Bed-Stuy Block Mobilizes Against Atlantic Avenue Apartment Tower

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Dozens of neighbors in Bed-Stuy have launched a last-ditch effort to stop an apartment tower on its way to Atlantic Avenue.

The campaign — spearheaded by the Lefferts Place Block Association — aims to stop a 17-story building planned behind the quiet brownstone block, which residents worry will exacerbate overwhelmed infrastructure and could cause construction damage to neighboring homes.

A petition against the project had gained more than 300 signatures as of Wednesday, including more than 100 from nearby residents.

"We are a true community that will be cast into shadow by this monstrosity," Petra Kirstein, a Lefferts Place resident since 2000, told Patch. "I am so unhappy with all these ill-constructed high-rises going up, without any improvements to the adjacent infrastructure and neighborhoods, changing the character of Brownstone Brooklyn in a way that is sad and irreversible."

The block association's petition, started in November, comes as a rezoning needed for the development reached its final stage in the city's review process last month. The complex, which would bring 426 apartments, won approval in City Council, the City Planning Commission and the conditional support of the community board.

But neighbors say a key reason for their opposition is that they were not consulted about the building during the review.

"These zoning changes have been quietly and furtively pushed through, without bringing them squarely and directly before the very community members that would be seriously affected," a letter to Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr. reads.

Block Association President Andre Parker told Patch he reached out to the community board after first hearing about the proposal in February and has since contacted elected officials, both with little response.

When asked about communication with neighbors, representatives for the developers, Totem, pointed to five public meetings and hearings held during the review process and five pre-review meetings held with the community board.

"We are proud that 1045 Atlantic Avenue has been a collaborative project designed in partnership over the past two years with the community, community board, city planners, local elected officials, and our partners at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and St. Nicks Alliance," a spokesperson said.

With the petition, Lefferts Place neighbors are hoping developers will sign onto several demands, including guaranteeing properties will not be impacted by construction, funding improvements to a community garden and working with the city to upgrade nearby transit, specifically the elevated Franklin Avenue subway station.

Neighbors say they have struggled for years with trash pile-ups and broken light posts near the elevated track and corner bus stop.

"With all these buildings coming, that bus stop is going to get more people, more problems," Block Association President Andre Parker told Patch, noting other recent developments on Lefferts Place and damage a nearby Franklin Avenue home suffered during another local construction project.

Totem told Patch they plan to ensure "minimal disruption" to neighbors during the construction phase of the building. An environmental impact review by the city found that the project will have no significant adverse impact on the surrounding area.

"...As required by law and in keeping with our values, and we look forward to continuing the ongoing dialogue to ensure this project sets an example for what responsive, community-driven development can accomplish," a Totem spokesperson said.

The Atlantic Avenue building will include 126 affordable apartments, a mix of retail and office space and will be the first all-electric development in Bed-Stuy, which developers point out would strengthen the local grid in an area with frequent blackouts or brownouts.

The affordable units would represent a 60 percent increase in affordable housing for the area, according to Totem. The developers added that a Community Impact Fund will be created with the building and give $50,000 a year to local organizations.

Cornegy did not respond to a request for comment from Patch about the Atlantic Avenue project, though he recently penned an op-ed with Totem Co-Founder Tucker Reed that pointed to the development as a success story in addressing the city's housing crisis.

"These units were created without a single public dollar of subsidy," the op-ed reads. "A change to some text on a zoning map unlocked a life-changing opportunity for more than 100 local families."