Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced the selection of the winning proposal to redevelop 7.2 acres of the Kingsboro Psychiatric Center campus in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.
The development will include 900 affordable homes, ample public green space, a full-sized basketball court, areas for urban farming, a greenhouse, and dedicated space for community empowerment programs.
The $1.4 billion Vital Brooklyn initiative targets and invests in eight integrated areas, including health care and housing, establishing a new standard for addressing chronic economic and racial disparities in Brooklyn’s high-need communities.
The more than $400 million project includes approximately 900 units of affordable and supportive housing, and senior housing; opportunities for homeownership; and two state-of-the-art homeless shelters, replacing the existing, aging shelters originally built in the 1930s. The development will create 3,700 construction jobs and more than 200 permanent jobs for area residents. The project proposal achieves 30% towards the New York State’s nation leading certified MWBE goals.
Amenities include free high-speed Wi-Fi, exercise rooms, a 10,000-sq.-ft. grocery store, a 7,000-sq.-ft. community hub with computers and classroom space for after-school programs and workforce development training, performance space and community empowerment programs.
The redevelopment project will be led by Almat Urban, Breaking Ground, Brooklyn Community Services, the Center for Urban Community Services, Douglaston Development, Jobe Development, and the Velez Organization. The design team includes Adjaye Associates and Harlem-based Studio Zewde.
