Community Board 5 Brooklyn covers East New York, Cypress Hills, and the surrounding neighborhoods. It is the place where residents have a formal voice on land use decisions, housing developments, street conditions, school issues, and public safety concerns before those decisions get made above their heads.
Most residents have never been to a CB5 meeting. That is a problem, because the people who do show up shape what the board sends to the city.
Where: 127 Pennsylvania Avenue, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11207
Who can attend: Open to all residents
What to bring: A specific concern, a question for an agency, or just show up and listen
The General Board meeting is the full board — all members, all committees — in one room. Public comment is part of the agenda. This is the highest-access meeting CB5 holds.
This is the last CB5 General Board meeting before the summer recess. The board does not meet again until September 2026. Any issue you need the board to act on before the fall must be raised Wednesday night.
Why This Matters Right Now
With the board going dark for the summer after Wednesday, this is the last window for residents to put issues on the record before September. The city does not pause for summer — developments get approved, agencies make decisions, and conditions on the ground keep changing. CB5 is one of the few places residents can formally respond before those decisions harden.
East New York is in the middle of the largest affordable housing buildout in its history. The Innovative Urban Village development at the Christian Cultural Center campus is adding more than 2,000 units across multiple phases. The NYCHA Preservation Trust model is expanding. The city budget deadline just passed. Federal housing funding is under threat.
Every one of those issues has a CB5 committee that is supposed to weigh in. Land use decisions go through the Land Use and Housing Committee. Transportation changes go through Transportation and TLC. School and youth issues go through Education and Youth Services.
If those rooms are empty, the committee still meets and still votes.
The Full CB5 Brooklyn Meeting Calendar
All meetings are held at 127 Pennsylvania Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11207 unless otherwise announced. All meetings are subject to change — check the CB5 Brooklyn meetings page before you go.
| Committee | Schedule | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Board Full Board Meeting |
Every 4th Wednesday Next: June 24, 2026 |
6:30 PM | 3rd Floor |
| Housing Land Use & Housing |
Every 3rd Tuesday | 6:30 PM | 2nd Floor, Main Office |
| Public Safety Public Safety & Quality of Life |
Every 2nd Monday | 6:00 PM | 2nd Floor, Conference Room |
| Transit Transportation & TLC |
Every 3rd Monday | 6:00 PM | 2nd Floor, Conference Room |
| Education Education & Youth Services |
Every 1st Thursday | 6:30 PM | 1st Floor, Aviation Room |
| Health Aging, Health & Social Services |
Every 2nd Tuesday | 6:30 PM | 2nd Floor, Conference Room |
| Environment Parks, Sanitation & Environment |
Every 1st Tuesday | 6:00 PM | 2nd Floor, Conference Room |
| Economic Dev Economic Development, IBZ & BIDs |
Every 2nd Wednesday | 6:30 PM | 2nd Floor, Conference Room |
| Cannabis Cannabis Committee |
Every 1st Monday | 6:30 PM | 2nd Floor, Conference Room |
How to Participate
You do not need to be a CB5 member to attend. All meetings are open to the public. At the General Board meeting, residents can speak during the public comment period. At committee meetings, residents can raise issues directly with the members who vote on them.
If you have a specific concern — a pothole that has been ignored, a housing issue with your building, a safety problem at a school — the committee meeting is where you bring it. Agencies send representatives. Complaints raised in front of the board on the record carry more weight than a 311 call.
What to Bring to the June 24 General Board Meeting
- Your address — CB5 covers East New York, Cypress Hills, City Line, and Starrett City. Your block matters.
- A specific issue — vague complaints get ignored. "The intersection at X and Y has no stop sign and there have been two accidents" is actionable.
- Your council district — District 37 is CM Sandy Nurse. District 42 is CM Chris Banks. Know which one represents your block.
- Time — the meeting runs from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Public comment usually opens within the first 30 minutes.
CB5 Brooklyn Leadership
Chair: Alice Lowman
District Manager: Melinda Perkins
Address: 127 Pennsylvania Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11207
Official site: nyc.gov/site/brooklyncb5
The East New York Times covers CB5 Brooklyn meetings regularly. If something happens Wednesday night that East New York residents need to know about, we will report it.
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