Hello Living heads south to East Flatbush in latest project

Eli Karp’s Hello Living, one of Brooklyn’s most active developers, filed permits with the Department of Buildings to construct a 23-story residential building in East Flatbush in Brooklyn.

If approved, the building at 1580 Nostrand Avenue at Albemarle Road would encompass 128,856 square feet of residential space, including 153 apartment units spread throughout the third through 23rd floors, according to plans filed with the city. The first and second floors would house an ambulatory and diagnostic health care facility and medical office.

The project indicates Karp is looking to expand further south, beyond Prospect Heights, where Hello Living’s first wave of development has been centered. Other developments for the firm are located in Prospect and Lefferts Gardens.

To date, Hello Living has completed eight developments in the borough and has another seven in the pipeline, according to its website. One of those, a 44-unit condo building, is slated to go up at 2415 Albemarle Road — a few blocks away from 1580 Nostrand.

That area is just east of where most development is currently happening, said Hal Lehrman, principal at Brooklyn Properties, which has a listing slightly west of Nostrand on Albemarle Road. Lehrman said that Karp would likely have to create the market for development, noting that the Hello Living boss tries to build communities in his properties.

Cheryl Nielsen-Saaf, part of the Nielsen Sadownick team at the Corcoran Group, said she has a lot of clients looking at the area as they get priced out of other neighborhoods.

“If you go out and look at the housing inventory that’s out there now, it’s really very pretty. Some of those houses even have driveways,” said Nielsen-Saaf. “Part of the reason [buyers are] going to these areas is they’re seeing more value.”

Hello Living also filed a corresponding permit for a two-story building at the adjacent lot at 2902 Albemarle for community facility and parking. The two permits indicate 45,000 square feet would be set aside for a community facility, the category under which ambulatory and diagnostic facilities fall.

Earlier this year, the developer filed for a permit to subdivide 1580 Nostrand Avenue into two zoning lots. The Buildings Department disapproved that plan.

Hello Living could not immediately be reached for comment. The architect of record is Vincent Martineau Architect. The number provided for the firm is not in service.