By Ryan Thompson
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

ADAMS STREET — After controversy erupted earlier this year over a small parking lot adjacent to the Brooklyn Supreme Court, a compromise appears to have been reached between the city and the court.

The parking lot, which is in an area that has been used by the Brooklyn Supreme Court for decades, unexpectedly became the subject of debate earlier this year when the city said that it would remove a portion of the area used for parking. Some judges objected to this unanticipated decision by the city and parks department, and contemplated filing a lawsuit to keep their parking spaces.

However, several months later, an agreement now appears to have been made.

While the majority of the lot will remain intact – for continued use by judges and certain court personnel who drive vehicles -- a portion of the lot will now be relinquished. The “access strip,� which runs parallel to the existing pedestrian sidewalk, will be handed over to the public, presumably for use by pedestrians walking through Cadman Plaza Park, near Borough Hall.

Monday, Hon. Abraham G. Gerges, the administrative judge of the Brooklyn Supreme Court Civil Term, released the following statement to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

“The NYC Parks Department will be renovating the parking lot and adjacent access strip next to Supreme Court at 360 Adams Street. Under an agreement between the City of New York, the Parks Department and the Supreme Court, the court will be relinquishing use of the access strip.

Reconfiguration of the lot is necessary to provide vehicular access to the existing courthouse parking lot. During the construction process, which is to commence in early October and is expected to take two months, the Parks Department has granted Supreme Court temporary permission to park in the north end of Columbus Park, near Johnson Street. Every effort will be made to minimize the impact on pedestrians. Removable barriers will be erected daily from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. to insure the safety and security of all park users. Supreme Court Officers will be monitoring the site continually.�

Currently, the access strip not only serves as an area for parking vehicles, but also serves as the entrance for the larger portion of the parking lot. Therefore, a new entrance must be constructed. It likely will be built beside the old entrance on the north side of Joralemon Street.

In March, eight protesters from Transportation Alternatives donned judicial robes and swung a giant makeshift gavel as they pretended to be justices of the Brooklyn Supreme Court, wielding outrageous signs proclaiming their fictitious opposition to the removal of the parking lot from Cadman Plaza Park.

It was Judge Gerges’ first day as the acting administrative judge of the court at 360 Adams St., and he spoke to the protesters outside.

“I’d ask everyone to give me a chance to try to resolve this issue,� Gerges, a former city councilman, later said. “I think if we sit down and talk about this, we can resolve a lot of these issues.�

Six months later, the issue now appears to be resolved. Construction is expected to begin in several weeks.

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