An over $200 million project is getting underway in Brownsville, where construction began this week on the Brownsville Arts Center & Apartments.

The project will transform the city-owned lot turned dumping ground into 283 units of affordable housing.

The building will also house formerly homeless families, with a three-bedroom unit starting at under $1,000.

Residents can expect crews to begin clearing the long fields of grasses and mature trees that have grown on the site, as well as clear the debris left behind inside the lot.

The project comes as a public private partnership between HPD and multiple developers as part of the $1 billion Brownsville Plan project, which seeks to bring new housing, mixed-use development and public spaces to the area.

This latest project would represent the single largest building toward that goal currently, with the entire comprised of housing at the affordable price point.

"The fact that a family can move into a three-bedroom here, a new three-bedroom, that's energy-efficient and state-of-the-art for less than $1,000 a month is extremely important," said Yarojin Robinson, senior vice president of Gilbane development, adding "We heard time and again from the lengthy public comment period that people needed housing in this community but also services and places for young people to go and be served," he said.

The building will feature a 28,000-square-feet of arts and culture space that will be the home of a dance and performing arts school run by Purelements, a music school run by Brooklyn Music School, and a media lab and arts center run by BRIC.

The building will also feature a collaborative black box theater that will accommodate a range of uses, including theater, dance, music and film. The theater will provide continuous cultural programming and will be accessible to the community and general public for events.

A new public plaza on the site of what currently is a demolished concrete pad will serve as a new public courtyard with access to that theater, where the community will be able to see those performances at a reduced cost, according to HPD associate commissioner for the Office of Neighborhood Strategies at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development Michael Sandler.

"We listed to the community that wanted the programming to go with these spaces, and the closest art center like this is in Downtown Brooklyn, over 4 miles away," Sandler said.

Those who live near the site say they are glad to see the long-time abandoned field turned into something that serves the community.

"I always walk by here and it always looks like this [rundown], and so to see its going to be housing and a center, that's cool," said resident Ryan.

The project is expected to be completed in late 2027.

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