Celebration for start of Phase 2 of Kingsland Commons to be completed in April 2027
A gathering of elected officials, builders, and financers, plus many of the community activists who had fought for this development for four decades were brought together by St. Nicks Alliance and The Hudson Companies to celebrate the ground breaking of Phase 2 of Kingsland Commons. This phase will bring an eighteen story building with 311 units of truly and permanently affordable housing this corner of North Brooklyn located on Maspeth Avenue between Kingsland and Debevoise Avenues. It is estimated to be completed in April 2027.
Many may think this development began in 2018 when the news broke that the City of New York designated St. Nicks Alliance and Hudson Companies as a joint venture team to develop the remaining vacant land and long neglected properties. At the beginning of the ground breaking celebration, St. Nicks Alliance Executive Director Michael Rochford credited the four decades of community activism that provided the vision for the development.
“It’s very important to talk about the community vision. One day the city abruptly closed the Greenpoint Hospital and that left the whole campus vacant. Although the community organized and they wanted health services and they wanted affordable housing – what they got was the city moved 1,150 men into all of the buildings in the campus and it became one of New York State’s largest homeless shelters in that period of time. A group came together and they called themselves the Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corporation (GREC) and they put together a community plan for development and submitted it to the city with a $5,000 deposit that they scraped together, but the city didn’t accept it. But that didn’t stop our GREC members from moving ahead. They fought for 40 years including keeping vigil for 40 nights, and when that didn’t work they shut down the BQE, and when that didn’t work, in a friendly way, they kidnapped the [HRA] commissioner and fed him milk and cookies for three hours. He took it in the greatest spirit. But it was their way to try to get the city to respond, and they did a fabulous job. It was really their vision which got us here today,” said Rochford.
Kingsland Commons’ second phase defines deeply affordable homes as those for low-income families earning between 30 and 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). Additionally, 93 of the units will be set aside for formerly homeless individuals. The newly constructed apartment building will offer a range of studios, one, two, and three-bedroom units. Amenities will include an outdoor courtyard and playground, a rooftop terrace, laundry room, fitness center, bike storage, a children’s playroom, and a tenants’ lounge. This part of the development will cost $235M
“We thank again our Mayor Eric Adams and our Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and our commissioner (HPD) for their presence here today because it’s not easy to get that capital together,” said Rochford. Later on Rochford also thanked the past and present members of Brooklyn Community Board 1
“It really takes a village to get something like this done. In transforming a historic former hospital campus into a vibrant community of affordable housing, Kingsland Commons is a prime example of what our city needs more of–developments that not only provide homes but make a positive impact on the neighborhood for generations to come,” said Ernesto Padron, development director of The Hudson Companies.
After acknowledging the community’s consistency and dedication for several decades, Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer said, “I’d like to think when I was at HPD and with the team there back in 2018 we finally got it right and designated the redevelopment of this entire site to an amazing partnership between St. Nicks Alliance and Hudson and so many of you. Here’s what’s important to me about this project, it represents so much of what we have to do across the city to tackle this housing crisis that has for too long gone unabated. Everyone knows here the sobering statistics of a 1.4% rental vacancy rate, tens of thousands of New Yorkers sleeping in shelter last night. What we do know in this administration working with so many partners in public and private sectors is we don’t have to live this way. We can make the types of bold courageous choices to tackle the housing crisis.”
NYC Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez said, “It has not only been a long time coming it is a testament to housing and social justice that is finally being served here in our communities. So many folks that never ever backed down that put pressure on every single elected official at the city level and at the state level years ago to say it is unjust to have this site be vacant when there are people in shelters or there are people across the street fighting for maintenance repairs.”
NYC Council Member Lincoln Restler stated “This community has been fighting literally for decades to make sure that ever since Greenpoint Hospital closed in 1982 this site would be redeveloped for our community — not for some wealthy developer but for our community. We still have Phase 3 and Phase 4 to look forward to. This is going to be a half a billion dollar plus project to generate a 100% deeply affordable housing so the people of Williamsburg and Greenpoint have an affordable home forever. I really want to give credit not just to all of the community leaders here today and the ones that we lost. Especially Tish and Guido and Diane Jackson who I think are looking down on us today and smiling who are incredibly proud of the work they put in, but this wouldn’t happen without partners in government. When Antonio was the councilman for this area he said before I leave office we are going to get this ULURP done we are going to make sure there is a path forward for the Greenpoint Hospital.” He also acknowledged NYC Council Member Gutiérrez, the previous and current mayoral administrations, and Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer.
NYS Senator Julia Salazar said, “I want to thank St. Nicks Alliance whether it is building deeply affordable housing or providing affordable child care. [They] see the challenges our communities face in Greenpoint and Williamsburg and Bushwick and they take action and that has always been true of St. Nicks Alliance and the incredible team who are making this development possible.”
NYS Assembly Member Maritza Davila, “What a beautiful day today. When community comes together you did your thing. It’s just that simple: you did your thing together as a community. When you go up to Albany what we continuously hear ‘Affordable housing is dead and we’re not going to be able to build it.’ This is proof that when North Brooklyn sticks together this is the result of that, being relentless. Keep the fight up.”
In a few years, the residents of Kingsland Commons Phase 2 will have homes thanks to forty years of community effort and support from elected officials.
The Greenline 