CB8 Votes Against Crown Heights Residential Conversion

While the City Planning Commission moved to rezone Crown Heights to preserve its character and encourage affordable housing, the neighborhood community board, Board Eight, decided not to support a bid by a group of artists to convert a warehouse at 964 Dean Street as live-work space, DNAinfo reported; the no vote at the board level came despite support at the committee level. The concerns were similar; board members said they want to preserve the area’s industrial nature and encourage affordable housing, according to the story. The building was in foreclosure when the artists bought it with the plan of being able to stay in the area despite escalating property prices. “It’s been a desire for those of us who are working together to make this happen — not to flood the market with these really high end apartments, not to make a killing on selling this, but so we can establish a place where we can continue to live and work,” said artist Nicola Lopez, one of the owners.
Brooklyn Board Votes Down Residential Conversion for Warehouse [DNAinfo]
Photo by Nicola Lopez for DNAinfo