Plan to Bring High-Rise Apartments to Empire Boulevard Clears City Planning
Opposed by the local community board, the controversial Crown Heights spot rezoning now heads to City Council.
A rendering of 73-99 Empire Boulevard by S9 Architecture. Image via Brooklyn borough president rezoning hearing presentation
A controversial 13-story mixed-used development on Crown Heights’ Empire Boulevard is one step closer to approval, with the City Planning Commission today backing a rezoning that would allow for its construction.
The commissioners voted yes on the proposed spot rezoning from Bridges Development Group to build a mixed-use complex with 261 apartments at 73-99 Empire Boulevard. The large corner lot also fronts McKeever and Sullivan places. Thanks to the city’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program, 78 of the apartments would be income restricted and rent stabilized.
Throughout the rezoning process, local community members have opposed the development, instead backing a plan in line with existing zoning. They community board voted no on the proposal in January, saying the new building will shade outdoor public and school areas, that the apartments will not be affordable to locals or offer other community benefits, and that the 13-story complex could set a precedent for high-rise development on the low-rise commercial stretch.
Commissioner Juan Camilo Osorio said that while he supports the rezoning, it is only with the recommendation “to strengthen the language in the report regarding the importance to initiate a study with the community to assess the needs and opportunities to guide future development in the neighborhood, or in the corridor.”
That recommendation was similar to what Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said in his recent approval of the project, where he wrote that Department of City Planning should look into a broader plan for the Empire Boulevard corridor.
He said such a plan could facilitate more housing, improve streetscapes and public spaces, and recognize the area’s historical significance—including the former site of Ebbets Field and the location of the Malbone Street subway crash. He said in the approval that the current zoning focuses on supporting automotive uses, which he said seems inappropriate for the area’s changing character.
The rezoning will now move to the City Council, where a public hearing will be held before a vote. If the City Council approves the project, it will then hit the mayor’s desk for final approval.
Related Stories
- BP Supports Empire Boulevard Rezoning, While Locals Push Back at Hearing
- Locals Push Back on Crown Heights Spot Rezoning Over Shade, Displacement
- Building of the Day: 73-97 Empire Boulevard, an Ebbets Field Parking Garage
Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
The Brooklyn infrastructure is not equipped to support more housing. The streets and subways are overcrowded, and the situation is far worse than in Manhattan. If you’re seeking housing, the best course of action is to move upstate or to New Jersey, where there’s ample open land ready for development.
Really? Actually Brooklyn is only now surpassing the population it had in 1950 (after which there was a long decline as people moved out to the suburbs). While Brooklyn saw almost 10% of population increase from 2010 to 2020, the already built subways, roads, sewers etc, not to speak of the access to jobs, education and healthcare, are exactly why we should build more housing in Brooklyn.
Yeah, subway ridership has been reported as down 30% compared to pre-pandemic.
I say bring on the high rises to Empire. As long as they include ground level retail so the sidewalks arent deserted.