About BKCB18

Brooklyn CB18 represents the neighborhoods of Bergen Beach, Canarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Mill Island and Paerdegat Basin. From Nostrand Avenue to Louisana Avenue, Belt Parkway to the Long Island Rail Road, 193.5k people (2010 Census figure) choose to make our district their home.

The Community Board is the official municipal body whose primary mission is to advise elected officials and government agencies on matters affecting the good and welfare of the district. Brooklyn Community Board 18 meets on the third Wednesday of each month, except during July and August. All meetings are open to the public. We are your local non-partisan interface to the many offices and agencies of City government.

Naomi Hopkins, Chairperson
Greg Borruso, 1st Vice Chair
Maria Garrett, 2nd Vice Chair
Barbara Bieber, Secretary
David Price, Treasurer

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Click a topic, or press the enter key on a topic, to reveal its answer.

When does Community Board 18 meet?

Brooklyn Community Board 18 meets on the third Wednesday of each month, except during July and August. All board meetings are open to the public. Various committees also convene to discuss local issues. We are your local non-partisan interface to the many offices and agencies of City government.

What are the current committees?

Housing, Libraries & Education, Parks, Planning & Zoning, Transportation, Public Safety, Sanitation & Environment, Social Services, Health, & Older Adult Services, Youth & Technology, SLA, and Capital & Expense Budget.

The history of Community Boards can be found on New York City’s website under the Mayors Community Assistance Unit (CAU).

What issues does CB18 get involved in?

Community Boards in general have three distinct areas of focus – land use, budget and service delivery. CB18, in its advisory capacity, sponsors public meetings where topical issues involving the projects, programs and policies that affect the district will be presented, discussed and, at times, debated in an open forum.

Land Use

The Community Board routinely reviews applications that involve the acquisition, disposition and/or significant change of use of City-owned properties. It hosts Public Hearings and sponsors open meetings to discuss and formulate recommendations on land use matters coming before it. The Community Board is the first stage at which land use matters are formally reviewed in accordance with the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).

In addition to matters pertaining to City property, the Community Board also reviews items related to private properties where property owners are seeking approval to use, develop, or otherwise modify a property in a way that would not automatically be allowable under the property’s zoning designation. Other forms of land use reviews may involve properties in Landmark Districts or voluntary informational presentations by property owners.

Budget

The Community Boards are required to submit to the Mayor and the City Council their Capital (projects) and Expense (programs and services) budget priorities in the formulation of the City’s budget. CB18 is constantly receiving input from the public on projects, programs, and services that get funded in the City’s budget which is formulated by the Mayor and the City Council, with input from the Borough Presidents.

Service Delivery

The day-to-day processing of citizen complaints and requests for municipal services are handled by the District Office under the supervision of the District Manager. The District Office is prepared to take complaints and requests for service from any constituent of the district. It is important to contact the District Office with complaints and requests for services so that the Community Board can monitor and work toward improving service delivery in the district. Calls such as these also provide the Community Board with important indicators of the levels of resources that might be most needed in the district, reflected by the types of calls received.

Where can I find the Board's annual District Needs, Expense, and Budget Priority statements?

These statements can be found on the NYC City Planning website.

How do I speak at a Community Board meeting?

A section of every general Community Board meeting is set aside for the board to hear from the public. At the front of the meeting room there will be a sign-in sheet where anyone is invited to sign in to speak for up to 2-3 minutes. The Open Discussion portion of all Community Board 18 meetings is limited to 20 minutes in total. Each speaker will be limited in speaking time at the Chair’s discretion based on the total number of requests received. The Chairperson will acknowledge speakers in the order they sign in. No pre-registration is necessary.

What does the District Office do?

The CB18 District Office has two primary functions – to process citizen complaints and requests for services, and to provide administrative support for the Community Board. The District Office maintains all the public records of the activities of the Community Board and is responsible for setting up and preparing notices of all Community Board meetings and functions. Additionally, the District Office processes Street Activity Permits for Block Party street closures, requests for Tree Plantings, monitors the delivery of municipal services and, in general, acts as a one stop shopping point for information and referrals pertaining to all City government matters. The District Office is a professional, non-partisan office and there are no fees for any service provided.

What kinds of complaints does CB18 handle?

Just about any complaint that involves a municipal service can be called in to the District Office. This includes such items as, but is not limited to:

  • Reporting a pothole, requesting street resurfacing
  • A tree that needs pruning, stump or dead tree removal, new tree planting
  • Missing or damaged signs
  • Malfunctioning street lights
  • Clogged catch basin, water leaks, leaking fire hydrants, odors
  • Missed garbage collection or holiday pickup questions
  • Building permit questions, zoning inquiries

These are some examples of the more common complaints that are called in to the District Office. By acting as the community’s eyes and ears and reporting items such as this to the Community Board you can take away the satisfaction of having made a positive contribution to improving the quality of life in your neighborhood. A common mistake people make is that they assume that someone else will report a problem; many problems go unreported because of this. You have the power to make a positive change in your community with just one phone call.

How do I report a complaint?

Email us at bk18@cb.nyc.gov or call the District office at 718-241-0422. You can also submit a complaint by clicking on the contact link on our website and Send Us a Message.

Please note all pertinent information (e.g. exact location or street address, cross streets, etc.) related to the type of complaint you wish to report must be included. Having insufficient information or the wrong address may only serve to delay our efforts to help resolve the problem. We suggest that you have as much information as possible available at the time that you call. Remember, in order for us to help resolve your complaint, you must help us by accurately identifying the problem.