The neighborhood
Sheepshead Bay
Kings Bay Houses stands on Batchelder Street between Avenue Y and Avenue Z, a few blocks inland from the bay itself.
Sheepshead Bay is one of Brooklyn’s most established neighborhoods, known for its waterfront, its transit and a strong local identity. Kings Bay Houses sits near the southern coast of the borough, with easy access to beaches, parks, schools and commercial strips. The B and Q trains run from Sheepshead Bay station, the B36 stops on Avenue Z, and the Belt Parkway is a few minutes away by car.
- Subway
- B QSheepshead Bay station
- Bus routes
- B36 B44 B49Avenue Z, Nostrand Avenue, Ocean Avenue
- Marine Park
- 800Acres, the largest park in Brooklyn
- Race track
- 1880Opened near Avenue Z, closed in 1910
Getting around
| Service | Where |
|---|---|
| B and Q | Sheepshead Bay station, with express service to Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan |
| B36 | Avenue Z |
| B44, B44 SBS | Nostrand Avenue |
| B49 | Ocean Avenue |
| BM3 | Batchelder Street, express to Midtown and Downtown Manhattan. Higher express fare. Timetable effective 12 April 2026 (PDF) |
| Driving | Belt Parkway to the Knapp Street exit, then north to Avenue Z |
The Belt Parkway carries drivers on to JFK Airport, Long Island and the rest of Brooklyn.
A bit of history
How the bay got its name
The neighborhood is named after the sheepshead, the fish that once filled the local waters. The Canarsee people lived along this stretch of coast long before European settlers arrived, and by the 1800s the bay had become a popular fishing spot.
In 1880 the Sheepshead Bay Race Track opened near Avenue Z and turned the area into a destination for horse racing. The track closed in 1910, and after that the neighborhood gradually became the residential community it is today. Kings Bay Houses opened here in 1958.
- The name
- From the sheepshead, the fish that once filled the waters off this shore.
- Before European settlement
- The Canarsee people lived along this part of the Brooklyn coast.
- The 1800s
- The bay became a popular fishing spot on the southern shore of Brooklyn.
- 1880
- The Sheepshead Bay Race Track opened near Avenue Z and drew crowds to the area.
- 1910
- The race track closed. Housing followed, and the area settled into the residential neighborhood it is now.
Schools and community
Schools within reach, one of them next door
J.H.S. 14 Shell Bank shares the block with the co-op. School zoning is set by the New York City Department of Education, not by the cooperative.
| School | Address and notes |
|---|---|
| J.H.S. 14 Shell Bank | 2424 Batchelder Street, right next door. Features the Center for Intellectually Gifted. |
| P.S. 206 Joseph F. Lamb | 2200 Gravesend Neck Road |
| Abraham Lincoln High School | 2800 Ocean Parkway |
| James Madison High School | 3787 Bedford Avenue |
- Kings Bay Y (JCC)
- A community center open to the neighborhood: fitness, youth programs, senior services and events.
- Brooklyn Public Library
- The Sheepshead Bay branch, with the rest of the city system behind it.
- Worship
- Houses of worship nearby.
- Everyday services
- Supermarkets, pharmacies and banks along Avenue U and Kings Highway.
Parks and outdoors
Open space and the waterfront
Two kinds of open space sit close to Batchelder Street: the salt marsh and playing fields of Marine Park, and the bay and ocean shoreline south of the neighborhood.
- Marine Park
- The largest park in Brooklyn at about 800 acres, with nature trails, athletic fields, a golf course, playgrounds and kayak access
- Forever Wild
- About 530 acres of salt marsh inside Marine Park, protected as a Forever Wild nature preserve
- The piers
- Fishing, walking and charter boats along Emmons Avenue on the Sheepshead Bay waterfront
- Manhattan Beach
- The closest ocean beach, across the bay at the eastern end of the peninsula
- Brighton Beach
- A lively boardwalk and beach a short way west along the shore
- The bay itself
- The promenade and the footbridge at the head of the bay, south of Avenue Z
The head of Sheepshead Bay, seen from the footbridge.
Photo of Sheepshead Bay by Jim.henderson, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Shopping and dining
Where people here shop and eat
A full shopping mall, a row of seafood restaurants on the water, and the everyday shops of the avenues in between.
| Where | What you will find |
|---|---|
| Kings Plaza | The major mall in the area, at Flatbush Avenue and Avenue U, with more than 120 stores |
| Sheepshead Bay Road | Restaurants, bakeries and shops |
| Emmons Avenue | Waterfront seafood restaurants and charter boats |
| Avenue U | Supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and everyday retail |
| Kings Highway | A longer retail strip with clothing, groceries and services |
Questions about the co-op go to the on-site office
The office at 2520 Batchelder Street, Basement, handles repairs, carrying charges and shareholder paperwork. There is no published email address, so the telephone is the way in.