[Photo courtesy of galvarez51/GL Flickr Pool] Yesterday, we noted some meetings coming up in Gowanus and Carroll Gardens about zoning and affordable housing. Well, there will be sessions in Sunset Park presented by South Brooklyn Accountable Development Initiative, which involves the Fifth Avenue Committee and the Center for Urban Pedagogy. There will be a session […]

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Please don’t close your eyes and go to sleep. Both of these are important subjects and there are some interesting meetings and opportunities to learn coming up. We’ve long believed that one of the reasons that development in Brooklyn has been running wild (and is often hideously out of context) is that no one pays […]

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We’ve posted about cohousing before and there’s a meeting coming up about it later this week. Here, from an email we received from Alex Marshall of the Brooklyn Cohousing Group: Interested in a more community-oriented way of living? Mary Kraus of Kraus-Fitch Architects will give a free public slide show and lecture about Cohousing communities […]

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Folks who live in a rent-stabilized building owned by one of the most high-profile developers in Brooklyn are finding a hot shower hard to come by nowadays, according to a press release sent out last night by Councilmember Letitia James’s office. Tenants in 25 Lafayette Avenue, in the BAM Cultural District, say that the gas […]

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Four finalists have been selected from the eight bidders to purchase the big Starrett City complext on Jamaica Bay. The final bids are expected to come in at $800-$900 million and are due in September. An effort to sell the complex last year failed spectacularly because of fears of a loss of affordable housing. The […]

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Eight groups have submitted bids for Starrett City, all of them significantly lower than the ill-fated $1.3B bid made last year for the affordable complex that was resoundingly rejected last year. “The winner, in all likelihood, will be a nonprofit housing company, rather than the kind of private equity firms and large developers that have […]

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Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG) in Williamsburg is holding what they’re calling “Tenant Rights Happy Hours” on Tuesdays. They take place at the NAG office, which is located at 101 Kent Avenue (at N. 8 Street) on Mondays from 4PM-8PM and Tuesdays from 2PM-8PM. Per an email: NAG is happy to announce that our […]

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“The owners of Starrett City, a 34-year-old housing complex on Jamaica Bay in Brooklyn, have reached an agreement with federal, state and city officials on the sale of the 140-acre enclave under guidelines that would ensure that it remains a haven of housing affordable to working and middle-class families. A sale of Starrett City failed […]

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There is a “People’s Accountable Development Summit” coming up this Saturday, May 31 from 9AM-3PM. It’s organized by The South Brooklyn Accountable Development Initiative, which is a project of the Fifth Avenue Committee that “seeks to create dialogue and forge alliances among residents and various community stake holders in Brooklyn facing large developments, re-zonings and […]

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There’s a meeting about co-housing coming up on Friday, May 9. Per an email we got: Come hear national expert and co-author of “The Cohousing Handbook: Building a Place for Community“, Chris ScottHanson, give a free talk and slideshow about Cohousing communities on Friday May 9th at 6:30 pm at the Brooklyn Friends Meeting House, […]

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There’s a “Tenant Aid Workshop: Fighting for Affordable Housing” session coming up on Monday, April 28, at 7PM at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel RC Church, which is located at 275 North 8th Street at Havemeyer St. The announcement says: “Learn About Your Legal Rights as a Tenant, See if You Qualify for Rent Subsidies, […]

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| View | Upload your own If you’re interested in the concept called cohousing–which is a cooperative living arrangement–you can learn more about it tonight. The meeting is organized by the Brooklyn Cohousing Group. Here’s some info about it: Come hear national expert and co-author of “The Cohousing Handbook: Building a Place for Community”, Chris […]

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The number of potential bidders for the huge Starrett City complex on Jamaica Bay has increased to four. Interestingly, all the possible bidders identified so far are groups involved in affordable housing or with a commitment to keep the development’s nearly 6,000 units affordable. The complex was the subject a deeply controversial $1.3 billion bid […]

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The first group to announce a bid for the huge Starrett City development is a community-based one made up of the Christian Cultural Center, the Central Labor Council, and the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. They say the goal is keeping Starrett City affordable. The bid is said to be “well below” the $1.3 billion […]

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If you’re interested in the concept called cohousing–which is a cooperative living arrangement–you can learn more about plans for cohousing in Brooklyn tonight. The meeting is organized by the Brooklyn Cohousing Group. Here’s some info about it: A successful reality in Denmark and now in more than 100 locations in the US & Canada, cohousing […]

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The 152 units of housing that would be built on and near Columbia Street in Red Hook will be back in front of a community meeting tomorrow. It concerns a “pre-approved” Department of Housing Preservation and Development plan for 152 units of housing, 40 percent of which would be affordable. It may not be greeted […]

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Columbia Street in Red Hook, which has been in a state of serious street construction for more than a year, will be getting some new housing if a “pre-approved” Department of Housing Preservation and Development goes ahead. The plan is for 152 units of housing, 40 percent of which would be affordable. The plan was […]

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We received an email that the tenants of 202 Franklin Street in Greenpoint are planning a “Vigil Against Harassment and Displacement!” on Tuesday (7/24) from 6PM to 7:30PM. The rent-stabilized tenants were displaced three years ago by a fire and have been frustrated in their efforts to return. The email says: The landlords, Franklin Global […]

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Perhaps you recall the supportive housing development the Fifth Avenue Committee has been trying to build at Fifth Avenue. Well, many months after the public discussion about the building at 575 Fifth Avenue started, the City Council has voted unanimously to approve it, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reports. The building, which will have 49 units […]

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