“A lovely thing to have for everybody.”

Midwood residents and community groups are working to get a part of East 15th Street between Elm Avenue and Avenue M turned into a pedestrian plaza.  There’s a tiny amount of media-generated “controversy” surrounding the idea, but thankfully the Midwood Development Coroporation has smart people like Lori Raphael speaking on its behalf.

“It is an old-fashioned notion to leave a street open without space for people and say, ‘Oh, we’re protecting seniors.’ ” said Lori Raphael, a Midwood resident and member of the Midwood Development Corporation’s board. “These plazas are orderly and an amenity and they are a lovely thing to have for everybody.”

Community Board 14 has a hearing about the plaza scheduled for April 4th before the full board votes on April 16th. If you live or work in the area, please attend.  All meetings and hearings are open to the public.