85 Low-Income Affordable Housing Units at Dekalb Commons

The ribbon cutting of Dekalb Commons, three buildings of low-income affordable housing in Bedford-Stuyvesant, was celebrated on October 27. Pictured (l to r): Scott Short, president of St. Nicks Alliance CDC; Brian Halusan, director of real estate development for St. Nicks Alliance; Neala Martin, senior vice president of acquisitions at CREA LLC; Philip Hofmann, assistant director of real estate development for St. Nicks Alliance; Sara Bayer, associate principal and director of sustainability at Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP); Frank Lang, director of affordable housing policy and advocacy for St. Nicks Alliance; NYC Council Member Chi Ossé; Michael Rochford, executive director of St. Nicks Alliance; Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso; Rachel Joseph, interim CEO of Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation; Ezra Braithwaite, real estate project manager for St. Nicks Alliance; NYS Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman; Takisia Whites, chief business development officer of economic initiatives and real estate for Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation; Lindsay Greene, president & CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and board member of Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation; and Laura James, vice chair of St. Nicks Alliance.

On October 27, St. Nicks Alliance, Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration, and local elected officials celebrated the ribbon cutting of Dekalb Commons at 652 Dekalb Avenue, one of three buildings that comprises this development. This trio of buildings bring 85 low-income apartments that include thirteen supportive housing units for formerly homeless individuals. St. Nicks Alliance and Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration are co-developers of this project.

“St. Nicks Alliance was awarded these buildings from [NYC Housing Preservation and Development] many years ago. And is our practice, when we are awarded a site in another community we look to our partner community development corporation, and we reached out to Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration to partner with us on this project,” said Michael Rochford, executive director of St. Nicks Alliance.

Dekalb Common’s Passive House design received the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Buildings of Excellence Blue Ribbon Award. This award bestowed $1M for the design, construction, and operation of clean, resilient, and carbon neutral nature of this multi-family building.

“I know I’m not the only one who is aware of this, but the housing crisis is severe here in New York City and people need roofs over their heads. And the fact that this building was delivered in a rapid pace — that’s not only building housing in general, [it’s] building deeply affordable housing. There’s going to be rents for apartments under $1000 a month in this building,” said NYC Council Member Chi Ossé. He also mentioned his office invested $2M in this project.

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso acknowledged that his predecessor, Eric Adams, was Brooklyn borough president when the office funded this development. “He gave money to this project and because of it we got more housing.” He added that we need to create more affordable housing and that government should enable these projects to happen faster.

Dekalb Commons received $62.3M in financing from multiple sources, some of which are: HPD’s ELLA program, NYC Council discretionary capital funding, and as mentioned, NYC Council Member Ossé, the NYSERDA award, Office of the Brooklyn Borough President, the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program delivered by CREA LLC and HSBC bank.