A new 14-story building with 215 affordable housing units is set to be built on Rockaway Ave in Brownsville.
Development company Slate Property Group and nonprofit RiseBoro Community Partnership closed on a 38,000 square foot site located at 326 Rockaway Avenue, and will work together to build a 160,000 square foot, 14-floor mixed-use development.
The building will include 215 affordable apartments, with 60% set aside for supportive housing for those earning below 60% of the area median income. In New York City, the area median income is $107,400 for a three-person family, meaning supportive housing would have to be below $1,437 for a two-bedroom apartment for a family of three.
The City breaks affordable housing into five categories depending on a person or family's income, and determines affordable rental prices to be at or below 30% of household incomes.
On top of the apartments, the building will have approximately 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and community facilities, and will include a community room, fitness room, landscaped courtyard, on-site laundry, social services and 24-hour security.
RiseBoro CEO Scott Short said the development partnership was a "monumental achievement for affordable housing" and would help further the organization's mission of "unleashing the potential of communities to thrive, no matter the odds."
"At a time when countless Brooklynites are struggling to stay in their communities, 326 Rockaway is poised to be a beacon of affordability," he said.
The project will partner with Local 79 under a new affordable housing labor agreement to ensure a living wage during the construction process. Construction is slated to start in 2022 and once completed, the building will be managed and operated by 32 BJ union members.
Slate Property Group Vice President of Development John Valladares said the project would bring affordable housing and supportive services for those in need, and would provide opportunities for economic activity and job creation.
