2 More Apartment Towers Proposed For Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Plans for two Atlantic Avenue apartment towers that started the city's review process on Monday will likely be the latest fuel in an ongoing debate about the future of North Crown Heights.

The City Planning Commission certified two separate applications on Monday for 17-story buildings just blocks from one another on the corridor, kicking off the proposals' journeys through the city review process known as ULURP.

But the certification came with predictions of what is likely a rocky road ahead given that — similar to several other developments nearby — the proposals differ from a plan Community Board 8 has for the area, known as M-CROWN.

Community board members and city planners have long disagreed about how to steer development on an underutilized six-block stretch near the Crown and Prospect Heights border.

"This is one more application on a site I think we all recognize is appropriate for significant upzoning to allow for residential, but this is a step beyond what is reflected in the M-CROWN framework," said Commissioner Anna Hayes Levin, noting previous proposals at 1045, 840 and 870 Atlantic Ave. have also differed from community board recommendations.

"We've got a significant difference of opinion between the community and the [Department of City Planning] staff," she added.

The latest proposals — one at 1034-1042 Atlantic Ave. and another at 870-888 Atlantic Ave. — have already faced some pushback when they were first presented to Community Board 8's Land Use Committee in April.

Both buildings propose a Floor Area Ratio above the limits in Community Board 8's recommendations, meaning they would be bulkier than what CB8 envisions for the block.

At 1034-1042 Atlantic Ave., Grand and Classon avenues, developers plan to build 210 units of housing, 52 to 63 of which would be designated as affordable. The 17-story development, comprised of two towers sharing a ground floor, would include 2,600 square feet for a community facility and 12,000 square feet of commercial space, according to the plans.

The 870-888 Atlantic Ave. building — found just over the border in Prospect Heights between etween Vanderbilt and Underhill avenues — would have 228 housing units, 69 of which would be designated as affordable, plans show.

It would include 14,500 square feet for ground floor retail and 5,500 square feet for community facility use, according to the plans.

City Planning staff said Monday they believe the height and density of the buildings are appropriate for the block, noting the width of Atlantic Avenue. They plan to expand on their stance at a later meeting, according to Winston Von Engel, director of City Planning's Brooklyn offices.

"We have a presentation coming up from the office to explain to the commission the department's thinking about why we believe the height the applicants here are proposing and the density is in keeping with the M-CROWN framework and we think is appropriate," Von Engel told the commission.

Both Atlantic Avenue proposals will start their officials review with Community Board 8's Land Use Committee, whose next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 7.