Affordable Housing in East New York Could Be Made Pricier by De Blasio Delays

The longer the city waits, the more future affordable units could cost at the Spring Creek development, the Daily News reported. The next phase of the “self-sustaining neighborhood” — 225 homes and 1,295 apartments in East New York — is being created through a partnership between the city and developers.

But de Blasio’s Department of Design and Construction — which agreed to build gas, sewer and utility lines for the next phase of development — is far behind schedule. Community-organizing group East New York Congregations has followed through on its half, already building 300 affordable units since 2006 with the help of the Nehemia housing nonprofit Metro Industrial Areas Foundation and contractor Monadnock Construction.

A modern take on the Brooklyn brownstone, the existing buildings are 12 different colors and were made partially from modular boxes from the Navy Yard. But the next stage of the project remains a vacant field of grass, awaiting infrastructure.

“Mayor de Blasio moved quickly to get rid of Elmo and topless woman [sic] from Times Square. Unfortunately, he wasted the last 20 months taking soil samples in Spring Creek,” Grant Lindsay of Metro IAF told the Daily News.

The city’s delays on the project are so extreme that the affordability of units could be diminished, argues the community group. Developers can’t sell unbuilt units, but must soon start paying off the mortgages, driving up the price of the units once they can be sold. The DDC does not expect to have infrastructure complete on the site until “late 2017.”

Spring Creek Faces Delays from de Blasio’s Office [NY Daily News]
Spring Creek Coverage [Brownstoner]

Rendering via NYC Housing Development Corporation