In a court battle lasting eight years and a court-ordered injunction since 2012, the city-owned parcels of what is known as the Broadway Triangle will finally be developed where blacks, Hispanics and Hasidic Jews can all find affordable housing and live together.
That after the Broadway Triangle Community Coalition announced a settlement with the city to expand affordable housing in the Triangle’s Urban Renewal area in ways that promote racial integration and equal housing opportunity.
“After years of effort, today’s settlement means the city will properly respond to the real needs of our diverse communities in North Brooklyn. There is a long history of housing discrimination in this area, and affordable housing in the Broadway Triangle is more important than ever given the rapid gentrification and displacement of families who have lived here for generations,” said Juan Ramos of the Broadway Triangle Community Coalition.
According to the settlement, all vacant city-owned land in the Broadway Triangle that can be developed will be permanently devoted to the creation of low-income housing through an open and transparent public process. It is expected to generate more than 375 units of affordable housing and will provide funding for fair housing services to combat the history of racial discrimination and segregation in the area.
Under the settlement, the Broadway Triangle’s five development sites will consist entirely of affordable multi-family rental units. The majority of units will be less than 60 percent of area median income, with some units renting at less than 30 percent area median income. A rental preference for half of the units will be given to residents of both Community Districts 1 and 3. Developers will be required to use an affirmative marketing plan to reach a diverse pool of housing applicants.
The settlement also secures support from the city for fair housing services. The city is required to enter into a $2.4 million, three-year contract with Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A to provide fair housing workshops, counseling and educational materials, as well as legal representation for people with housing discrimination complaints in the Broadway Triangle neighborhood.
The Broadway Triangle is a partially city-owned, and partially privately owned 21-block area on the border of Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant, that is bordered by Broadway, Union and Flushing avenues.
The lawsuit was filed in 2009, shortly after the entire area was rezoned as part of the Broadway Triangle Urban Renewal Area, a city plan to allow for affordable residential development in North Brooklyn. Under that plan, the United Jewish Organization (UJO) of Williamsburg and the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council (RBSCC) were given the rights to develop the area.
The BTC then successfully sued the city on the grounds it violated the fair housing act and created segregation. The court sided with the coalition and in 2012 issued an injunction, ruling that the deal unfairly favored Hasidic residents over blacks and Latinos, and promoted segregation.
City Councilman Antonio Reynoso (D-Williamsburg, Bushwick) was quick to congratulate the settlement applauding the group’s efforts. Reynoso has been a strong opponent of the recent Pfizer Site Redevelopment project he claimed was inherently leaving out local residents in favor of luxury development.
“I want to congratulate the Broadway Triangle Community Coalition on their long-fought victory today. I hope that now we can put the politics behind us and focus on building real affordable housing for this community,” said Reynoso.
City Councilman Stephen Levin (D-Northern Brooklyn), who represents the Broadway Triangle footprint, and who formerly worked for the RBSCC when it was originally given the rights to develop the property, did not comment on the court settlement at post time.
