On Wednesday, the first two buildings of the large-scale East New York housing development, The Fountains, officially opened their doors.
The development, which will see six buildings with 1,163 affordable apartments built by the end of year, is being developed in phases. Phase one, which was officially opened Wednesday, includes the opening of two buildings.
The first building was completed in April and residents were able to move during the pandemic. The second building, which received 58,000 applications through the Housing Connect lottery, opened in June for residents to start moving in.
The first two buildings offer 332 affordable apartments to those earning up to $61,440 for a family of three (60% of area median income). 94 apartments are set aside for people living with disabilities, and there are on-site services provided by Block Institute.
The development is being built by The Arker Companies in partnership with New York Empire State Development and Homes and Community Renewal.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state's "aggressive approach" to building new developments like The Fountains provided high-quality, energy-efficient homes and supportive services to those who needed them most.
"We have made an unprecedented commitment to address the lack of affordable housing in every corner of New York, but especially in Brooklyn, where the financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has been severe," he said.
Alex Arker, principal at Arker Companies, said the company looked forward to celebrating with many more families moving into the development over the coming months.
"Stable and affordable housing is so critical, especially during this hard time, but it is important to push for more affordable housing so every New Yorker can have a place to call home," Arker said.
The Fountains, which was first announced by Governor Cuomo in 2017, sits on just under seven acres of land and will include units for low and middle-income families, along with supportive services for seniors and residents with special needs. It will also include commercial and retail space. Of the total 1,163 residential units planned, 1,078 are slated to be affordable for those making up to 60% AMI.
Building one is located at 11629 Seaview Avenue and the second building is at 911 Erskine Street.
