The Flatbush Caton Market at 794 Flatbush Avenue.
Approval would allow the construction of 251 Affordable Units above a local vendor market and community facility. On March 28, 2017, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee will consider an application from the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to dispose of city-owned property, transferring the property to BRP Caton Flats LLC. The subject lot is located at 794 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn’s Flatbush-Ditmas Park neighborhood. The development application also requires a zoning map amendment to change the project area from R7A and R7A/C2-4 zoning districts to an R8A/C2-4 zoning district, and a zoning text amendment to designate the location as a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Area.
The subject property is currently occupied by a one-story building used by the Flatbush Caton Market, 49 parking spaces and an outdoor plaza space. The Market is a group of local vendors that is managed by the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (“CACCI”). The Market is operated by 39 vendors in 43 stalls selling a variety of goods and services.
The approval would facilitate the development of a 14-story mixed-use building with a total floor area of 228,957 square feet. The building would contain 197,912 square feet of residential floor area for 251 affordable units. The Flatbush Caton Market would continue to operate in a 9,370-square-foot commercial space. The 11,221 square feet of commercial space would be utilized by both a non-profit business incubator and by CACCI for a new headquarters. The development would also include 63 below-grade parking spaces, some of which would be dedicated for market vendors and visitors.
During the construction of the new building, current vendors would be relocated to a temporary site at 2215 Vanderveer Place, near Flatbush Avenue approximately 3/4 miles south of its current location.
Brooklyn Community Board 14 and Borough President Eric Adams both recommended approval of the application. On February 22, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on the application.
CC: Planning, 794 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn (C170127PPK, C170128ZMK and N170129ZRK) (March 16, 2017).
By: Jonathon Sizemore (Jonathon is the CityLaw Fellow and a New York Law School Graduate, Class of 2016).