Rendering of 911 Erskine Street, courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

There are nearly 200 affordable apartments up for grabs at a brand new development in the Spring Creek section of East New York in Brooklyn. Located at 911 Erskine Street, the complex is part of the mixed-use Fountains Development, which broke ground in 2017. The nine-story building sits between Betts Creek and Hendrix Creek of the Jamaica Bay and directly across from the massive shopping center, the Gateway Plaza Mall. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which include studios from $328/month and three-bedroom apartments up to $1,504/month.

Here’s how to apply

The nearby Sperandeo Brothers Playground and 315 Linwood Street under construction as of May; Map data © 2019 Google

Linwood Park Apartments, a new development at 315 Linwood Street in East New York, has just launched an affordable housing lottery. The 10-story complex is located in the rezoned Atlantic Avenue corridor and is made up entirely of affordable units, available to those earning 40, 50, and 60 percent of the area median income. 69 apartments are available in the lottery, ranging from $856/month studios to $1,504/month three-bedrooms. Eight of those units have been set aside for those who qualify for Section 8, meaning eligible residents will pay 30 percent of their income for rent.

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Rendering courtesy of NYC HPD

A lottery opened this week for 41 affordable apartments in a newly constructed building in eastern Brooklyn. Located at 463 Livonia Avenue, the site is part of the city’s Livonia Avenue Initiative, a program aimed at revitalizing the Brooklyn neighborhoods of East New York and Brownsville. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 50, and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from a $590/month one-bedroom to a $1,449/per month three-bedroom apartment.

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Renderings courtesy of Pennrose, LLC

A groundbreaking celebration this week officially kicked off construction at 50 Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York. The Dattner Architects-designed project—referred to as 50 Penn—is led by Philadelphia-based developer Pennrose with RiseBoro Community Partnership, who will manage the property. It will bring 218 units of affordable and moderate-income housing to the neighborhood, alongside retail options on the ground floor that will include a healthy grocery store. The development is slated for completion in July 2021.

More details

Rendering by WXY Architecture & Urban Design

The city released on Thursday its preliminary vision to revitalize Brooklyn’s third busiest transit station. Council Member Rafael Espinal Jr. and Borough President Eric Adams, along with the city’s Economic Development Corporation, laid out a plan to transform Broadway Junction, which connects six residential neighborhoods via five subway lines and six bus routes, into an accessible, attractive hub. The plan falls under the East New York Neighborhood Plan, a rezoning approved by the city in 2016.

See the plan

Revised rendering from August by Dattner Architects via LPC

Update 8/14/19: The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved Dattner Architects’ plan to construct a 14-story building behind the Empire State Dairy. According to Brownstoner, the architects removed the cantilever element from the project’s previous design and plan to preserve the chimney, instead of demolishing it. The new tower will replace two existing, but not landmarked, buildings, and include over 330 affordable apartments.

An affordable housing developer on Tuesday presented plans to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a new building that would cantilever over the Empire State Dairy building in East New York. HP Brooklyn Dairy Housing Development Fund Company, part of the nonprofit Housing Partnership Development Corporation, wants to construct a 14-story tower on top of the early 20th-century factory, located at 2840 Atlantic Avenue. Landmarked in 2017, the factory is notable for its architectural style and decorative tile murals. Dattner Architects created the designs for the proposed complex shown in the new renderings. The new construction would be a major change for the property, which was purchased by the developer for $16.75 million last year.

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Rendering courtesy of Monadnock Development/ MHG Architects

An affordable housing lottery launched on Tuesday for 143 units in Spring Creek, a neighborhood in East New York once known only for its landfills and undeveloped marshland. As part of a multi-phase, decades-long project by the city, the area has been slowly transforming into a community of mixed-income and mixed-use developments. The fourth phase of a development called Nehemiah Spring Creek is now accepting applications for studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, set aside for New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60, and 90 percent of the area median income. Apartments up for grabs range from a $426/month one-bedroom to a $1,660/month three-bedroom.

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Via Flickr

Certain basement apartments in East New York will be transformed into legal and affordable homes thanks to a new law signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday. The legislation creates a three-year pilot program that helps homeowners renovate cellar and basement units to meet the new code standards, which include minimum ceiling heights, window sizes, and proper safety requirements. “There are thousands of basement apartments in our City, but too many are illegal and unsafe,” de Blasio said in a statement. “This program will help New Yorkers secure safe, affordable homes and give homeowners a new legal source of income.”

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Rendering courtesy of Think! Architecture and Design

Hoping to create affordable housing more quickly and at a lower cost, New York City is turning to cutting-edge construction methods. The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced on Monday plans to develop 167 affordable housing units in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York using modular construction. The $70 million project would become the first under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York 2.0 program to use this method of building on property owned by the city. As first reported by the Wall Street Journal, officials think modular construction could reduce the project’s timeline by 25 to 30 percent.

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Via Practice for Architecture and Urbanism

A Christian megachurch in East New York is partnering with the Gotham Organization to redevelop their East New York campus into a mixed-income community, or “urban village” as Reverend A.R. Bernard calls it, of 2,100 affordable units and neighborhood amenities. The plan from the Christian Cultural Center, led by Bernard, will supplement the existing church at 12020 Flatlands Avenue in Brooklyn and create a community with CCC at its core.

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