A minor rejiggering of district boundaries is proving to be a major thorn in the side of the developer of one of the towers planned for Flatbush Avenue. As originally contemplated, the building was going to be built 35 stories as-of-right under the 2003 rezoning of Downtown Brooklyn. The developer, the Galit Network, now wants to add another five stories (which would make it equal to the next-door Oro’s 40 stories) by purchasing air rights from the 84th Precinct and firehouse on Johnson Street (and promising to include some 20-odd below-market apartments in the project). This would probably have been a cake-walk when the project sat in the 33rd district, which Galit’s lawyer, Ken Fisher, represented as councilman until 2001. Now, because of a redistricting, the project falls into Tish James’s territory. Therein lies the problem: James is opposed to the fact that the below-market apartments are not true “affordable housing” in light of the fact that the developer bought square footage from a true affordable housing project on Carlton Avenue. There is possibility I will vote it down [in ULURP] and there will be no affordable housing on this project at all either on or off site, James said. In that case, Fisher counters, the project will be entirely market rate. The matter goes to a community board vote on March 14.
Trouble Looms Over New Tower [Fort Greene Courier] GMAP