Four Affordable Housing RFP Winners Announced in $578 Mil Vital Brooklyn Development and Health Initiative

photo – image of an L+M Development Project in Brooklyn

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced four winning proposals that will collectively create more than 2,700 100-percent affordable homes in central Brooklyn with apartments and supportive services for the developmentally disabled, individuals aging out of foster care, and chronically homeless families. The developments will advance the Vital Brooklyn initiative’s $578 million commitment to build 4,000 units of affordable housing.

Winners of First Affordable Housing RFPs

• Apex Building Company, L+M Development Partners, RiseBoro Community Partnership and Services for the Underserved (SUS) have been selected to purchase and redevelop the former Brooklyn Developmental Center (888 Fountain Ave in ENY) under Vital Brooklyn’s affordable housing initiative. The development will provide more than 2,400 units of affordable housing, with 45 percent of those available to households earning up to 50 percent of Area Median Income, including approximately 207 units for formerly homeless individuals and families, approximately 185 units for intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals, approximately 156 units for seniors and a $1.2 billion investment in East New York. None of the units will be available to households earning more than 80 percent of AMI.

The development will include workforce development and outreach to place local residents in construction jobs at Jamaica Bay Landing, and seven community partners will provide job training and entrepreneurship programs. The project is based on ‘blue zones’ planning, modeled after communities worldwide that have the longest lifespans, and includes 11.3 acres of public open space consisting of a retail main street, civic plaza, garden corridor, residential courtyards, a maritime grove fitness loop and productive zones.

• Longstanding Brooklyn non-profit CAMBA has been selected to develop “Interfaith Broadway: Site C” as part of Vital Brooklyn’s affordable housing initiative. CAMBA will transform Site C, on grounds owned by One Brooklyn Health, creating 57 apartments affordable to a variety of income levels, and on-site services for seniors and chronically homeless families.

• Vital Brookdale, LLC, a joint venture between MDG Design + Construction, Smith & Henzy Advisory Group, and the Foundling Group has been selected to develop one of four sites under Vital Brooklyn’s affordable housing initiative. Vital Brookdale, LLC will transform “Brookdale Hospital: Site B” on grounds owned by One Brooklyn Health, creating 152 apartments affordable to a variety of income levels, and on-site services for the developmentally disabled and individuals aging out of foster care.

Site B is a 40,000 square foot lot, located across from the Brookdale Medical Center, and abuts four-story row houses and a 20-story building on Hegeman Avenue. The development will provide supportive services to developmentally disabled residents living in a subset of the 152 apartments and to people aging out of the foster care system living in another subset of the apartments. Services will include meal planning and nutrition, socialization assistance, and computer use training, among other supports.

The development will feature a computer room, a theater, a kitchen for cooking classes, and entertainment and community rooms. It will house a variety of commercial and community facility uses which may include Community Supported Agriculture access and a Greenhouse, a Daycare/Pre-K facility, and/or an Education and Job Training Center. There will be a second floor terrace with a central plaza, community garden, outdoor seating, and playground, and a seventh floor rooftop viewing terrace. The entire surface of the rooftop will contain solar panels to generate electricity onsite, providing environmental benefits and cost-savings.

• Federation of Organizations has been selected to develop one of four sites under Vital Brooklyn’s affordable housing initiative. The nonprofit, a community-based social wellness agency that provides health, supportive and housing services on Long Island and in New York City, will create 119 affordable homes on a 21,000 square foot lot across the street from Interfaith Medical Center known as “Interfaith Herkimer: Site A.”

The development will provide housing for seniors, including a set aside for frail and elderly seniors who will receive on-site supportive services. Space on the ground floor will be used for food assistance programs. Social workers, case managers and nurses will also operate on site. A terrace on the second floor will have seating and offer exercise classes, and another on the seventh floor will feature an urban farm. The building will be constructed to Passive House Standards and will include solar shades and a green roof.

“Expanding access to affordable housing is a critical component of the Vital Brooklyn initiative to reverse the chronic social, economic, and health disparities in Central Brooklyn,” Governor Cuomo said. “With the addition of thousands of new homes, we are helping to ensure that our neighbors have high quality places to live and continuing our efforts to build a brighter future for Central Brooklyn.”