Massive Development Project Including Apartments Coming to Downtown Brooklyn

Alloy Development announced a massive project to bring two schools, a cultural institution, office and retail space, and 900 mixed-income apartments to Downtown Brooklyn. The project is in response to the area's critical need for public infrastructure and is also a reaction to the booming local real estate market.

"Downtown Brooklyn has been growing quickly, but there hasn't been a lot of public infrastructure," Jared Della Valle, CEO of Alloy, told Curbed. "This is an opportunity to be critical of what's built and its specific context."

The project, known as 80 Flatbush, will be located at the intersection of Third, State and Schermerhorn Streets, and Flatbush Avenue and will be built out over two phases: The first phase will include a 38-story apartment building, an elementary school and a new location for the Khalil Gibran International Academy, which is currently occupying an 1860 Civil War infirmary situated on the project's site.

The second phase, a 74-story tower, will be home to market rate apartments, 200 below-market rate apartments and office space.

For months, Alloy has been approaching neighbors of the site to gather insights on the changes they would like to see in the neighborhood. One of the concerns has been the preservation of the site's historic structures. As a result, Alloy plans to convert the former Civil War infirmary into a 15,000-square-foot cultural facility, hoping that it will act as an extension of the BAM Cultural District across Flatbush Avenue.

"It's rare for a developer to come to us for feedback in the earliest stages of a project," says Peg Breen, president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy. "This project shows that development and preservation can work together and that investing in historic buildings makes economic sense."

The second of the site's historic buildings, a late 19th-century building at the corner of Third Avenue and Schermerhorn Street, will be transformed into retail space for the neighborhood and amenity space for the residents.

Also the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership welcomes the development, Regina Myer, president of the DBP, stresses: "Downtown Brooklyn should grow intelligently, and I hope this project sets a template for the future."