The Prospect Park YMCA won a symbolic show of support for its plan to create a new pool when a Community Board 6 committee unanimously approved the Y’s plans for a new facility at its Ninth Street center.
The support was not unconditional, however. At a public hearing earlier this month, the land-use committee asked the YMCA to redesign the façade so that it would better match surrounding buildings.
“It looked too institutional,” said Robert Levine, a member of CB6.
Similar concerns came up at an earlier meeting this year when the Y presented the project to the block association on Eighth Street, which is on the other side of the wall from the proposed new pool.
With groundbreaking scheduled for the fall, it’s not too late to alter the blueprints, said Sean Andrews, the local Y’s executive director.
“The timing of the feedback was pretty opportune for us,” he said.
Input from the community board and block association is not binding, but the Y said it wanted to build goodwill.
“We’ve always been good partners … and wanted to continue to do that with this project,” Andrews said.
When finished in late 2008, the new pool will be about three times larger than the current one in the basement of the building, which is between Fifth and Sixth avenues.
The Y will build over its parking lot to make room for the swimming facilities, which may also include some open space for community activities.
