Community to Discuss New Caton Ave. School on Tuesday

A new public school is coming to town, and residents will have the chance to voice their opinions at a community meeting on Tuesday night. 

PS/IS 437 will soon break ground at the lot at 701 Caton Ave., in a few years becoming the new academic home to 757 primary and intermediate school students throughout Community School District 15. 

While the school isn't expected to open until 2015, its construction will have an obvious impact on the neighborhood.

The Community Board 7 Education Committee and Councilman Brad Lander, D-Park Slope, have invited the School Construction Authority to Tuesday's meeting to share information and answer questions about the project, as well as their plans to minimize the school's impact on area residents.  

The meeting will be held at the Windsor Terrace Library, located at 160 E. 5th St. at Ft. Hamilton Pkwy., at 6:30 p.m. 

PS/IS 437 will consist of 106,175 gross-square-feet, with five stories plus a cellar. The school's plans call for three playgrounds—a 4,300-square-foot playground on the north end, a 7,600-square-foot general playground on the southeast end, and a 4,275-square-foot early childhood (pre-K and kindergarten) playground on the southwestern portion.

With several hundred school children flooding the area, traffic around the intersection of Caton Avenue at Coney Island Avenue will likely be one of the central topics of Tuesday's meeting. 

According to a study by the SCA, the school will, during peak hours, generate 184 vehicle trips in the morning, and 159 in the afternoon. However, adjustments to the signal timing at the intersection of Caton Avenue and Coney Island Avenue during heavily-trafficked hours is expected to ease impact.

The community meeting will be held at the on Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 6:30 p.m. Contact Catherine Zinnel at czinnel@council.nyc.gov or 718-499-1090 with any questions.