Neglected, Vacant East NY Lot Will Be Filled With Up to 200 Affordable Homes

EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN — The mayor and Council Member Rafael Espinal, who represents the East NY area, announced on Wednesday that they are seeking developer proposals for the Dinsmore-Chestnut site to create as many as 200 homes for "extremely low-income families," the mayor's office said.

Dinsmore-Chestnut is a vacant, city-owned 28,540-sq-ft lot in the Cypress Hills area of East NY.

"The City-owned lot at Dinsmore-Chestnut has been vacant for decades: a tragic and all-too familiar symbol of previously unfulfilled promises and a lack of investment in East New York," Espinal said. "With the East New York Neighborhood Plan that passed the City Council a mere 8 months ago, and the de Blasio Administration’s commitment to building affordable housing, this site is finally being put to effective use."

The mayor's administration is asking that proposals for the lot take into account the many ideas community members came up with for the land in community discussion sessions in the summer of 2016. Here's a summary of those discussion sessions by the city.

Proposals also have to include "up to 200 affordable housing units that meet the income needs of the neighborhood," the mayor's press release said. Developers should also include open space and environmentally friendly features in their plans, the administration said.

Dinsmore-Chestnut is one part of the East New York Neighborhood Plan passed eight months ago that includes $267 million in investments for the neighborhood. Also part of that investment plan is a Workforce1 jobs center that opened earlier this month and a new public school for 1,000 students.

"Working together, we have seen significant progress under the East New York plan. As we continue to deliver affordable housing, jobs, parks, roads and schools, we are following up on our promises and fighting every day to make our City fairer and stronger," said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

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