Solar powered streetscape coming soon

The Colum­bus Avenue Busi­ness Improve­ment Dis­trict, in coop­er­a­tion with the Depart­ment of Trans­porta­tion, has embarked on a mis­sion to cre­ate a solar pow­ered streetscape on Colum­bus Ave. between W. 76^th and 77^th. The dis­trict will fea­ture up to five new trees, new metal benches, expanded tree beds and plant­i­ngs, and a free bike station.

The BID’s goal is to get peo­ple attracted to the spot through its inte­grated green fea­tures such as solar pan­els which will be installed next to the side­walk, gen­er­at­ing the energy nec­es­sary to illu­mi­nate the side­walk at night.  Addi­tion­ally, a bioswale will be included to trap pol­lu­tion and make the water cleaner.

Com­mu­nity Board 7 approved the plan on July 9, and res­i­dents hope the improve­ments will sup­port local busi­nesses and encour­age a vibrant street life.

Pho­tos: The Colum­bus Avenue Busi­ness Improve­ment Dis­trict (BID)