East New York’s getting a 274-unit passive affordable building by Dattner

One of the first new affordable developments set to rise following the rezoning of East New York is Chestnut Commons, a 274-unit development designed by Dattner Architects.

Located in a large vacant lot bounded by Dinsmore Place, Chestnut Street, and Atlantic Avenue, the building will be built to passive house standards and serve very low-income New Yorkers; about 80 apartments will be set aside for families making up to $25,770 annually.

The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development and Housing Development Corporation made the announcement about the project earlier today.

“Today marks a significant milestone in fulfilling the commitments we made in the East New York neighborhood plan,” Maria Torres-Springer, HPD’s commissioner, said in a statement. “The development team, including locally-based non-profit organizations with deep ties to the community, has crafted a dynamic proposal that will provide a wide array of community services with culturally-rich programming and hundreds of deeply affordable homes that will benefit local residents for generations to come.”

The development team comprises of MHANY Management, the Urban Builders Collaborative, and the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation. The building will feature a mix of studios, one, two, and three-bedrooms. On the upper end of the income spectrum, apartments will be open to families making up to $51,540 annually.

Aside from the residences, the building will also have space for a host of community organizations including a satellite campus for CUNY Kingsborough Community College, a new performing arts center run by ARTS East New York, a new food manufacturing incubator, and a social services center run by the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation.

“This kind of multi-purpose, community-driven approach to local development, as part of a rezoning process, is exactly the kind of model we should be replicating across the borough,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, said in a statement.

• East New York Rezoning Wins City Council Approval [Curbed]