The Christian Cultural Center — a Christian nonprofit led by Reverend A.R. Bernard — has announced that it has gained full approval from City Council to turn its East New York campus into a mixed-use urban village.
The proposed urban development — which was designed by architect Vishaan Chakrabarti, the founder of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism — would look to provide income-based, affordable housing to East New York residents.
In total, the project plans on building 1,975 housing units, which include 200 senior housing rentals and 100 homeownership units.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said the new development will offer much-needed help amidst the ongoing NYC housing crisis.
“It’s projects like the Innovative Urban Village in East New York that are how we are going to build our way out of this housing crisis,” said Reynoso.
“Through the strong advocacy work of our community and the collaborative spirit of Reverend Bernard and the entire development team, the Innovative Urban Village won’t just be home for thousands of Brooklynites, it will be a supportive space that elevates the well-being of the entire community. Thank you to everyone who made this project possible.”
In addition to affordable housing, the plan for the Urban Village is to offer a variety of important community services for residents.
Among the services that are planned for the development include a grocery store, various retailers, a childcare facility,a trade school, as well as walking paths and green spaces. There will also be a shuttle service available to deliver convenient transportation for residents to train lines.
In addition, the Urban Village also plans to open up a performing arts center and a vocational training facility. The goal of offering these facilities is to provide educational training that will potentially create career opportunities, according to a press release.
“The Urban Village changes the narrative that the way up in East New York is out. Now the way up is to stay, grow and contribute," Bernard said.
"The Urban Village is based on a quality of life philosophy that focuses on – Environment, People, Programs, and Sustainability. It is a model we can all take pride in as evidenced by the unanimous approval of the City Council. We must now make this vision a reality.”
Construction on the first phase of the project is expected to start by late 2023, with the first residences slated to be built by 2026. The overall project is expected to be completed in phases over a 10-year period.
