Team of 4 Community Orgs. Designated!
There is strength in numbers, and in unity there is true strength. All the division among the separate parties vying for the opportunity to develop the Broadway Triangle — the eight-block lot whose edges border on three neighborhoods (Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Bed-Stuy) — that delayed this site’s development was demolished by collaboration and partnership, via the forming of Unified Neighborhood Partners. UNP is a development team comprised of St. Nicks Alliance, RiseBoro Community Partnership, Southside United Housing Development Fund Corporation – Los Sures, United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg (UJO), and Mega Contracting. Their development proposal for the Broadway Triangle includes plans to construct five new entirely affordable buildings that will have a combined total of 387 new apartments that will serve extremely low-, very low-income, and formerly homeless households. This proposal was selected in March by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).
“After almost a decade in litigation, Broadway Triangle, one of the largest remaining City-owned sites in North Brooklyn, will soon start a new chapter as a mixed-use, affordable housing development with vital commercial, community, and open space,” said Acting HPD Commissioner Eric Enderlin. “The selected development team has deep ties to the area, and has proposed a plan that not only provides 380 deeply affordable homes, but responds to the diverse needs of the broader community.”
The Broadway Triangle Community Coalition (BTCC) has devoted over thirty years to developing affordable housing in the Broadway Triangle and several of the past years in litigation over rezoning. In the end the BTCC settlement with the City of New York became the framework for the request for proposal (RFP) that led to the selection of the locally based team.
Frank Lang, Director of Affordable Housing and Development, St. Nicks Alliance, said, “St. Nicks Alliance and [Southside United Housing Development Fund Corporation] Los Sures have been active in developing affordable housing in the Broadway Triangle for over 30 years. This new development helps to expand on previous affordable housing in the Broadway Triangle, while building a unified community. We are particularly proud to have joined with our fellow community development corporations; Los Sures, United Jewish Organizations, Riseboro, and Mega Development to undertake this ground-breaking project.”
“The one thing we know is that our community needs affordable housing and these four groups have been leading the way in providing that for decades. Coming together to do this project shows the level of commitment each organization has to its community and their needs,” said Juan Ramos, Executive Director of Southside United- Los Sures.
“[This]plan unlocks our dream of building affordable housing to help about 400 families and thousands of people with real affordable units,” said Rabbi David Niederman, President of the UJO of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn. “We are happy that we finally came up together with a successful plan to help so many in the community who are desperate for affordable housing – whether they need small or large family units. We are grateful to the Mayor, HPD, and our elected officials for uniting our neighborhood with a vision that provides housing to all.”
New York City Council Member Stephen T. Levin said, “I am thrilled that HPD has worked with the North Brooklyn community to finally deliver the long awaited and much needed affordable housing to the Broadway Triangle.”
“This plan will be led by a team of community groups, each with deep roots in the community and a legacy of successfully serving the unique needs of their constituents. Each organization will offer a distinct contribution to this project and will help deliver a development that is truly reflective of our community’s needs and desires,” said Council Member Antonio Reynoso.
Joseph Robles, St. Nicks Alliance Chair said, “As the owner of a family business, Knights Collision (which called the Broadway Triangle home for over 50 years), I am personally pleased to see the neighborhood redevelopment continue and for the four organizations to work together to build badly needed affordable housing as a part of the long-term development of the Broadway Triangle.”
The Greenline 