{"id":63499,"date":"2025-12-07T19:27:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T19:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/63499\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T19:27:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T19:27:05","slug":"light-rail-to-unlock-college-town-charm-and-buzzing-retail-opportunities-in-brooklyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/63499\/","title":{"rendered":"Light rail to unlock college town charm and buzzing retail opportunities in Brooklyn"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/brooklyn-college-lennon-120625.jpg\" class=\"crop-center wp-post-image\" alt=\"a building with historic architecture during the day\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"   title=\"IBX Stop by Stop: Light rail to unlock college town charm and buzzing retail opportunities in Brooklyn 1\"\/>\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Brooklyn College, which is located near a planned IBX stop. <\/p>\n<p>Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon<\/p>\n<p>amNewYork\u2019s ride on the planned IBX is still deep into Brooklyn, with the next stop letting us off in a community that thrives with diverse culture, academics, shopping and more to enjoy in Flatbush and Midwood.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The proposed stop for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mta.info\/project\/interborough-express\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">IBX (formally called the Interborough Express)<\/a> in Flatbush would link to the 2 and 5 trains at Flatbush Ave-Nostrand Ave., a major transit center flanked by Brooklyn College, a retail corridor that attracts shoppers from around the borough, and housing that ranges from multi-story apartment buildings to eye-catching Victorian houses that sit on tree-lined streets.<\/p>\n<p>The MTA is still deciding on the exact location for many of the 19 planned stops for the IBX, but Flatbush Ave.-Nostrand Ave. is the likely spot for Flatbush. The total estimated cost of the IBX project is $5.5 billion, with about half of the total funding for the project secured in the MTA\u2019s 2025-2029 capital plan.<\/p>\n<p>While the IBX is still in its early phases, the MTA celebrated two milestones for the project this year, including its entry into the design phase on July 30, followed by the start of environmental reviews on Oct. 15.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe IBX project will finally give Brooklyn and Queens the fast, reliable transit connection they deserve, and we\u2019re ready to complete it faster, better and cheaper,\u201d said Jamie Torres-Springer, MTA\u2019s construction and development president. \u201cWe look forward to putting shovels in the ground on this transformational project and sharing our ideas with customers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gems of Flatbush<\/p>\n<p>The IBX promises a commute through Brooklyn and Queens that will take around 33 minutes, the MTA maintains. If the agency builds a stop at Flatbush Ave.-Nostrand Ave., passengers will have a smooth ride to work, home, and school, as well as shopping and dining options.<\/p>\n<p>Among the notable points of interest in Flatbush:\n<\/p>\n<p>Brooklyn College<\/p>\n<p>With a sprawling, 35-acre campus set in both Flatbush and Midwood, Brooklyn College is located just blocks from the 2 and 5 trains. In U.S. News &amp; World Report\u2019s 2026 edition of Best Colleges, this campus of the City University of New York is ranked #38 in Regional Universities North.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-137815719\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/brooklyn-college-lennon-120625_c9f76a.jpg\" alt=\"ouside of a college during the day, locted near a planned IBX stop\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" title=\"IBX Stop by Stop: Light rail to unlock college town charm and buzzing retail opportunities in Brooklyn 2\"  \/>Entranceway of Brooklyn College, part of the City University of New York.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon<\/p>\n<p>amNewYork encountered a man walking by the school on a recent weekend. He had not heard about the IBX, but said the idea of a train connecting Brooklyn and Queens would \u201creally help\u201d his commute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI travel, like, almost everyday from the subway. As a student, this will really help,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n<p>Retail shopping<\/p>\n<p>Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues are packed with both big-box and small shops that make it worth a subway or IBX ride. According to the Flabush Junction BID, around 350,000 people live within a 1.5-mile radius of the intersection that spend around $3 billion a year on goods and services. The popular commercial corridor is home to stores and restaurants including Target, Applebee\u2019s, Foot Locker and Aldi.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-137815720\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/shopping-center-lennon-120625.jpg\" alt=\"people crossing a busy intersection in Brooklyn\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" title=\"IBX Stop by Stop: Light rail to unlock college town charm and buzzing retail opportunities in Brooklyn 3\"  \/>A busy retail center located near a planned IBX stop in Flatbush.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon<\/p>\n<p>Located where three major thoroughfares converge \u2014 Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues and Avenue H \u2014 the shopping sits at a transfer point for 2 and 5 trains, seven bus lines and, as the MTA would have it, the IBX.<\/p>\n<p>Victorian homes of Midwood<\/p>\n<p>Midwood, a beautiful neighborhood dotted with large single-family, historic homes, is near the planned Flatbush stop.