City Searching For Developer For Prospect Heights Housing Project

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — The city is taking the next steps toward two projects that will bring nearly 200 affordable homes to Prospect Heights.

The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is officially accepting proposals from developers for two city-owned sites on Bergen and Dean Street that is plans to transform into affordable housing.

The request for proposals is the latest step in the years-long plan for the two properties, which were once used as office and parking space for the city agency.

It is being run through the HPD’s Building Opportunity Initiative, which accepts proposals specifically from minority and women-owned developers.

“Making sure [Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise] firms can participate in the City’s work to build affordable, inclusive, and integrated neighborhoods is critical to ensuring an equitable recovery for all New Yorkers,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll. “This RFP builds on HPD’s commitment to grow the capacity of M/WBE developers, while creating much-needed affordable and senior housing in this transit-rich Brooklyn neighborhood.”

The two city properties include a 17,145-square-foot site at 542 Dean St. that will be slated for at least 80 affordable homes for seniors through the city's Seniors First Initiative, which aims to serve 30,000 senior households with city housing by 2026.

The second, at 516 Bergen St., will serve primarily low-income families, according to the city. It includes a 17,051-square-foot property a block from the Dean Street site.

The projects have so far received some pushback from residents who worry they will overwhelm a rapidly-changing section of Prospect Heights. The affordable housing sites neighbor the controversial 22-acre project known as Pacific Park, or Atlantic Yards.

The city has been holding community feedback meetings about the projects for the past few months. Officials have said it would be five to eight years before construction starts on the developments.