Prospect Lefferts Gardens

Prospect Lefferts Gardens or “PLG” as it is often referred to, is a neighborhood in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn that boasts its community and a rich history of multiculturalism, and specifically, its Caribbean roots. The neighborhood is bounded by Empire Boulevard to the north, Clarkson Avenue to the south, and New York and Ocean Avenues to the East and West. Residents of Prospect Lefferts Gardens enjoy the perks of having Prospect Park right in their backyard, where they can enjoy tennis, quiet serenity by the lake, free summer concerts and even ice skating in the winter months. The area continues to see rapid changes in real estate, food and entertainment options, and overall lifestyle of its residents.   

Prospect Lefferts Gardens has become Brooklyn’s latest trending neighborhood and for good reason. The area is a historical landmark. This district gets its name from the adjacent Prospect Park, the former Lefferts farm on which it stands and the nearby Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. The streets are lined with beautiful trees that shade rows of brownstones and town houses. Residents here have a sense of pride in their community. The block of Lefferts Avenue between Rogers and Bedford Avenues recently won the Love Your Block grant and has won the 2018 Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Greenest Block contest.

The neighborhood is small and isn’t typically considered an area with buzzing nightlife but is now experiencing a growth in cafes and new local bars that host nighttime fun for the community. Some notable neighborhood restaurants and bars include Westbury Inn, a laidback neighborhood spot with light food and weekly trivia, the extension of Crown Heights based restaurants, Silver Rice and Gladys’ Jerk Center are creating more diversified food options for those in the area. Most recently, local arts group PLG Arts, kicked off its own music festival for the neighborhood. PLG Festival, where residents were able to enjoy live music performance in 9 venues around the neighborhood. The festival features almost 50 performers. 

But is Prospect Lefferts Gardens the last affordable neighborhood with park views? Many of the neighborhood’s current residents came to the area after being priced out of neighboring Park Slope. According to Quest Fanning, 37, the president of the Prospect Lefferts Gardens Neighborhood Association, lives in the garden level of the home his parents bought back in 1976.The neighborhood, he added, has “changed a lot from that perspective, and we’ve got people here from all over, the Caribbean, Europe and refugees who got priced out of Park Slope.” In Prospect Lefferts Gardens, they were able to enjoy having proximity to Prospect Park, convenience into Manhattan and rents that they could still afford.

The area is known for its well-preserved late 19th- and early 20th-century architecture, a low-rise mix that includes Romanesque Revival, neo-Georgian and neo-Tudor styles.  Although people rarely put their homes on the market, the rental market has seen major growth in recent years, with many new development projects popping up in the area. The area is serviced by the B, Q, 2 and 5 subway trains with many buses that give commuters access to other parts of the borough.