A long-vacant city-owned lot at the intersection of Bergen Street and Wyckoff Street in Boerum Hill is set to become a new affordable housing development known as The Nevins.

The proposed 10-story building will include 70 apartments, all designated as affordable housing. According to Ben Palevsky, pre-development director at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), 70% of the units will be available through the city’s Housing Connect lottery.

The remaining 30% will be reserved for families transitioning out of the city’s shelter system.

The project is a public-private partnership between HPD and the nonprofit Fifth Avenue Committee.

It is now entering the public comment phase, and early reactions from residents have been overwhelmingly positive.

“This is fantastic. There are a lot of people who definitely need it,” said area resident and current tenant of another Fifth Avenue Committee building Tony Montana. “It’s great to see the neighborhood grow and thrive.”

Dani Finkel, a Boerum Hill resident of 23 years, said the development could help ease housing costs in the area.

“This will contribute to lower-cost housing because all of us are like, to the edge here,” she said.

In addition to housing, the plan includes a publicly accessible garden that will replace the gravel lot with green space. The garden is one of several community areas designed to be open to all, not just residents of the building.

“We specifically designed it to be a resource for tenants and the community,” said Michelle de la Uz, executive director of the Fifth Avenue Committee. “It will support participants of the workforce development center, host community meetings and provide space for those who need it.”

News 12 was told affordable units inside will cap out at 80% of area median income, while the supportive housing for homeless families will be even lower cost, with both sitting at permanently affordable rates.

The building’s design also reflects community input. Services will be located on the ground floor, while upper floors are set back to reduce the visual impact of the structure.

The site will also feature disaster related infrastructure including a generator to help in the event of flooding, that came to the neighborhood during super storm Sandy, as well as a solar panel-filled roof.

Construction is expected to be completed before 2030.

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