There’s a coffee shop in East New York, Brooklyn, that does more than sell lattes, cappuccinos and smoothies. With cozy furniture, friendly staff and a relaxed vibe, Bklyn Blend, located a short walk from the next stop on the planned IBX train, marks a sliver of change for a mostly industrial, but working-class and historic section of NYC.
Bklyn Blend was buzzing with customers on a recent Thursday night. They were ordering hot mochas, juices and other delicious beverages, some sitting at tables as R&B tunes belted through the sound system.
Others took drinks and bags of eats to go.
“I got a mocha,” one man said as he rushed out the door. “It’s great.”
It’s been said that new, quaint coffee shops are indicative of a neighborhood’s renaissance. This might be true of Bklyn Blends in East New York, which opened in 2020, and stands out among a radius of blocks with no cafe and minimal sit-down dining restaurants in sight.
The Livonia Avenue station, where the IBX is expected to stop, is located just four blocks west of Bklyn Blend. It is one of three IBX stops poised for the East New York area. The other two stations are Atlantic Avenue and Sutter Avenue.
Also poised for East New York is more housing, as noted by the many high-density apartment buildings that have sprouted in the area over recent years. More housing can mean more business for Bklyn Blend and other local shops. A train like the IBX can mean more ways to get around.
The MTA has said the IBX will be a game-changer for both longtime residents and new arrivals to neighborhoods along the line. Environmental reviews will begin on Oct. 29, marking another significant milestone in the MTA’s construction of the light rail this year.
The MTA announced a board-approved design contract on July 31.
The 14-mile train is planned to connect Jackson Heights in Queens to the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Bay Ridge. Unlike almost all other MTA trains, the IBX will not go through Manhattan, providing a direct link between the two boroughs and offering a quick ride of no more than 40 minutes, stem to stern.
“A complete change of mobility and access for so many people,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said at a recent board meeting. “This is a huge deal. The IBX is going to change people’s lives and folks are understandably psyched about it.”
But others are skeptical, including Boris Santos, president of the East New York Community Land Trust, an organization that works to ensure housing in the neighborhood stays affordable for families.
Santos is concerned about East New York becoming gentrified to the point of driving longtime residents out of their homes, whether they rent or own real estate — something he has seen happen in his hometown of Williamsburg.
“We don’t want history repeating itself, especially in a place that is mostly Black and Brown,” Santos said. “Even my neighborhood, Williamsburg, where I was born and raised, we’ve seen so much displacement from real estate policies and action.”
Many people who were displaced from Williamsburg during its gentrification period in the early 2000s moved to East New York because it was affordable, and some even moved out of New York, Santos explained.
“Most of them went eastward to East New York because it is more affordable. Our rents are still lower and we have a good stock of affordable housing,” he said. “Or they moved to Pennsylvania and bought a house at a more affordable value.”
When possible, some former New Yorkers who moved out of state commute back to the city for work. Keeping employment opportunities in industrial parts of East New York is important to Santos’ organization, too.
“Another concern, beyond the real estate values going up, is the industrial business zone being protected,” he said. “The biggest source of commuting is people’s work. And an industrial business zone is a source of employment. It’s where industry is supposed to live.”
Meanwhile, residential buildings continue to get built and bought throughout East New York, both nearby and far from the proposed IBX stations.
In April, applications opened for Atlantic Chestnut Phase 2 affordable housing on Euclid Avenue. Rents here range from $454 to $2,949.
Camber Property Group, a company that owns mixed-income properties in NYC, bought the Linden Plaza apartment complex in East New York for nearly $1 billion, the Commercial Observer reported in January.
Businesses are popping up as others leave
New local businesses, like Bklyn Blend, are popping up, but slower than housing is. At the same time, some longtime East New York businesses are leaving.
White Castle, which has been frying up burgers in the neighborhood since 1958, is set to be demolished this year. According to an article on the website, East New York, permits were filed for two eight-story mixed-use buildings on the Atlantic Avenue site.
Meanwhile, the neighborhood’s Bklyn Blend is emerging as a new mainstay, offering a comforting and consistent presence amidst the rapid development of new housing in East New York. The IBX, if it continues on its construction path, will provide a smooth ride for anyone who wants to try a Bklyn Blend smoothie.
The next stop in our IBX: Stop by Stop series is Linden Blvd.
