A celebration was held on September 15 to acknowledge the steadfast effort it took St. Nicks Alliance to bring an additional 187 affordable senior units to the corner of Grand Street and Bushwick Avenue, and to cheer on the start of construction.
“Older Brooklynites built the neighborhoods that we love, and it’s only right that they have access to housing in the communities they’ve always called home,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “With this development, St. Nicks Alliance is giving older adults in East Williamsburg the chance to live with support, community, and dignity, right in their own neighborhood. I’m proud to see this project cross the finish line, and grateful to St. Nicks Alliance for uplifting North Brooklyn and advocating for our neighbors who need it most.”
A new fourteen-story building, which will utilize the bones of the old Chase Bank in addition to a newly constructed extension, will adjoin Jennings Hall’s 150 units that for 45 years have provided critical homes for the low-income elderly. The soon-to-be constructed 187 units in combination with the Jennings Hall units will form a campus of 337 low-income elderly rental apartments.
“This project is about ultimately creating a place for where older New Yorkers can live with dignity, stability, security, and a true sense of community. Today we celebrate a remarkable $213M mixed-use development that will create 337 affordable apartments for lower-income older adults,” said St. Nicks Alliance Vice Chair Laura James. “There’s something particularly meaningful about where we are standing today. Jennings Hall is truly where the story of St. Nicks Alliance began. This is the first project developed by St. Nicks Alliance, completed in 1980. What began here almost four decades ago was rooted in a fundamental belief that everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to call home and the opportunity to build a better life.”
St. Nicks Alliance built Jennings Hall following a 1975 fire which destroyed a row of houses that displaced nineteen families. For several years, they’ve been looking to expand Jennings Hall.
NYC Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez said, “I was a staff member for our borough president when we had the initial meetings of what this could be.” She added that this project took so long because for other administrations it was easier to say “no” than how to extend services for aging adults. “But the resilience of St. Nicks Alliance, the board, of course, our leadership here of elected officials who have all said, ‘If we’re lucky, one day, we can age in place.’ … St. Nicks Alliance in North Brooklyn is one of our top organizations. Certainly an organization that I lean on. Yes. For housing development, for social services, and it’s only getting harder and harder. Our communities are only getting hungrier. They’re having more more difficulty accessing health care, accessing transportation, long-term retirement, and St. Nicks Alliance is really that organization that is assessing those intersections and creating solutions for it.”
“The [below] market housing options for older New Yorkers have never been more urgent, especially here in Brooklyn. The moment demands bold and innovative solutions to effectively meet the urgent housing needs of our city seniors,” said NYC Housing Development Corp. Sr. Vice President of Development Lauren Conners. “Grand Jennings will play a critical role in alleviating the growing cost of housing for older adults. HDC is proud to be part of a project that once complete will provide onsite services that will strengthen the overall health and wellbeing of the building’s future residents. The project is a result of effective interagency coordination and reflects the strong power of public/private partnerships.”
In addition to the affordable senior housing, Grand Jennings will bring all residents on the combined Jennings campus social services from dedicated St. Nicks Alliance staff. The second and third floors of the new building contain a 24,000 sq. ft. community facility with social service counseling for low-income and special needs residents. The building also includes 5,000 square feet of ground floor retail.
