School to address increased capacity. On July 27, 2005, the City Council approved a proposal by the New York City School Construction Authority for the construction of a 62,000-square-foot primary/intermediate school in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. The project site consists of two privately owned parcels located on East 107th Street, between Flatlands and Avenue J. The first parcel is 17,000 sq.ft and contains a vacant two-story building previously used as a Yeshiva; the second is a 2,000-square-foot paved parcel formerly used as a parking lot and play area.
The school will provide additional student capacity by offering 500 new seats of pre-kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms, special education facilities, gymnasium, auditorium, library, administrative space, and cafeteria. The construction of the school will meet Community School District 18’s projected goals of additional capacity at the primary and intermediate levels and reduced class size.
At the July 26, 2005 hearing of the Council’s Land Use Committee, Council Member Charles Barron expressed his support for the new school in his district, saying that its location next to the Breuklen Houses was ideal and would serve to alleviate the district’s overcrowded schools. The full Council approved at the July 27 stated meeting.
Approval Process: The School Construction Authority, as lead agency, issued a negative declaration on May 5, 2005 with several conditions, including that the entire site be paved or capped to prevent contact with existing soil contaminants, that surveys for asbestos and lead paint be conducted, and that DOT be petitioned to install a traffic signal at the intersection of Flatlands Avenue and East 107th Street. On December 22, 2005, Community Board 18 and the School Construction Authority conducted a joint public hearing, after which Community Board 18 recommended against the construction. The Planning Commission did not submit a recommendation.
Dorothy Turano, District Manager for Community Board 18, reported to CityLand that the Board opposed construction because the proposed school was, in its view, unnecessary since local schools were not overcrowded. She added that the Board believed that the proposed school was poorly located, just blocks away from an existing elementary school, and too costly, since the existing structure would need to be demolished.
Council: Primary/Intermediate School Facility, Community School District No. 18 (July 27, 2005). CITYADMIN