Recently I attended my first ever Community Board 2 meeting in support of a project at 570 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn. I was there with about a dozen neighbors from my NYCHA complex because the new mixed-use building will yield affordable apartments and jobs for local construction workers—benefits my community desperately needs.
We took turns — and time out of our busy lives — explaining how critical projects like 570 Fulton are to the future of our neighborhood, appealing to the Board members on the merits.
Yet Community Board 2’s Land Use Committee seemed completely uninterested in our testimony and, when we were finished, they largely focused instead on the height and look of the 40-story building. They then recommended the full Board vote down the project because of its height and possible congestion even though it would be smaller than buildings right next door. There was barely any discussion about the project’s benefits.
The only discussion about my own testimony and my neighbors’ by the Board members was when they falsely and disgracefully accused us— after we left — of being “bought off” by the developers, who have consistently sponsored local events and causes in my community.
A month later, the full Board voted down the project, citing similar reasons as the committee.
It was a jarring experience, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
Since 2013, Community Board 2 has consistently rejected projects that would benefit lower-income residents of the Fort Greene and Downtown Brooklyn community, prioritizing style over substance.
Take the 142-150 South Portland Avenue project for example. The Hanson Place Seventh Day Adventist Church at 88 Hanson Place sought a rezoning for the block bordered by South Portland Avenue and South Elliot Place in order to build a 13-story apartment complex that would be 50% affordable housing.
They rejected the project—not because they had a problem with the building itself, but because they are so intent on limiting growth Downtown that they will kill good projects to stop hypothetical ones.
In June, the City Council thankfully overruled the Board and voted through the land use application, guaranteeing affordable housing for residents of our community. In fact, the Council has consistently overruled the Board’s “no” votes.
So what is this community board’s argument for stopping development?
I looked on Community Board 2’s website to find out—but it hasn’t updated its minutes since 2017. There is also scant evidence in its messages to the Council and the Borough President that the Board is balancing the needs of my community with its desire to limit growth.
It is troubling that Board members who are supposed to represent this community, are so out of touch with the community. We need affordable housing. We need space for local businesses. We need jobs. That means we need to build.
570 Fulton will not only create affordable housing and construction jobs for community members, it will also create space for local business. It’s the type of project our community not only needs, but deserves after years of change in the Downtown area that overwhelmingly benefited wealthier residents—a population well-represented on Community Board 2.
While Community Board 2 is arguing over height limits of new buildings and truck unloading locations, my family and I are living in NYCHA apartments riddled with lead paint. If Board members cared about the future of Brooklyn, they would be calling on NYCHA to investigate. But they are not.
Instead those Board members are stifling growth, acting out of self-interest, and leaving Brooklynites like me with little.
It’s high time that Community Board 2 — and other boards like it in areas of New York attracting investment in growth — prioritize the needs of lower-income communities over the narrow interests of higher-income residents who simply do not want big buildings and busier streets.
Soon, the Brooklyn Borough President will weigh in on the 570 Fulton project, and the City Council will then cast its vote. I hope they support a better future for Brooklyn.
Darold Burgess is the President of the Ingersoll Houses Residents Association.
