Herkimer Williams development project moves forward to City Council
The city planning commission's vote to move the project forward comes after the community board voted unanimously against it and offered a list of recommendations they still believe are crucial.
Broadway Junction, one of the busiest corridors in Brooklyn, could soon be getting more affordable housing and space for the community to gather.
After two years, the city's planning commission voted to advance the Herkimer Williams project—which promises to bring open space, retail options, community services - and most importantly, 1,000 new affordable housing units in East New York.
Only one city planning commissioner voted against the proposal.
"The household income for this area is $46,000 and change,” said Leah Goodridge, at Monday’s planning commission meeting. “Most of the units will be starting at $56,000 and change."
However, that concern for the existing plan was not enough to stop it.
The city planning commission's vote to move the project forward comes after the community board voted unanimously against it and offered a list of recommendations they still believe are crucial.
"Decreasing building heights,” said Boris Santos, president of East New York Community Land Trust, and former community board member. “Decreasing the commercial office space square footage, making sure that these units are deeply affordable, maybe possibly ensuring that some of those units are home ownership units."
The current proposal includes apartment buildings nearly 30 stories high — taller than the newest building just constructed in this area, which still has not been filled.
For Boris Santos, the priority is always preventing displacement and making sure lifelong East New York residents are the first to benefit from all investments.
"The council member here in deference to this project is council member Sandy Nurse,” said Santos. “We want to ensure that when she's at the negotiating table – she's voting "yes" if a substantial amount of the community board's recommendations are fulfilled.”
The project will move forward to the City Council on Thursday.
