Image Credit: NYC HPD
The sustainable-design building would offer on-site supportive services and comes with several amenities for tenants. On July 31, 2019, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on an application to convert City-owned property at 776-780 Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn to a nine-story affordable and supportive housing development. The applicant team is comprised of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, IMPACCT Brooklyn, and Urban Architectural Initiatives. To facilitate the development, the applicants are seeking disposition of the City-owned property and Urban Development Action Area Project (UDAAP) designation and project approval.
The proposed development would be located on three vacant City-owned lots located on the south side of Myrtle Avenue, between Nostrand and Marci Avenues. The new 47,500 square-foot, nine-story building would contain a ground floor commercial space and 59 units and a super’s unit. The building would have a bedroom mix of 45 studios, eight one-bedroom, and six two-bedroom units. Thirty-six of the units would be set aside for supportive housing and 23 of the units would be affordable housing.
The affordable housing units would be targeted to households earning up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income. The expected rent for a studio apartment is $822 and $1,259 for a two-bedroom for households earning between $30,583 for a one-person household, and $53,523 for a three-person household.
IMPACCT Brooklyn would be the social service provider to the supportive housing tenants. IMPACCT Brooklyn is a non-profit organization that preserves and develops affordable housing with a commitment to economic mobility and racial equity. IMPACCT has been a provider of supportive housing for two other facilities, Gibbs Mansion and the Navy Green Facility, for twenty years.
The proposed development at 776-780 Myrtle Avenue would offer a variety of amenities including bike storage, laundry room, community room, and a landscaped courtyard at the rear. The supportive services space would be located in the cellar of the building. After discussions with local elected officials about the type of commercial space needed in the area, the applicants envision a neighborhood café for the first floor of the building with a workforce development component. The site is in an area that is accessible by public transportation, with the Myrtle-Willoughby G Train stop close by, as well as the B54 and B55 bus service.
The building would be constructed with sustainability features inspired by the Passive House standards, including a well-insulated enclosure, energy-efficient fiberglass windows, central air, mechanical ventilation through the roof, and a combination of blue and green roof. The applicants plan a courtyard at the rear of the building which would lead to the cellar supportive services space. The rear yard would feature different types of seating and open space. The front of the building would be complete with rain gardens lining the front of the street trees. The applicants anticipate constructing the building by the Fall of 2022, pending successful public review of this application.
City Planning Commissioners Michelle de La Uz and David J. Burney commended the applicants on the sustainable design of the building. No one from the public testified on the application.
[UPDATE]: On August 28, 2019, City Planning unanimously voted to approve the application.
By: Viktoriya Gray (Viktoriya is the CityLaw Fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018).