238 Unit Affordable Housing Development To Grow From Bed-Stuy Lot

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — The city's housing agency announced Thursday plans to build 238 units of affordable housing on a vacant lot in Bed-Stuy, with an added focus on wellness and food security, according to an announcement.

Called "The Steps at Saratoga," the building will contain 80 units set aside for seniors and 158 for low-income families.

The announcement did not specify when the city plans to begin building at the site, presently a large vacant lot at Fulton Street and Saratoga Avenue.

Senior housing will be available for those making up to 50 percent of the Area Median Income (about $45,000 a year), while the family units will have income requirements of between 30-80 percent of AMI (between approximately $35,000 - $90,000).

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development said it also plans to set aside about 49 units for the formerly homeless, split evenly between seniors and families.

“‘The Steps at Saratoga’ is an incredible example of community driven development that will ensure Bed-Stuy residents have the resources, housing and opportunity they specifically asked for in the Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing Plan,” said Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz.

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said the development "will help redefine what responsible building looks like in our borough."

In the announcement, Reynoso thanked the developers and the city "for teaming up with members of our community to create more homes, foster food security, and turn an empty lot in Bed-Stuy into a model for all of Brooklyn."

In addition to the affordable housing, the development will also feature community resources concerning wellness, food security and better internet access through a community-owned local network, according to HPD.

The ground floor will feature a Black-led cooperative grocery store, a demonstration kitchen that can serve as an incubator for new food businesses, a greenhouse and other community-geared amenities.

Residents will also benefit from a large backyard, two community gardens, a fitness room, a kid's playroom, laundry on each floor and a landscaped rooftop terrace.

The project will be a collaborative process to see the building become reality. In addition to HPD, the city will team up with the developers and community groups who proposed the project — RiseBoro, IMPACCT Brooklyn, and Urbane Development, along with minority-owned architecture firm Marvel — to see the building to fruition.