Governor Andrew Cuomo announced 291 affordable and supportive apartments and a new community hub will be built on Clarkson Avenue in East Flatbush.
The new development, named the Clarkson Estates, will provide 146 units to youth aging out of foster care, those formerly incarcerated and formerly homeless young adults. The development is part of Cuomo's $1.4 billion Vital Brooklyn housing project that aims to create 4,000 affordable units in Central Brooklyn. Recently, Cuomo announced plans for a 322-unit development also in East Flatbush.
The governor said it was more important than ever to expand access to safe and affordable housing due to the hardships created by the pandemic. "This project is going to result in nearly 300 new affordable and supportive housing units that will help hundreds of our friends and neighbors in Central Brooklyn," he said.
The development will have free Wi-Fi, laundry rooms, supportive services and case management spaces, a fitness room, training kitchen, library, computer room, bike storage and a community room. There will also be a CSA drop-off point for fresh fruits and vegetables for residents and a Health and Homes Screening Center to provide nurse visits and health screenings. Outside, there will be spaces for gardening, a children's play area and recreation space, as well as outdoor fitness programming.
Assemblymember Diana Richardson said one of the most critical challenges in Central Brooklyn was ensuring residents had access to safe and affordable housing, and this project sought to address systemic healthcare and social issues in the community in an affordable and sustainable way.
"This project is unique because we will bring not only desperately needed affordable housing to our community but a state of the art community facility space," she said.
CAMBA Housing Ventures is developing the site at 329 Clarkson Avenue and will provide on-site support services to residents. The development will also feature a 30,000-square-foot community 'HUB' that will include a range of services and be open to the community to encourage engagement.
Resources at the HUB will include: Childcare services, a health screening center, small business services incubator and workforce training, violence prevention and mediation center, youth education and development center, technology training center, recording and rehearsal studio, performance space, full-sized basketball court for general community use, competitive basketball leagues, community events, a food pantry, café and a design studio and exhibition space.
The HUB will be named and dedicated to community leader Dr. Roy A. Hastick, who passed away from COVID-19. Hastick founded the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. and devoted his time to the health of the community in Brooklyn and the Caribbean diaspora.
Hastick's family said everything he created and implemented was for the advancement of his community and, "It is only fitting that this intergenerational community hub would bear his name."
