Gowanus Developer Offers Subway Upgrade To Build More Apartments

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — A local developer building a new apartment tower on Fourth Avenue has offered to make accessibility upgrades to the Union Street subway station if the city lets it build more apartments than currently allowed in zoning regulations.

Avery Hall Investments announced on Friday that it would fund the engineering, excavation and construction of an elevator and a new, bigger stairway at the station to help with its crowding and to make it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In exchange, the developers ask that the city let them increase the floor-area-ratio of their 17-story tower, or what the developers told Crain'swould be about 50,000 extra square feet. The deal would only work if a zoning incentive that allows increased floor area in return for transit improvements is included in the city's proposed Gowanus Rezoning Plan, developers said.

"We believe that our proposal aligns with the rezoning's goals in modernizing this outmoded subway station, and most importantly making it accessible to frail elderly, parents with young children and strollers, and Brooklynites with disabilities, especially during evening rush hours when the current narrow sidewalk stair is overcrowded and difficult to navigate," AHI principal Brian Ezra said in a release.

The proposed building, planned for where the Speedway station now sits at 204 Fourth Ave., falls in the area of the Gowanus Rezoning that would allow 17-story buildings.

It would include between 150 to 200 apartments, 25 percent of which would be affordable, should the developers get added space.

The new subway station entrance, they said, would help with crowding at the subway station that will likely only get worse with the new development expected under the rezoning proposal.

"Currently, this R train station's narrow sidewalk entrance south of Union Street serves as the only entry/exit for the stop's Brooklyn-bound passengers," developers said. "Because this stairwell is frequently overcrowded during evening rush hours, passengers seeking to exit the station are often backed up onto subway platforms."

The "more generous" stairwell, new sprinkler systems, new lighting and the elevator from the sidewalk to the platform would all be contained on the building's property, meaning it would create more room on the sidewalk for pedestrians, they added.

The entire project will likely cost $11 million and will likely not get done without the developers, they contended, given that it is not one of the stations marked by the MTA to receive improvements.

"A new elevator and stairway north of Union Street will provide both a quicker, safer exit and long-overdue access for Brooklynites with disabilities in the surrounding area, which includes sections of Park Slope and Gowanus," developer said. "Additionally, the new entrance will be a much-needed improvement to accommodate new residents and workers that are expected in the area following the proposed rezoning."