500 New Apartments, Plus Retail Space, Planned for Public Land in Boerum Hill

Pictured: The Wyckoff Gardens housing project. Image courtesy of NYCHA

BOERUM HILL, BROOKLYN — Design proposals are now being accepted for two buildings set to rise on the public land currently buffering the Wyckoff Gardens public housing development in Boerum Hill.

The buildings, to be constructed at the intersections of 3rd Avenue and Wyckoff Street and Nevins Street and Wyckoff Street, will contain 500 new housing units and thousands of square feet of commercial and community space.

It's all part of a new approach to development being undertaken by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

The plan, known as NextGen Neighborhoods, will open up undeveloped NYCHA land to developers as long as half of their housing units are affordable (meaning reserved for households making less than 60 percent of area median income). The other half of the units can be sold at market rates.

NYCHA will maintain ownership of the development sites, and developers must train and hire low-income and public housing residents for their projects.

According to NYCHA, NextGen will raise new revenue for the agency, helping it to pay for $17 billion in infrastructure repairs needed at its properties, which house 400,000 New Yorkers.

After a series of community meetings, NYCHA opted for two smaller buildings at Wyckoff, rather than one large one.

Existing public housing residents will be given a preference when filling 25 percent of the affordable units constructed.

The agency says its also looking for at least 10,000 square feet of commercial space to go into the developments, as well as 10,000 square feet of space dedicated to community uses.

A presentation from the city's last public meeting on the Wyckoff property, held in March, showed what residents are looking for in the commercial and community spaces, including a pharmacy, a grocery store, a bank, a fitness center, a community legal service, space for cultural events, and a small business incubator.

Proposals for the project will be accepted until September 30, with NYCHA aiming to select a developer in the fall.

Wyckoff Gardens isn't the city's only NextGen public housing site. Proposals are also being accepted for the Holmes Towers on the Upper East Side, with other locations to come.