Developers, church proceed with 512-unit Brownsville project

Affordable housing developer Brisa Builders is moving forward with its plan to build 512 below-market rental apartments in Brownsville.

The Brooklyn-based developer, which is teaming up with Procida Companies [TRDataCustom] and the Church of God of East Flatbush on the project, has filed plans to rezone a pair of blocks owned by the church to make way for the two apartment buildings, dubbed Ebenezer Plaza.

The development site consists of two full blocks a short walk from the L train subway station at New Lots, sandwiched between New Lots and Hegeman avenues and Powell and Sackman streets.

On one block, the developers plan to build a pair of nine- and 11-story buildings with 306 units. There will be 106 two-bedrooms, 78 studios, 70 one-beds and 52 three-bedroom apartments.

The 282,000-square-foot building will also contain nearly 7,500 square feet of retail and a 35,000-square-foot community facility to be occupied by the church.

The second block would hold a pair of seven- and 11-story buildings covering roughly 185,000 square feet with 206 units. It would contain 76 two-bedrooms, 50 one-bedrooms, 42 studios and 38 three-bedroom apartments.

All of the units are scheduled to have rents at or below 60 percent of the area median income, which for a family of three is $81,600 for 2016.

Representatives for Brisa and Procida could not be immediately reached for comment.

Brisa, which made an unsuccessful bid to buy the Long Island College Hospital in 2014, teamed up with the Housing Partnership Development Corporation in May to purchase seven parcels at the development site from the church for $12.6 million.

The developers earlier this year applied to the New York City Housing Development Corporation for $160 million in financing for the project.