Crown Heights/Lefferts Gardens Assembly member Diana Richardson today said the city’s proposed massive mixed-use project in the heart of Flatbush needs to make sure it includes local residents in the affordable housing component of the project.
Richardson’s comments came less than a week after the City’s Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and several Flatbush area elected officials announced the selection of BRP Development Corporation (BRP) to transform the current Flatbush Caton Market, a local commercial and cultural institution on the corner of Caton and Flatbush avenues into a massive mixed use project.
The project calls for an expanded and renovated market, new space for the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI), and additional classroom space and a commercial kitchen that will support the long-term growth and vitality of dozens of local vendors and entrepreneurs.
Above the commercial entities the city plans to build a massive high rise with approximately 166 residential units, 20 percent of which will be available for low-income residents, 30 percent for moderate-income residents, and 50 percent for middle-income residents.
In similar projects in downtown Brooklyn, residents from the Community Board 2, the local Downtown Brooklyn community board get first dibs on many of the affordable housing units through a lottery system.
“The Flatbush Caton Market represents a unique institution in the district in providing many entrepreneurs in our community the opportunity for economic ascension. In a different time in our district, the market represented a forward-thinking vision of what Central Brooklyn could become. Over the years, the market has grown into a community institution for economic and social development,” said Richardson, whose district encompasses the project.
“The plans unveiled by the New York City Economic Development Corporation represent an exciting new path for the site. The plans allow the market to remain a cultural center for the Caribbean community with the establishment of the new Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry headquarters, and add sorely needed affordable housing to the district. This will not come at the expense of the historical purpose of the site, allowing local start-ups and dedicated entrepreneurs to continue to find their footing.
“This project builds off of the vision of Dr. Una Clarke in helping to establish the market, and is an example of the type of quality development we need more of in Central Brooklyn. I hope this project is representative of a new sense of urgency in city planning, recognizing the severity of the affordable housing crisis, and the need to focus on the long-term stability of working class residents in Central Brooklyn.”
