'Visioning' a New Fulton Street

Dozens of businesspeople, property owners and residents filled 's Lepercq Space on Tuesday night to help imagine the Fulton Street of tomorrow.

The Fulton Area Business Alliance-sponsored workshop involved gathering suggestions about how best to build on infrastructure improvements on the retail and restaurant strip—including a Clinton Hill sidewalk reconstruction project wrapped up in 2008 and the recent rehab of the pedestrian areas surrounding Cuyler Gore Park.

"FAB is working with our stakeholders for a comprehensive strategy ... with continued input for many months to come," said FAB manager Phillip Kellogg.

To help create a Vision Plan for Fulton Street, FAB enlisted the help of two architects, Matthias Altwicker of AB Architeckten and Colin Brice of Mapos LLC, who were tasked with gathering community input.

And for the most part, workshop participants gladly accepted the invitation to provide feedback on both two-dimensional maps and a three-dimensional model of Fowler Square and Putnam Triangle—the home of .

But, as is becoming commonplace for workshops baring FAB's moniker, Tuesday's event also had its share of vocal detractors.

"There should be a real residential referendum on what they're planning on building," said Sandy, a Fort Greene resident who declined to give her last name.

Workshop organizers stressed that the "visioning" event was just the beginning of a long process of gathering input from Fulton Street stakeholders.

"This Vision Plan is a living document," Brice said. "It will change over time."

The renewed dialogue on the future of Fulton Street had  owner and newly appointed FAB board member Chris Buckley feeling hopeful.

"Right now some people think FAB is a dark horse, responsible for all evil," Buckley said. "This could change that."