Williamsburg’s Moore Street Market and the Brooklyn Heights Association are set to each receive $400,000 for capital improvements under an appropriations bill Congress passed this week.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D−Brooklyn), who secured the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T−HUD) Appropriations, said both projects would help their communities promote commerce for small businesses and tourism. The bill passed Congress 256−168 and awaits approval in the Senate.
“I am pleased to support projects that improve our neighborhoods for the benefit of residents, business owners and visitors. By fixing up a Brooklyn marketplace and beautifying a historic neighborhood, we can help small businesses succeed and draw new consumers to the area,” said VelÁzquez.
The Moore Street Market (110 Moore Street), also known as “La Marqueta,” has been threatened with closure for the past two years. In 2007, Velazquez brought in $250,000 in federal funding to develop a long−term plan for the market’s vendors. Earlier this year, the vendors signed a five−year lease with the New York City Economic Development Corporation to ensure their viability.
The market features several stalls of vendors of Mexican and Central American food products as well as a cafeteria serving empanadas and other treats, and has long served as a destination for foodie tourists looking for authentic Spanish cuisine in the heart of Williamsburg.
The new funding will be used primarily for capital improvements such as creating new stalls for vendors, constructing a shared commercial kitchen, building a large community meeting space, and making the one−story building more energy efficient.
“La Marqueta is an asset to the neighborhood, providing a place for the community to gather, shop and discover authentic cultural experiences. I will remain a partner of the hardworking entrepreneurs who have made the market an economic engine for the neighborhood and employ dozens of workers,” said VelÁzquez.
The Brooklyn Heights Association (55 Pierrepont Street) also received funding for capital improvements. Designated as a historic district in 1965, Brooklyn Heights features hundreds of landmarked homes, many of which predate the Civil War.
The BHA, which strongly lobbies public officials to limit building heights on the perimeter of the neighborhood, particularly the Dock Street Development, will use the new funding to replace the aluminum pole lighting as well as cast−iron “Bishop’s Crook” and “M−Pole” street lights from the 20th century with original reproductions.
