Despite lawsuit, MDG files plans for 100-unit Fort Greene project

Community board approved affordable development last year

142 South Portland Avenue and a rendering of 142-150 South Portland Avenue (Credit: Google Maps and MDG)
142 South Portland Avenue and a rendering of 142-150 South Portland Avenue (Credit: Google Maps and MDG)

Despite a lawsuit that alleges illegal spot zoning, MDG Design + Construction on Wednesday pre-filed plans for a 100-unit mixed-use project in Fort Greene, according to the Department of Buildings.

The project at 142 South Portland Avenue would stand 13 stories tall and span about 86,000 square feet, split between 76,000 square feet of residential space and 10,000 square feet of community space.

The project, which the City Council unanimously approved last year, is currently in the middle of a lawsuit, as neighborhood residents maintain that the city’s approval of it was an instance of illegal spot zoning. All of the housing units are slated to be below-market-rate, and it’s being developed by a partnership that includes Hanson Place Seventh-day Adventist Church.

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MDG did not respond to a request for comment.

A development site nearby at the edge of Fort Greene and Downtown Brooklyn recently hit the market with an asking price of $65 million. It could be developed into a mixed-use building spanning almost 235,000 square feet.