Retire in Downtown Brooklyn! Marty Markowitz Makes Somewhat Convincing Pitch to Seniors

Sure, it lacks the slow pace of life and comfortable weather of Miami or Scottsdale, but at least Brooklyn has

Brooklyn seniors get a free boat ride courtesy of the commission on aging. (www.nysenate.gov)

Sure, it lacks the slow pace of life and comfortable weather of Miami or Scottsdale, but at least Brooklyn has plenty of places to play shuffleboard? Marty Markowitz makes a not-altogether-unpersuasive argument that downtown Brooklyn is a good place to retire, The Brooklyn Paper reports.

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Mr. Markowitz is proposing that developers get tax breaks for building housing for elderly residents, who will no doubt be delighted to live so close to the new Barclays arena and the area’s burgeoning bar scene.

“A lot of older people want to stay in Brooklyn because of the stimulating environment, but no longer need a brownstone or a five-bedroom house,” the 67-year-old borough president told The Brooklyn Paper. “We have to find ways to keep seniors living here, rather than having them move to New Jersey, or North Carolina, or Florida.”

Brooklyn—even the less-than-desirable cluster of discount stores and somewhat pell-mell condo towers—must be better than New Jersey, right?

The Brooklyn Paper helpfully points out that living in downtown Brooklyn, while it might be expensive for someone on a fixed income, means easy access to cultural institutions, public transportation and hospitals. And Downtown Brooklyn Partnership spokesman Shane Kavanagh points out that the neighborhood’s pedestrian crossings with countdown clocks and abundant sidewalk seating are popular with elderly residents. No word on the borough’s bridge and bingo scenes, however.

And then there’s the nearly priceless benefit of being able to interfere in their children’s and grandchildren’s lives on a regular basis, rather than just once or twice a year.

kvelsey@observer.com

Retire in Downtown Brooklyn! Marty Markowitz Makes Somewhat Convincing Pitch to Seniors