East New York's WWII-Era Arlington Village Complex Gets a New Look

Arlington Village, a once nearly vacant two-block complex with a complicated history in East New York, has a new, spruced-up look.

Located at 3100-3124 Atlantic Avenue, between Berriman Street and Montauk Avenue, the low grouping of two-story brick buildings has recently been painted white. New listings show a selection of recently renovated two and three bedroom units, which are currently on the market and are relatively affordable.

There are 210 total units in the complex. Although they are being marketed as located in Cypress Hills, the apartments are actually in East New York. All the units appear to be rent regulated.

The entire complex has a storied history. Built in 1949 by the East New York Savings Bank as housing for returning World War II veterans and their families, it was quickly filled to capacity.

It was owned by Fred Stark, who left it to his daughter Rita Stark after he passed away. During her time as owner, the complex fell into disrepair, with many of the units remaining empty.

In 2015 the complex was sold to the Bluestone Group for a total of $30 million. At the time of the sale, a representative for the group told The Real Deal that they were looking to redevelop as affordable housing.

One month later, they donated $10,000 to the Campaign for One New York, a controversial nonprofit started by Bill De Blasio, according to amNY.

At the same time, the complex was part of the city’s plan to rezone East New York. In 2016, the remaining tenants, who complained that neglect at the mostly empty apartments had not changed under new owners, called on the city to remove the complex from its plan.

Its removal from the rezoning, which was made official in February 2016, was thought by some to be a benefit for the community. “With the Village being taken out of the plan, I expect for speculators to have less interest in East New York,” local advocate Darma Diaz told City Limits in 2017.

What’s unclear is what the new look means for Arlington Village. The complex’s removal from the East New York rezoning plan meant that taller, denser buildings could not replace what are now low-rise buildings, and the cleaned up complex looks better than it has in ages. But are these affordable for current residents? Or are they ultimately the first step in driving them out?

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