Borough President Reynoso Proposes 200 Ways to Improve Brooklyn

By Yehudit Garmaise

After claiming that Mayor Eric Adams does not have a clear and comprehensive plan to improve each borough, Borough President Antonio Reynoso released his own 201-page document that lays out his ambitious plan for Brooklyn. 

With 2.7 million people living in Brooklyn, with neighborhoods spanning the range from rich to poor and back again, first-term Brooklyn President Reynoso aims to bridge the gaps that exist throughout the City's most populous borough.

Included in Reynoso's vision, which includes 200 recommendations, are changes to zoning that could facilitate more affordable multi-family housing construction, support for creating a light rail that runs between Brooklyn and Queens, and many measures that could address healthcare inequities in the borough.

Among his plans to address varying health resources borough-wide, Reynoso wants to ensure that all Brooklynites live within a half-mile of a "quality health care facility" and build new affordable housing developments in areas where construction hasn't kept pace with population growth.

Other projects that could contribute to the health of Brooklyn residents are uniform access to parks, the expansion of green spaces, the reduction of congestion, increased trees to counteract air pollution, and improved street safety.

Even Brooklynites' widely varying life expectancy is a task that Reynoso wants to tackle.

In April, the City's Health Department released its Annual Summary of Vital Statistics, revealing that the average life expectancy of Boro Parkers, known for community connection, ranks among the highest in the City at a hale and healthy 84.7 years, while residents of Brownsville showed the lowest average life expectancy at 75.6 years. According to the Health Department's report, residents in Park Slope and Carroll Gardens have a life expectancy of 82.9 years.

After pushing as a City council member for New York City to adopt a comprehensive plan used in most major cities to guide development, now as borough president, Reynoso claims his plan can rectify longstanding inequities in Brooklyn.

"For me, [my plan is] like a blueprint," Reynoso said. "You wouldn't build a house without a blueprint."