City Council Member Stephen Levin (Northern Brooklyn, Boerum Hill) and both the city council’s sub committee on zoning and the full land use committee today greenlighted a scaled down version of the 80 Flatbush project, but will still see one of the two buildings of the project become one of the tallest skyscrapers in Brooklyn.
The project, as first -planned, would be built in two phases, with Phase 1 consisting of a 561’ mixed-use tower at the corner of Flatbush and State Street with a new expanded 350-seat Khalil Gibran high school and new 350-seat elementary school. Phase 2 was proposed as a 986’ mixed-use tower on 3rd Avenue between State Street and Schermerhorn Street. The full project was proposed at 18 FAR, which would have produced over 1.1 million total square feet of new development.
Ever since this proposal was revealed to the public, the overwhelming height and density and its relationship to the historic townhouses of State Street and the Boerum Hill neighborhood have caused great concern in the community.
In response to months of impassioned community feedback at multiple hearings and concerns expressed by Community Board 2 and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Levin successfully pushed for significant reductions in the height and density of the proposal and important changes to the design that will ensure a transition and minimize impacts on the low-rise brownstone context of State Street, as well as provide mitigation for the Rockwell Bears Community Garden.
Major changes to the project resulting from Levin’s advocacy include:
The height of the Phase 2 tower will be reduced from 986’ to 840’
The height of the Phase 1 tower will be reduced from 561’ to 510’ and will now be shorter than the historic Williamsburg Savings Bank tower
The overall density of the project will be reduced from 18 FAR to 15.75 FAR
Density unlocked only by providing schools
The full size of 15.75 FAR is only allowed if promised school space is built
Protections for State Street
Phase 2 tower required to set back 30’ from both State Street and 3rd Avenue to ensure transition to low-rise brownstone neighborhood
Loading dock removed from State Street
No commercial waste pickup or retail deliveries on State Street
“The 80 Flatbush process has been among the most inclusive land use processes that I have had the privilege of being a part of,” said Levin. “We thank Alloy, the Educational Construction Fund and Jennifer Maldonado, and the de Blasio administration, especially Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, for their willingness to listen to the community’s concerns and their incredibly diligent work. I also want to express an enormous amount of gratitude to the community, the Boerum Hill Association, and everyone who spent their valuable time making sure their voices were heard. Because of their advocacy, this project will produce the community benefits that were promised while also being more appropriate to the surrounding neighborhood context.”
Alloy Development CEO Jared Della Valle said he is proud that 80 Flatbush will deliver so many critically needed public benefits and help address the housing crisis.
“We hope the broad support we received for building a dense project in a transit-rich area sends a strong message across the five boroughs: amid an ongoing housing crisis, New York City needs to be progressive and seize every opportunity for growth in locations that can accommodate it. Thank you to those supporters for sending that message loud and clear throughout the process. It’s incredibly gratifying for us not simply to make a valuable contribution to the city’s built environment but to deliver lasting and meaningful benefits, including 200 units of permanently affordable housing in the center of Brooklyn, a badly needed new Khalil Gibran International Academy, and a new public elementary school in Downtown Brooklyn. It’s those benefits that led us to pursue this project in the first place,” Valle said.
The full city council is expected to vote on the project at their Sept. 26 stated meeting.
