Pineapple Plaza Vision

Pineapple Plaza — Unlocking a Missing Piece of South Brooklyn’s Waterfront

This underused dead end at 9100 Bay Parkway sits at one of the most strategic points on the Brooklyn waterfront where the Shore Parkway Greenway, Caesar’s Bay Shopping Center, and Bay Parkway meet. Today, it is little more than asphalt and a dead end. But its waterfront views, direct greenway access, and proximity to a major retail hub reveal exceptional potential for a safe, active, and community serving public space.

Barren Plaza: Untapped Potential

 

Seen from above, the plaza footprint becomes unmistakable: a large, uninterrupted space positioned perfectly to complete a 26 mile regional greenway link.
Its size, geometry, and adjacency to a 1,200 space parking lot make it uniquely suited for transformation without disrupting commercial access. The site is the “missing link” that can finally bridge the Belt Parkway barrier and reconnect South Brooklyn to its waterfront.

Aerial View: A Square Footage Opportunity Hidden in Plain Sight

 

From Asphalt to Activation

When Pineapple Ride activated the space bringing kids’ activities, a bike repair station, free coffee, an FDNY safety tent, and Bike New York learn to ride classes the plaza transformed instantly.

Pop-Up Activation: Proof of Concept in Action

 

Families stayed. Kids played. Cyclists repaired their bikes. Neighbors gathered. City agencies used the space for community outreach.
This pilot demonstrated what data across NYC already shows: when you give people a safe, welcoming place to be, they show up. They participate. They support nearby businesses.

The Vision Ahead

Future Plaza Rendering: A Permanent, Community Stewarded Waterfront Hub

The proposed design replaces the dead end asphalt with a permanent plaza anchored by repurposed shipping container structures:

  • A bike repair and maintenance station operated by Pineapple Ride’s mechanics

  • A neighborhood café designed to invite dwell time and support plaza operations

  • A flexible community space for safety classes, events, performances, and seasonal programming

  • Green infrastructure to reduce heat, improve air quality, and beautify the shoreline

The result is a safe, climate resilient, economically beneficial public plaza that strengthens the local retail district, completes long promised greenway infrastructure, and delivers much needed open space to an underserved community.

A Ready, Proven, Community Led Opportunity

Pineapple Plaza is not hypothetical, it’s a continuation of the work already happening on this exact asphalt. We have:
• The local roots
• The operational model
• The community partners
• The demonstrated demand
• The pathway through DOT’s Plaza Program

What we need now is support from city officials, foundations, and private partners to bring this vision to life.

Pineapple Plaza will transform a forgotten corner of South Brooklyn into a welcoming, resilient, and vibrant civic destination.

Explore Our Previous Plaza Activations

See how the community has already come alive at Pineapple Plaza through our pilot events and summer activations: