The Brooklyn Yards project stands out in New York for its innovative approach to low-scale housing. Developers David Tabak and Meyer Lebovits proposed a unique set of 270 units spread across 14 predominantly low-rise walkup buildings. Contrary to typical high-rise developments, the architecture firm Studio V discovered that four- to six-story buildings yield better economic returns while minimizing construction costs. This design choice allowed the project to simplify building requirements and avoid opposition, highlighting a potential shift in urban housing development practices.
For the 30-plus years I've covered spot rezonings, developers have routinely proposed bigger buildings than they need, knowing the local City Council member will shrink them to pacify NIMBY constituents.
Studio V principal and founder Jay Valgora said in an interview, 'We figured we needed density to build our way out of a platform cost, but we actually found that [four- to six-story buildings] produced a better return.'
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