\u00a0<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-137815721\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/midwood-homes-lennon-120625.jpg\" alt=\"a row of houses on a tree-lined street in Brooklyn\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" title=\"IBX Stop by Stop: Light rail to unlock college town charm and buzzing retail opportunities in Brooklyn 4\"  \/>Houses in Midwood located near Brooklyn College.Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon\n<\/p>\n<p>MTA responds to New Yorkers\u2019 concerns<\/p>\n<p>Many outer-borough residents are looking forward to the arrival of the IBX, which the MTA has said will revolutionize transit across Brooklyn and Queens. However, many New Yorkers have also expressed significant concerns about the massive, multi-billion-dollar project.<\/p>\n<p>Queens residents have shed light during community meetings on the potential disruptions of construction noise and vibration, the possibility of the MTA implementing eminent domain in some areas along the route, and the risk of losing neighborhood character.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Christina Wilkinson, secretary of the Juniper Park Civic Association in Queens, discussed the impact of construction on neighborhoods along the route during the December meeting of Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET). She said even if the MTA eliminated some planned stops for the train, the impact would still be widespread<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you say, \u2018let\u2019s compromise and tell them to skip Grand Avenue,\u2019 you\u2019re still doing with all of this construction, which, if it does move forward, is going to be devastating,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t see how there isn\u2019t widespread condemnation of property and nonstop construction for how many years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Janno Lieber, MTA chair and CEO, said at an unrelated press conference on Dec. 1 that \u201cthe project is well underway.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe understand there will always be people who have different views, and we\u2019re going to hear them out,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the project is well underway, and the governor is leading the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Previous IBX Stop by Stop stories<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/news\/ibx-light-rail-hub-jackson-heights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Exploring the future light rail line\u2019s northern hub of Jackson Heights, a melting pot of flavors and traditions<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/news\/queens-stops-on-the-ibx-maspeth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Maspeth has small-town charm in America\u2019s most crowded city<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/nyc-transit\/ibx-rolls-through-middle-village-in-queens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The proposed light rail rolls through Middle Village near a \u2018crown jewel\u2019 of Queens parks<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/nyc-transit\/ibx-stop-by-stop-middle-village-nyc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">NYC\u2019s proposed light rail to roll under hallowed ground in Middle Village<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/nyc-transit\/ibx-light-rail-stop-glendale-queens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Light rail would bring New Yorkers into trendy Glendale and Ridgewood<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/news\/mta-ibx-interborough-express-bushwick\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">A ride through Bushwick, an oasis of art, quirky bars, community spaces and a hipster vibe<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/nyc-transit\/ibx-stop-by-stop-east-new-york\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">East New York could be in for real estate boom when light rail line arrives at Atlantic Avenue<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/nyc-transit\/ibx-stop-brooklyn-sutter-avenue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Proposed light rail brings New Yorkers into historic East New York at Sutter Avenue<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/news\/ibx-train-brooklyn-queens-brownsville\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">East New York, Brownsville poised for more housing, shops and transit as plans for 14-mile light-rail continue<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/nyc-transit\/ibx-stop-by-stop-linden-blvd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Light rail to bring new opportunities to Southeast Brooklyn and with Linden Blvd. stop<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/nyc-transit\/mta-ibx-light-rail-train-canarsie-brooklyn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Light-rail\u2019s Canarsie stop ushers in new era for transit-starved neighborhood<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amny.com\/nyc-transit\/ibx-stop-by-stop-utica-avenue-brooklyn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">MTA\u2019s planned light rail is a short ride to a shopper\u2019s paradise near Brooklyn\u2019s Utica Avenue\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brooklyn College, which is located near a planned IBX stop. Photo by Barbara Russo-Lennon amNewYork\u2019s ride on the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,6373,100,99,4803,3934,3935,6633,141,9,24,63,122,142],"class_list":{"0":"post-63499","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-brooklyn","9":"tag-brooklyn-college","10":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","11":"tag-brooklyn-news","12":"tag-ibx","13":"tag-interborough-express-light-rail","14":"tag-jamie-torres-springer","15":"tag-midwood","16":"tag-mta","17":"tag-new-york","18":"tag-new-york-city","19":"tag-nyc","20":"tag-queens","21":"tag-transit"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}