Controversial Hebron Development Nears Finish With 'Affordable' Rentals in Crown Heights
Neighbors said the loss of open green space has created a “heat island” in the historic district.
Photo by Susan De Vries
A controversial development on the site of a 19th century home for the aged in the Crown Heights North II Historic District appears to be wrapping up construction, and a housing lottery for pricey but income-restricted apartments has opened. Approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the building at 959 Sterling Place was the subject of a lawsuit and has turned out much as expected, according to neighbors.
When Brownstoner stopped by in June, the facade appeared complete on the new seven-story, 157-unit development, named Mason Gray. Workers were finishing the roof, and much of the red-brick building was still surrounded by a green construction fence.
So far, the building closely resembles the final renderings presented at the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing, where the divisive development was approved in 2020 after significant local pushback. After the developer and architect were told to tweak some elements and returned with a final design, Commissioner Michael Devonshire said: “They really hit the mark here.”
Developed by Hope Street Capital and designed by noted firm Morris Adjmi Architects, the complex echoes the historic building at 920 Park Place in color and design, incorporating zinc shingles, gables, and staggered massing. Built in 1889 in the Romanesque Revival and Gothic Revival styles, the Brooklyn Methodist Episcopal Home for the Aged and Infirm, most recently home to the Hebron Seventh Day Adventist School, was an impressive sight, standing in the center of landscaped grounds.
Constructed on top of formerly open green space, the new building abuts and covers the rear of the historic one, obscuring it from view. Built to the edge of the sidewalk with no setback, the apartment house takes up much of the block along Sterling Place.
Neighbor Meg Plikaitis, a volunteer with Friends of 920 Park, said she is pleased the residence isn’t metal and glass but it feels “hulking” and “imposing” on the block. The Victorian old-age home was “built with the surrounding landscape as part of the design.” The block is now noticeably hotter and darker, thanks to the loss of open green space, which the developer referred to as a “parking lot,” she said.
“It is honestly devastating that that has been removed,” she told Brownstoner. “It’s like they chopped off an arm and a leg from this glorious structure that needed the landscape to highlight its beauty, and it’s been severed.”
Neighbor and former board member and chair of Community Board 8 Ethel E. Tyus called it the “imposition of a major development” in the historic district in an email to Brownstoner. “Sadly, the area lost a fair sized chunk of open space,” creating a “heat island” in a neighborhood home to many seniors. “Anyone looking for a luxury apartment?” she added.
As part of the development deal, developer Hope Street Capital pledged to repair the iconic but crumbling historic building. When Brownstoner stopped by, work was being done on 920 Park Place’s facade, and scaffolding surrounded some areas, including the building’s dormered tower. Earlier this year, Hope Street Capital got a permit to do facade restoration work, according to the Department of Buildings.
The school’s leadership and the president of the Northeastern Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists, the owner of the property, said of the development deal that it was the only way the school could ensure pricey restoration work was done on the building. The Northeastern Conference Corporation of Seventh-Day Adventists divided the lot and transferred the deed for the site of the new development to Hope Street Capital for $27.865 million in January 2022.
“That is why I would call it a miracle that we discovered we could use our parking lot to create a project that would bring both affordable housing to our community and provide our school with the resources it needs to restore our 131-year-old building. But now, unfortunately, there are some who are opposing this project, putting our miracle, and our kids, at risk,” Dr. Daniel Honore, president of the Northeastern Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists, wrote in a letter urging the community to support the deal before the LPC vote.
However, not all locals were convinced, with 6,800 residents signing a petition against the development deal. Locals said the project was out of context for the neighborhood, that the affordable apartments wouldn’t be affordable for locals, and that the loss of green space would hurt the neighborhood. After the LPC’s approval, a group of local residents sued the agency for approving the development, accusing it of “arbitrary and capricious decision-making.”
The courts ultimately dismissed the case, finding that the residents didn’t prove the agency’s decisions “lacked a rational basis, or were arbitrary or capricious.” In 2019, the Crown Heights North Association won a similar lawsuit against LPC approval of another development on open space around a freestanding mansion at 839 St. Marks Avenue in the historic district.
Recently, a housing lottery opened for the 48 affordable apartments, with studios priced at $3,128 a month, one-bedrooms at $3,345, and two-bedroom apartments at $4,001.
The income-restricted and rent-stabilized units are for households earning 130 percent of the city’s Area Median Income, ranging from $107,246 to $218,010 a year for one to five people.
The apartments include washers and dryers, dishwashers, and balconies, according to the lottery listing. The building includes a gym, spa, yoga studio, recreation room, outdoor areas, and bike and car parking.
Streeteasy shows market-rate studios in the building start at $3,195 a month, and the most expensive unit is for a three-bedroom at $7,250 a month.
[Photos by Susan De Vries]
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- Locals File Suit to Halt Development at Landmarked Hebron School in Crown Heights
- LPC Approves Development at Hebron School in Crown Heights Despite Local Opposition
- LPC Requests Further Alterations to Revised Hebron Development Proposal in Crown Heights
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So the “affordable” studios are $3,128/month, and the market rate studios are $3,195/month…
One of the worst decisions LPC ever made. I’m glad there is money for the restoration of the former Home for the Aged. I’m very happy about that. But I’m angry that it was done this way, and that such a behemoth oversized building was built in back of the Home, totally obscuring the rear of the complex, and overshadowing this very unique 19th century building. You have to laugh when reading that some of this is “affordable housing.” Talk about Orwellian double-speak. Not only are these apartments super expensive – they are tiny. If I was spending megabucks per month, I’d want to be able to spin around in the room without hitting the wall. I don’t care how many dishwashers or exercise machines they put in it, they just aren’t worth it.