterfront and Red Hook neighborhoods say that’s simply not true — they’re currently hauling toddlers through rain and snow to programs in distant communities because nothing closer exists. “Don’t make 2 and 3-year-olds travel more than they should for an education,” one commenter wrote, tagging Mayor Mamdani and Council Member Shahana Hanif. The situation echoes a pattern Mamdani has already acknowledged: in February, he opened a completed pre-K center on the Upper East Side that had been sitting empty for seven months, telling reporters, “we are righting that wrong.” Parents on Van Brunt Street are asking him to right this one too. Sign the petition here.
Petition for Expanded 3K & Pre-K Early Education in Greenpoint
A Greenpoint mom who is passionate about making sure our community has access to early education opportunities like 3K has launched a petition for more seats in the Greenpoint area. Greenpoint has experienced a significant increase in young families over the past several years, yet the number of available 3K seats has not kept pace with that growth. Many parents face uncertainty, long waitlists, or the possibility of sending their children far outside the neighborhood to access early education programs. Sign the petition here.
More Seats, Fewer Waitlists
On the heels of the 2-K launch, Mayor Mamdani announced over 1,000 new 3-K seats across 56 ZIP codes in all five boroughs, pushing the citywide total past 40,000. Eight Brooklyn ZIP codes made the cut — including 11217 (Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Prospect Heights), 11238 (Crown Heights, Clinton Hill), and 11201 (DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, Cobble Hill). “For too long, families were promised universal 3-K but offered seats miles away,” Mamdani said, “forcing them to pay out of pocket for child care or leave the city.” Families who already applied don’t need to reapply; new programs will appear on MySchools, and applications can be updated through April 24. Between 2-K and 3-K, the Mamdani administration is now the most aggressive on early childhood since universal pre-K launched a decade ago — though whether Albany funds the next phase remains an open question heading into April 1 budget negotiations.
Events
The NYC Half Marathon
Expect Sunday, March 15, to be an action (and traffic) packed day. Events kick off at 7am, as more than 30,000 runners flood Brooklyn streets for the United Airlines NYC Half, the largest half-marathon in the U.S. The race starts at Prospect Park and runs over the Brooklyn Bridge and through Times Square, to finish in Central Park. Race-day forecast: 37°F and overcast, a jarring comedown from the 80°F that broke records just five days earlier. Street closures are extensive: Eastern Parkway (both service roads), Flatbush Avenue from Grand Army Plaza to Atlantic, Tillary, Adams, Jay, and Pearl Streets, plus BQE exit/entrance ramps near the Brooklyn Bridge. Smaller, adjuvant races include a separate Brooklyn St. Patrick’s 5K, 10K, and Half-Marathon launching at 9:30 AM from Bay Ridge’s American Veterans Memorial Pier.
The 51st Annual Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Also on Sunday, The 51st Annual Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns to Park Slope. Starting at 1:00 PM at Bartel-Pritchard Square (after Mass at Holy Name Parish), the parade runs down 15th Street to Seventh Avenue, then along Garfield Place and Prospect Park West before looping back to the square — expect marching bands, Irish dancers, antique cars, and face painting for kids. This year’s Grand Marshal is PIX11 reporter Magee Hickey. The parade (notably organized by women for the past decade) wraps with a post-parade party at 245 Prospect Park West, where a $50 corned beef dinner and live music run from 3:00 to 6:30 PM. Be mindful of neighborhood street closures starting as early as 9:00 AM. Next up: the Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 22 (Grand Marshal: Rev. Kevin P. Abels) and the Gerritsen Beach parade on March 28.
Police Blotter
It was a rough week for gun violence in Brooklyn. On Monday, March 9, a 30-year-old woman was shot in the leg on Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn — an innocent bystander caught in crossfire between two groups fighting on the sidewalk around 2 PM. She’s expected to recover; the gunman remains at large. Council Member Lincoln Restler called it a “scary incident” and pledged to push for steady NYPD presence. It was the first shooting in the 84th Precinct this year.
Elsewhere: A five-alarm warehouse fire destroyed three Sunset Park buildings on March 11, with 270 firefighters responding. And a suspect was arrested for a hate crime assault on a Jewish man on the N train. By the numbers: Brooklyn’s major felonies are down 5.6% year over year and murders have dropped 50% — but shootings are up 15%, and transit crime has jumped 61%.
Real Estate
$3,313 Per Square Foot. In Brooklyn.
A penthouse at One Domino Square in Williamsburg has sold for $7 million — $3,313 per square foot — setting a new Brooklyn record. Penthouse 3A, a three-bedroom with a private 1,000-square-foot rooftop terrace, was sold fully furnished by Irish designer Orior. The tower, built by Two Trees Management on the old Domino Sugar refinery site, is now 67% sold. For perspective: at that rate, the square footage under your toddler’s high chair costs roughly $30,000.
Nature
A Swan Nobody Expected
A lone trumpeter swan — never before recorded in New York City — appeared in the East River last week, sending local birders scrambling to call the Wisconsin-based Trumpeter Swan Society. “It is a very rare sighting,” executive director Margaret Smith told Hell Gate. “I’ve never received any reports of trumpeter swans in New York City.” Even better: the visitor has reportedly been spotted cozying up to a local mute swan. A cross-cultural romance, Brooklyn-style.
From Flip-Flops to Fleece in 48 Hours
Spring is in the air — which, for New York, means weather whiplash. Last Tuesday, March 10, Central Park hit 80°F, the earliest 80-degree day ever recorded in New York City history, beating a record that had stood since 1990. By Thursday, temperatures had crashed nearly 40 degrees into the low 40s, with rain, gusting winds, and a brief mix of snow — because March in Brooklyn giveth and March in Brooklyn taketh away. This week settles into something more seasonable: expect highs in the upper 40s to mid-50s, with a possible rain event around Tuesday the 17th and a gradual warming trend toward the weekend. The first official day of spring arrives Friday, March 20, with a high near 50°F — which, after last week, will feel practically tropical.
Restaurants and Stores
New Restaurant/Business Openings
- LeTish, Williamsburg (171 S. 4th St) — New family-owned all-day cafe. “Health-forward” Italian/Mediterranean. Soft-opened March 9, full menu by mid-March.
- The Peek Inn, Greenpoint (38 Driggs Ave) — From The Meat Hook team. Hot dogs and “beertinis.”
- Bark Barbecue, Bushwick — Expanding from Time Out Market stall to 8,000 sq ft standalone. Texas-style BBQ with Dominican flavors.
- Pies ‘n’ Thighs, Park Slope (224 Flatbush Ave) — Beloved Williamsburg restaurant’s second location, marking 20th anniversary.
- Bodega Nights, Bushwick (425 Troutman St) — Natural wines, Iberian and Brazilian dishes.
- Harlem Shake — Signing lease for first Brooklyn location.
- Second City comedy club, now open in Williamsburg (64 N. 9th St) — 12,000 sq ft, two theaters. Currently running “Forgive Me Father For I Have Grinned.”
Closings of Note
- Nicholas Brooklyn, Bed-Stuy — 52-year-old health and beauty store fighting to stay open amid rising costs. Community rallying.
- Brooklyn Games & Arcade (6120 4th Ave) — Closing March/April after operating since 2013.
Sports
Brooklyn FC made history on March 8 with a 1–0 victory over Indy Eleven in the club’s inaugural match — Juan Carlos Obregón Jr. scoring the first goal in franchise history.
