200 Affordable Units Planned For Crown Heights Seniors

CROWN HEIGHTS, NY — Crown Heights is slated for 200 "deeply affordable" homes specifically earmarked for older and formerly homeless Brooklynites, city officials announced last week.

The project, dubbed Weeksvillage, will sit within the exiting Kingsborough houses development between Buffalo and Rochester avenues and provide a comprehensive health and housing plan for aging Crown Heights residents.

The 13-floor development will include 156 studios, 43 one-bedrooms and a superintendent's unit, all set aside for residents making under 50 percent of the area median income. Some 65 will be specifically reserved for Brooklynites formerly experiencing homelessness and 35 for NYCHA residents.

"In the midst of a severe housing shortage, our administration understands we need to be creative to provide the housing New Yorkers desperately need — especially housing affordable for our lowest-income neighbors," Mayor Eric Adams said in a news release.

With accessible design, the development will focus on residents' health and wellness with a number of supportive services. Residents will get access to a food pantry, workforce training and placement, health screenings and healthy cooking classes.

A fitness center and outdoor walking loop will promote physical wellness, while a library, computer room and community centers will encourage community building — creating an "elegant" and "dignified" living environment.

"We will ensure the seniors living there are empowered to age in their community with dignity and fulfillment. Our services will foster engagement, promote mental and physical health, and create a stable environment for residents to thrive, said Joanne M. Oplustil, President and CEO of CAMBA. Brooklyn-based nonprofit CAMBA will run the development's programming.