Spring Creek Brooklyn

Early settlement

Prior to European colonization, the area now known as Spring Creek was characterized by salt marshes and several creeks that drained into Jamaica Bay. The creek from which the neighborhood derives its name flowed northward, reaching as far as Atlantic Avenue and Eldert Lane, near Highland Park and Forest Park, serving as the border between Brooklyn and Queens. The northern shores of Jamaica Bay were inhabited by Native American groups such as the Jameco, Canarsee, and Rockaway tribes.

In the 1650s, Dutch colonists began settling in the eastern sections of Brooklyn, establishing the towns of Flatbush and New Lots, the latter being the precursor to East New York. Subsequently, in 1664, the area, along with the entirety of Brooklyn and modern-day New York City, was ceded to the British Empire.

The initial development in the Spring Creek vicinity occurred in the 1890s with the establishment of a 30-acre farm by the Cozine family. This farm, located at the present-day intersection of Elton Street and Vandalia Avenue, featured a house and stable, likely serving as the namesake for Cozine Avenue.

Early development

Beginning in the 1920s, the city embarked on plans to develop a substantial ship and rail terminal along Jamaica Bay, particularly focusing on the Paerdegat Basin area in nearby Canarsie. This initiative aimed to alleviate port operations in the greater New York Harbor. The proposed project included the construction of new rail facilities to connect with the Long Island Rail Road, New York Connecting Railroad, and a suggested rail tunnel to Staten Island.

Around this period, a street grid was mapped out in Spring Creek, although most of the streets had not yet been constructed. In 1930, Robert Moses proposed the establishment of Spring Creek Park and the Shore Parkway segment of the Belt Parkway, alongside several other parks and highways. Land acquisition for these projects, situated along Jamaica Bay in the area, was carried out via eminent domain in 1938. Subsequently, Shore Parkway was inaugurated in 1940, featuring an interchange at the southern terminus of Pennsylvania Avenue. This effectively halted the proposed Jamaica Bay seaport initiative.

Later plans by Robert Moses in the 1950s envisioned an extension of Spring Creek Park to Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, Queens. This expansion would have incorporated a new beach and boat basin into the park’s amenities.

Urban renewal and development

In 1967, the region south of Flatlands Avenue, between Schenck and Fountain Avenues, situated on the peninsula between Hendrix and Spring Creeks, was designated as the Fresh Creek Urban Renewal Area (FCURA). As part of this designation, the remaining 19th-century buildings in this vicinity were demolished. A significant development project was proposed that year, outlining plans for a state mental health facility, several intermediate schools, a high school, a community college, a shopping center, a branch library, an expansion of Spring Creek Park, and the construction of several thousand housing units, including 8,000 middle-income condominium-style units.

In preparation for this development, in 1968, as part of the city’s Program for Action, proposals were made to extend the IRT New Lots Line and the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway to the Spring Creek area. Specifically, the New Lots Line extension was planned to stretch to Flatlands Avenue near Elton and Linwood Streets. However, these extensions were canceled in the mid-1970s, primarily due to the city’s fiscal crisis at that time.

Under the 1967 FCURA plan, the Brooklyn Developmental Center, a mental health facility, was opened in 1973, followed by the opening of the Starrett City apartment complex in 1974. Additionally, the Spring Creek branch of the Brooklyn Public Library commenced operations in the summer of 1977. The area officially received the name Spring Creek in 1973, designated by Brooklyn borough president Sebastian Leone.

In early 2007, plans were put forward for the second phase of the Gateway Estates project, known as Gateway Estates II. This phase involved a significant expansion of the Gateway Center, adding 605,000 square feet (56,200 m2) to its footprint. Additionally, the proposal included the construction of 2,385 additional affordable housing units and the development of a new public school facility.

The school facility, named Spring Creek Educational Campus, was completed and opened its doors to students in the fall of 2012. Subsequently, Gateway Center II began its opening in stages, with the initial stages commencing in late 2014.

In the northeastern sector of the region, situated east of Fountain Avenue and south of Linden Boulevard, lies the former Plunders Neck zone, hosting a variety of industrial and commercial edifices. Notably, at 803 Forbell Street, once stood the South Shore Incinerator, alternatively referred to as the Forbell Street Incinerator, which operated from 1954 until the 1980s. Additional constructions in this vicinity comprise: