About 7,000 of the 20,325 affordable apartments and homes that the de Blasio Administration financed and preserved in Fiscal Year 2015 are in Brooklyn.
Among the projects topping the list for affordable units included two Atlantic Yards a.k.a Pacific Park projects on the southern lip of Downtown Brooklyn, and the massive Greenpoint Landing project in Northern Brooklyn on East River.
De Blasio released the total figures two days ago, noting it was the most affordable housing units the city was able to finance and preserve in the past 25 years, and just the start of his Housing New York plan for 200,000 affordable apartments in 10 years.
“This is real progress, in real time, for real families. We set out one year ago to change everything about how New York City builds and protects affordable housing. Today, there are more shovels going in the ground to build affordable homes than at any time in almost 40 years. And we are doing more than has ever been done to help New Yorkers feeling the pressure of this housing crisis to stay in their homes, and to protect them from harassment and displacement,” said de Blasio.
The Pacific Park projects include high rise buildings at 38 Dean Street, which includes 303 subsidized units and 535 Carlton Avenue.
A total of 10 buildings are being built in Greenpoint as part of a project known as Greenpoint Landing. The 10 buildings will house 5,500 new apartments. 1,400 of those will be designated affordable housing. As of late June, three buildings were being created. The first is at 21 Commercial Streets and the second sits at 33 Eagle Street. The third building at 5 Blue Slip is currently under construction, as well. It will be a six-story building with 103 units available for families who earn 30 to 60 percent of the area’s median income.
The developers, L+M Development and Park Tower Group, originally asked the City for $136,000 per affordable apartment. According to Crain’s, after negotiations with the de Blasio administration, the developers will receive $68,000 per unit. The large-scale waterfront project may also include an elementary school and a ferry landing.
“It is critical that we create affordable housing opportunities in every corner of Brooklyn and at multiple bands of affordability, so all of our neighborhoods can benefit from the economic diversity that is prerequisite for a holistically thriving city. We must continue to push forward with smart and robust contextual development that engages all Brooklynites in the opportunities that new construction will create,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
Flatlands City Council Member Jumaane Williams, the Council’s Chair of the Housing and Buildings Committee, thanked de Blasio for delivering on his commitment during the first fiscal year, and said he looks forward to working with him to ensure the city reaches its’ ambitious ten-year goal.
“Just one year after Mayor de Blasio announced the Housing New York plan, it’s clear that our administration shares a similar goal and is committed to solving our city’s affordable housing crisis with absolute urgency,” Williams said.
