Dozens Speak Out As Towers Next To BK Gardens Head To 1st Vote

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A long-delayed controversial proposal to build two apartment towers next to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens faced renewed backlash this week as it headed to its first vote in the review process.

All but a few of the more than 80 people who spoke during a four-hour hearing about the 960 Franklin Ave. proposal on Monday told Community Board 9 that they were against the project, which has faced multiple delays given two lawsuits from local residents. The board is set to vote on the project during a meeting Wednesday.

Most of Monday's speakers echoed long-held concerns about the harmful shadows the more than 30-story buildings would cast on the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, as well as a nearby playground and local college.

"Tens of thousands of residents oppose this project for good reason — it would permanently damage...our collections and our ability to education children," BBG President Adrian Benepe told the board, holding up part of a petition signed by 55,000 people. "...I urge you to prevent this project from doing irreparable harm to our community."

The towers would leave the gardens, which need consistent sunlight, in the shadows for up to three hours a day depending on the time of year, according to an analysis of the plan. Those speaking Monday included at least six staff members from the gardens who told the board both their jobs and community programs would be put in jeopardy.

Monday's hearing came three months after Community Board 9 was scheduled to discuss the proposal.

The vote was delayed given a since-lifted March restraining order stemming from a legal challenge contending a lack of in-person hearings during coronavirus crisis stifled public participation. A similar legal argument also delayed the nearby Gowanus Rezoning.

The Franklin Avenue proposal includes 34 stories and 1,578 apartments, half of which would be reserved as "affordable," though residents and officials have long questioned the price-points of the affordable units.

"This project does not provide adequate affordable housing," CB9 Member Alejandra Caraballo said Monday. "The rates of determining the income levels are far too high for the community — it will cause mass displacement."

The strong opposition at the community board level is likely just the first hurdle for the Franklin Avenue project as it moves through the review process.

Both City Planning Commissioners and Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose votes are among the last stages of the review process, have come out against the plans.

Amidst the criticism, developers have suggested two new, shorter alternatives to the proposal, though they would mean cutting the affordable housing offered in half or eliminating it completely.

The Franklin Avenue project will face Community Board 9 during its general meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday.