Aaron Naparstek

» Friday, December 16, 2005

Commerce Bank: One Year Later

Almost exactly one year ago, Park Slope Neighbors launched its first campaign. Our goal was to compel Commerce Bank to ditch its plans to build a cookie-cutter, suburban-style, drive-thru building on a pedestrian-oriented shopping street in Park Slope, Brooklyn. We wanted the bank to design a building that better fit the context of our neighborhood and we were successful.

Much to their credit, Commerce Bank’s executives listened and worked with the community. Though it cost them real money, they delayed the opening of their branch, went back to the drawing board, and designed an entirely new building for Park Slope. They were good neighbors.

On Saturday December 17, Commerce Bank opens the doors of its Park Slope branch on Fifth Avenue and First Street. From 9:00am to 2:00pm the bank will be offering refreshments, giveaways, games, prizes and more. PSN has been invited to participate in the ribbon-cutting at 11:00am.

After PSN’s collaboration with Commerce Bank, Borough President Marty Markowitz said, "This project serves as an example to all companies — the best way to do business in Brooklyn is to work with and respect the community." As more and more big developers and corporate retailers look to build and set up shop in our corner of Brooklyn, the Borough President’s words are very much worth remembering and repeating. So often, community advocates' only recourse is get angry and protest -- all stick, no carrot. The opening of Commerce Bank is a rare opportunity for us to give kudos to a big business for collaborating with the community when there was no legal authority forcing them to do so. I think it's great that we don't have to stand out in front of the bank tomorrow morning with picket signs. Because the bank was open to working with us, we got to use our time and energy more productively.

So, if you're in the neighborhood I urge you to swing by on Saturday and give Commerce Bank some positive reinforcement for a job well done. Remind big businesses that it pays to work with Brooklyn's neighborhoods and it's a mistake to exclude neighborhood advocates from big development processes.

3:06 PM | Link |

Comments

Aaron, I'd love to see photos of the new bank if you got 'em.

Posted by

AD @ 12/19/2005 4:53 PM | Link

Thanks lobbygow. Great photos. Aaron N.: congratulations again. Park Slope Neighbors turned a potential blight into a neighborhood enhancement.

Posted by

AD @ 12/21/2005 10:26 PM | Link

I'm still not thrilled with the parking at the building but there's no question that this design is an improvement on the proposed building.

Only wish that Windsor Terrace had had strong neighborhood activists to prevent the suburban style building on PPSW.

Congratulations.

Posted by

Anonymous @ 12/22/2005 10:48 AM | Link

we also pushed the bank to get rid of the parking altogether and erect a four story building that included housing -- as you'd expect to see on this large lot. but that really wasn't a possibility. another bank that was vying to build on this site did want to build that type of building. commerce bank doesn't want to get involved in building or managing housing. it's not their business. and though i don't know the details of their deal for this site -- i believe it's a 30-year lease -- it does seem like they left a lot of money on the table by not developing this lot more fully.

Posted by

Ar2thelow aka arlo @ 12/22/2005 1:02 PM | Link

Great kudos also to Commerce Bank for working with the community to construct a better building. They did the right thing for the built environment, community, and city. But as great as community goodwill is, it doesn't necessarily win over that many customers. So I hope that Commerce will be financially rewarded for this decision, because that's how companies judge their decisions. Specifically: I hope and assume that the number of extra walk-in customers they get because of the welcoming branch redesign will be greater than the number of motorists that won't be using a drive-through.

Speaking of financial rewards, in a way, it's surprising that they didn't go for the housing idea. They could have partnered with any number of real property managers who would operated the housing portion of the building, right? The resulting rental or mortgage income from the housing would have helped Commerce's profitability. I thought Wall Street loved diversified corporations that can weather downturns in one industry by relying on income from another.

Posted by

AD @ 12/22/2005 11:35 PM | Link

But as great as community goodwill is, it doesn't necessarily win over that many customers.

As a reader of urban design blogs I am probably a skewed sample but I, for one, was about to cancel my account at Commerce Bank when the initial plans were revealed.

That choice was very difficult because I have found Commerce Bank to be terrific in most respects by respecting their customers. The redesign is likely another manifestation of that respect and would be unlikely to be imitated by Citibank or Chase.

Posted by

Anonymous @ 1/03/2006 11:01 AM | Link

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