Pickleball courts and a dog run are coming to the eyesore underneath the Brooklyn Bridge

CityPickle won over the city with its plan to transform the area into pickleball courts and a small park

Who would’ve thought that pickleball would save the day?

Turns the “sport” people love to hate just might do that: City officials announced that the eyesore of an abandoned parking lot and construction equipment storage area underneath and around the Brooklyn Bridge entrance will be turned into pickleball courts, seating and a dog run next year.

Proposed site layout (Rendering courtesy City Pickle and NYC Parks)

CityPickle’s proposal to turn the area, known as Anchorage Plaza, into 12 pickleball courts has won approval by the NYC Parks Department. The courts will border the Washington Street side of the park, with the other portion of the area (next to Old Fulton St.), with non-pickley things like a dog run, space for food and beverage and shaded seating with some trees.

CityPickle will invest at least $2 million towards the park for drainage, leveling and other needs, according to the Brooklyn Eagle. The company runs other pickleball courts, including at Industry City and in Central Park. Rates to rent the court weren’t immediately released, but CityPickle offers reduced rates at its other parks.

It would be a much needed revitalization for the entrance, which attracts tourists and one of the biggest areas they see when venturing across the (now much less-crowded) bridge. Previously, that area of the bridge used to host an annual art show from 1983 to 2001, per StreetsBlog, and then became a parking lot until 2008. Since then, the Department of Transportation has used the space for truck and equipment storage, which leave the area soon.

Construction will commence in the coming months with the full completion targeting Spring 2025.