The New York City Council's Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises voted to approve the contested 80 Flatbush development project on Thursday.
Brooklyn Councilmember Stephen Levin threw his support behind the mega-project, after 80 Flatbush's developer Alloy agreed to modifications which include a height reduction of two proposed skyscrapers and the overall square footage of the mixed-use development.
In February 2018, Alloy first presented a proposal for the 80 Flatbush project, located at Flatbush Avenue, State Street, Third Avenue and Schermerhorn Street, to build a sprawling development to add 900 apartments—including 200 affordable units, a cultural space and two schools.
The plan was met with great opposition from the local community because of the development's height and density in relationship to the historic townhouses of State Street, the nearby Rockwell Bears Community Garden and the Boerum Hill neighborhood.
According to a statement by Levin, Alloy agreed to reduce the height from the two towers that are part of the development. A proposed 986-foot skyscraper will shrink to 840 feet, and the second tower will be reduced from 560 to 510 feet.
To protect State Street, the 840-foot tower will be required to be set back 30 feet from both State Street and Third Avenue to give more space to the low-rise brownstone neighborhood; the initially proposed loading dock will be removed, and commercial waste pickup or retail deliveries will not be permitted on State Street.
The height reduction of the towers also aim to mitigate the shadow impact affecting the Rockwell Bears Community Garden. Furthermore, Alloy agreed to contribute $250,000 in support of the garden's improvement efforts.
"We thank Alloy and the de Blasio administration for their willingness to listen to the community's concerns and their incredibly diligent work," said Levin. "I also want to express an enormous amount of gratitude to the community, the Boerum Hill Association, and everyone who spent their valuable time making sure their voices were heard. Because of their advocacy, this project will produce the community benefits that were promised while also being more appropriate to the surrounding neighborhood context."
The community benefits promoted by Alloy—including two schools and 200 units of permanently affordable housing—will remain unchanged despite the new modifications.
