One group saw the City of Yes as a reason to say no to a housing project.
Apex Development Group is planning to build two 13-story buildings at 441 and 467 Prospect Avenue. Of its 244 apartments, 25 to 30 percent (61 to 73) would be affordable under the city’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing law.
The sites are occupied by one- and two-story industrial buildings and a parking lot. The owner, Arrow Linen Supply Company, needs the zoning changed from R5B to R7-1, bringing the allowable maximum floor area ratio for residential space from 1.35 to 4.6 (with MIH).
A group of neighbors, dubbed Housing Not Highrises, has pushed back, criticizing the plans for providing the “bare minimum” of affordable housing. The group has pitched two seven- to nine-story buildings with 250 affordable units.
That idea did not get picked up by the owner and developer. The group has now tried to pause the land use review process by filing a petition in state court alleging that the Department of City Planning shouldn’t have certified the rezoning application — starting the public review — because it did not adequately account for the potential effects of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity text amendment.
One of the many things City of Yes does is allow buildings in R7-1 districts to have an FAR of 5, and with the Universal Affordability Preference, to rise to 194 feet. For this project, that translates to a potential FAR increase of 0.41 and 59 more feet of height.
“If Arrow’s Ulurp process is paused until after City of Yes for Housing Opportunity is complete, it will allow the community to comment on what can actually be built, and not on speculation,” Jay Goldberg, a member of Housing Not Highrises, said in a statement.
A Brooklyn judge on Friday ruled that the land use review process can continue, for now. Community Board 7’s hearing on the proposal is slated for Monday night. Housing Not Highrises’ legal challenge is still pending; a hearing on its petition is scheduled for November.
“Housing not Highrises has no interest in seeing any housing built — period,” a spokesperson for Arrow Linen said in a statement. “They want to maintain a status quo which has worked well for a handful of wealthy homeowners but has only exacerbated a housing crisis that has shut out, and pushed out, families and others that wish to live in this vibrant community.
Local Council member Shahana Hanif said she is looking forward to the public hearings on the project.
“I’m committed to working closely with the Windsor Terrace community and Arrow Linen to ensure that this project helps address the city’s urgent need for more affordable housing while also delivering meaningful investments to the neighborhood,” she said in a statement.
A decision in favor of the project’s opponents could have implications for other land-use applications. Howard Slatkin, executive director of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council, likened it to shutting down an entire train line to do track repairs. A citywide zoning change could stop the city’s land use process.
“That premise is pretty insidious because it is not just a way to slow down this project, but it makes it pretty much impossible to update the zoning citywide,” he said.
“You walk and chew gum in order to keep the city running,” he added.
What we’re thinking about: What’s next for Eli Karp after three of his Hello Brooklyn developments ended up in foreclosure proceedings? Send a note to kathryn@therealdeal.com.
A thing we’ve learned: Pulitzer Prize winning journalist John McPhee has written more than 30 books. He lives in Princeton, which explains why one of my favorite bookstores has multiple shelves dedicated to his work.
Elsewhere in New York…
— A Manhattan judge on Friday delayed sentencing in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial until after the election, the Associated Press reports. Judge Juan Merchan explained that the decision was made “to avoid any appearance — however unwarranted — that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching presidential election in which the defendant is a candidate.”
— About 900 people showed up to a recent running club outing in Washington Square Park, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Lunge Run Club, which doubles as matchmaker, or at least that’s the hope of some, asks singles to wear black to signal their availability.
Closing Time
Residential: The priciest residential sale Friday was $7.9 million for a 3,122-square-foot condominium at 225 West 86th Street on the Upper West Side. Maya Kadouri of Douglas Elliman had the listing.
Commercial: The largest commercial sale of the day was $29 million for two lots at 1482 and 1484 First Avenue on the Upper East Side. The combined properties have nine total units and 20,700-square-feet. Alchemy-ABR Investment Partners plans a development.
New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market was $19.5 million for a 11,638-square-foot townhouse at 123 East 35th Street in Murray Hill. Adam D. Modlin and Andrew Nierenberg of The Modlin Group have the listing.
Breaking Ground: The largest new building application filed was for a proposed 11,728-square-foot, four-story residential building at 18 28th Avenue in Gravesend. Shiming Tam of S M Tam Architect filed the permit. — Matthew Elo