Gov. Hochul celebrates Brooklyn groundbreaking of affordable, supportive housing campus

ALBANY — Gov. Hochul celebrated the start of construction Monday on a $1.2 billion redevelopment project that will bring affordable and supportive housing as well as a massive mixed-use campus to Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood.

The $373 million first phase of development for the site, which will be known as Alafia, includes 576 affordable homes, a new 15,000-square-foot outpatient medical clinic, and 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.

The 27-acre site, currently occupied by the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities Brooklyn Development Center, will feature more than 2,400 affordable homes in what the governor described as a walkable neighborhood with recreational spaces and access to health care resources.

“This will be a transformational project that’ll have a profound impact on this long-forgotten neighborhood,” the governor said. “I’m trying to point out it’s not just on the physical structure, it’s not just the buildings. It’ll have a profound impact on the psychology of a community, how they view themselves, how they realize that we believe they matter, they have value and they deserve more.”

The project is part of the state’s Vital Brooklyn Initiative aimed at addressing chronic social, economic, and health disparities in the borough’s high-need communities and comes as the governor has said housing will be a top priority as she enters a full term in office.

One Brooklyn Health will operate an outpatient medical facility including access to primary care and specialty services to address the needs of the residents in Alafia and the surrounding community, according to the governor’s office.

The retail space is expected to house five commercial tenants and proponents hope to attract local small businesses to serve the community.

The focus of the new housing element of the project will be on supportive and affordable units, including 48 apartments reserved for individuals with mental health challenges who will have access to rental subsidies and services funded through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by the New York State Office of Mental Health.

An additional 88 supportive homes will be reserved for New Yorkers with intellectual or developmental disabilities who will benefit from rental subsidies and services funded by OPWDD. Nonprofit Services for the UnderServed will provide assistance for the 136 supportive homes.

“Home is not just a building. Home is stability, safety, community, and a sense of belonging,” said Dr. Jorge Petit, president and CEO of Services for the UnderServed. “As a service provider for New Yorkers in need, it is essential to continue to provide homes and foster safe communities with access to green spaces and needed community amenities.”

State financing for the first phase of the project includes $38.1 million in permanent tax-exempt bonds, Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits that will generate $117.8 million in equity and $174.9 million in subsidies from New York State Homes and Community Renewal, according to the governor’s office.

Hochul has said repeatedly in recent weeks that housing will be a focus of her upcoming State of the State address and has set a goal of creating 800,000 units of housing over the next decade.

The groundbreaking comes a week after the governor joined Mayor Adams in announcing the start of a nearby project called Logan Fountain, a mixed-use development that will include 174 affordable homes, a shelter large enough to house 169 New Yorkers experiencing homeless, and more than 7,600 square feet of retail space.