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14‑story Marcus Garvey LSGD proposal seeks 1‑for‑1 parking replacement, 60% AMI affordability; hearing laid over
Summary
Developers seeking to build a 14‑story, fully affordable senior housing tower on Marcus Garvey Boulevard told the Council's Land Use subcommittee they will replace parking on a 1‑for‑1 basis and target rents at 60% AMI; the hearing was laid over for future consideration.
Developers and their counsel presented the Marcus Garvey Boulevard large‑scale general development (LSGD) application (LU-300, LU-301 and LU-302) to the New York City Council Land Use subcommittee, seeking a zoning map amendment, a zoning text amendment and a zoning special permit to construct a 14‑story affordable senior housing building on a site currently used as a parking lot in Bedford‑Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
Eric Polatnik, attorney for the applicant, described the proposal as a rezoning from R6A to R7A with a special permit to increase building height from a permitted 90 feet to a proposed height of approximately 155 feet to accommodate a 14‑story building. He said the new tower would be built on an existing parking lot and that the application proposes a 1‑for‑1 replacement of seller‑level parking spaces. Polatnik said the parking lot is underused, with photographic and application materials indicating roughly 50 percent average occupancy, and that documentation of utilization was included in the application.
Applicant Chris Bramwell and the team said the project would create 292 additional units, bringing the broader campus to about 560 units total, and would be fully affordable, targeted to households at 60 percent of area median income (AMI). Funding sources identified by the applicant include federal low‑income housing tax credits and other subsidy sources; the applicant confirmed an intent to pursue HPD term sheets including the HPD SARAH term sheet when asked. Bramwell said security and site upgrades are core components of the proposal: a new plaza, courtyard replanting, upgraded fencing, new lighting, perimeter security improvements, sidewalks and street trees.
Council Member Osei raised questions about tenant impacts and unit mix. The applicant said the new building as proposed would include a high number of studio units—applicants cited approximately 222 studios and 69 one‑bedroom units—explaining the unit mix was chosen to match typical senior household sizes and program goals. The applicant said not all tenants would receive vouchers but rents are proposed at 60% AMI levels. On tenant disruption, the applicants said they have met with current residents of Willoughby Court Apartments and plan upgrades and support; they stated the parking replacement would be provided and that construction would not begin for at least a year following approvals, with construction lasting roughly 18–24 months.
