Crown Heights High-Rise Plans Rejected By Community Board

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Plans for large Pacific Street high-rise were rejected by a local community board after the developers refused to pledge themselves to the land use committee's recommendations.

Community Board 8 voted unanimously Thursday night not to support Avo Constructions' plans for an 11-story high-rise at 1010 Pacific St. after representatives said they could not promise to scale back their rezoning requests.

The plans, about five years in the making, call for rezoning a six-block area between Atlantic Avenue, Bergen Street, Franklin Avenue and Classon Avenues to build the 11-story mixed-use building, developers said.

The building would include 154 apartments, 39 of which would be designated as affordable housing, 63 parking spaces in the cellar, 7,600 square feet of commercial space and a 4000-square-foot art center, records show.

The Land Use Committee objected to the zoning request's eastern boarder, which they asked be moved back to 230 feet west of Classon Avenue, and the lack of manufacturing space they hoped would foster local job growth, according to Community Board 8 member Gib Veconi.

But building representatives explained the plans were the result of a complex attempt to comply with complex zoning standards and community requests, and could not be changed.

“We’ve been working for a long time in good faith to try and change the zoning," said Jay Valdora of Studio V Architecture. "We did our best to balance all the concerns."

"We cannot make a commitment to move a zoning district boundary," added Richard Lobel, the developer’s attorney. "To move the boundary would isolate this lot."

Community Board 8 did vote to support plans for a two-building project nearby at 1050 Pacific St. which does include manufacturing space.

Both projects will be considered at a public hearing at Borough Hall on Dec. 17 at 6 p.m., city records show.

Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Community Board 8