Community Board Backs 72-Story Fort Greene Tower, With Conditions

"The project, led by developers Rabina and Park Tower Group, would bring about 1,260 mixed-income apartments, with 25 percent set aside as permanently affordable as part of the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program required with rezonings. Board members added a list of 10 conditions to their approval of the project, citing concerns about affordability and unit sizes, and the impact on Fort Greene Park and on the surrounding community."

"At the meeting, CB2 Land Use Committee chair Daughtry Carstarphen said the development team had said it would use MIH option one, meaning there would be 325 apartments targeted at households earning an average of 60 percent of area median income. She said of those, the developers have committed to 130 very low-income apartments. Carstarphen said the board had communicated concerns with the developer about the sizes of the units, the affordability, and infrastructure issues, and the conditions of approval were designed to address those."

""One is that continued conversations need to happen via a community advisory group, which needs to be formed and include both NYCHA residents and what was called legacy residents, or folks who've been in the neighborhood for a long time," she told the board members. The developers have said they would fund outreach to NYCHA residents around using Housing Connect, she said."

Community Board 2 voted 26–5–2 to conditionally support a proposed tower at 395 Flatbush Avenue Extension that would become the second tallest in Brooklyn if built as proposed. The city-owned site currently holds a seven-story black glass Verizon office building. Developers Rabina and Park Tower Group propose about 1,260 mixed-income apartments, with 25 percent permanently affordable under Mandatory Inclusionary Housing tied to rezonings. The team plans to use MIH option one, targeting 325 apartments at an average of 60 percent AMI, including 130 very low-income units. Board members attached ten conditions addressing affordability, unit sizes, Fort Greene Park and community impacts, and infrastructure, and requested a community advisory group including NYCHA and long-term residents; developers agreed to fund NYCHA outreach for Housing Connect. Conditions are non-binding but often inform Community Benefits Agreements.

Read at Brownstoner