Statement in Support of the Disposition of 163 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, NY (CEQR #15HPD085K)

Permitting the sale of one long-vacant lot (by the Carroll Gardens Association) will permanently preserve 28 units of low-income housing, and two much-loved community gardens.

Statement to Brooklyn Community Board 6’s Economic/Waterfront/Community Development & Housing Committee

Monday January 11, 2016 

This evening representatives for the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Carroll Gardens Association, Inc. (CGA) will present a proposal to amend a project previously approved by Brooklyn Community Board 6, including an amended Land Disposition Agreement and Urban Development Action Area Plan (UDAAP). The proposal is subject to approval by the New York City Council and the Mayor.

The proposal would allow the Carroll Gardens Association to sell the long-vacant, 1,991 square foot vacant lot located at 163 Columbia Street (between Kane and Degraw Streets) to Avery Hall Investments, for redevelopment as a four-unit, market-rate residential building, pursuant to the existing zoning.

Allowing this sale will enable the CGA to permanently preserves 28 units of affordable housing for low-income families, and explore the preservation and creation of additional affordable housing. It also helps us to achieve the permanent preservation of two much-loved community gardens on Columbia Street.

The lot at 163 Columbia Street was originally disposed to CGA by HPD in the early 1990s, as part of a 7-lot package. The other 6 lots (143, 149, 151, 159, 165 and 201 Columbia Street) contained abandoned buildings, which were redeveloped by CGA as 28 units of affordable housing for low-income families. The lot at 163 Columbia was intended to be used as open space, but was never developed, and has been vacant since then. Meanwhile, several other community gardens have been created along Columbia Street.   

Without this proposal, the affordability restrictions on those units would eventually expire, potentially leading to the loss of affordable housing in our community. Instead, as a result of the proposed sale, CGA and HPD have agreed to incorporate language that ensures permanent affordability under inclusionary zoning into the amended regulatory agreement. This agreement will guarantee that the proceeds from the sale are used to improve and stabilize these buildings, and that these units are permanently preserved as affordable housing for low-income families. In addition, the transaction will also provide seed funding for CGA to explore the preservation and creation of as many as 70 new affordable housing units in nearby Red Hook.

Also, as part of my advocacy in connection with this proposal, I urged HPD to transfer ownership of the South Brooklyn Children's Garden and Pirates Cove Community Garden from HPD to the Parks Department, so these treasured but at-risk community gardens will be permanently preserved. In 2015 the South Brooklyn Children’s Garden hosted field trips, served as a community drop-off point for household compost, and donated fresh produce to the Food Bank for New York. I am glad that, when the City last week announced protection of 34 community gardens, both community gardens were included on the list.

By permanently preserving affordable housing for low-income families, and much-loved community gardens, this proposal is a win/win for the Columbia Waterfront.