Atlantic Avenue rezoning allowing 4,600 new homes passes key NYC Council panels

A roughly 20-block stretch of Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue could get some 4,600 new units of housing under a rezoning plan that key City Council panels passed Monday.

The plan covers parts of the avenue and surrounding blocks in Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy and Prospect Heights. Beyond additional housing, including 1,900 units considered affordable, it would create about 2,800 long-term jobs, improve traffic safety and boost economic activity, according to city officials.

The Council’s zoning subcommittee and land-use committee approved the proposal, along with more than $215 million in community and infrastructure funding to bolster it. The funding will go toward tenant and homeowner protections, street and park projects, and subway station upgrades, according to lawmakers.

Councilmembers Crystal Hudson and Chi Ossé, who represent the area, both support the plan as it heads back to the City Planning Commission for further review before the full Council votes on it. The measure is the latest in a series of efforts by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration to increase housing production across the city, which for years has faced a dire shortage of affordable homes.

“Tens of thousands of families are being driven out of our neighborhood and city by an affordability crisis caused by housing scarcity,” Ossé said in a statement. “We are taking on that challenge.”

Hudson said in her own statement: “After more than a decade of advocacy, Central Brooklyn is finally getting the community-led rezoning it has demanded.”

The proposal covers the area bounded roughly by Vanderbilt Avenue to the west, Nostrand Avenue to the east, Herkimer Street to the north and Bergen Street to the south, planning documents show. It also includes two smaller areas in Prospect Heights and Bed-Stuy.

According to the City Council, the investments tied to the rezoning include a “comprehensive redesign of Atlantic Avenue” focused on major intersections and bike infrastructure, as well as “full redesigns and upgrades” of multiple open spaces: Underhill Plaza/Lowry Triangle, St. Andrews Playground, Hancock Playground, Potomac Playground, Dean Playground, James Forten Playground, PS 93’s schoolyard, and Lefferts Place Community Garden.

The subway updates will be to the Franklin Avenue station on the A and C lines and include wall resurfacing, an art installation and increasing access to the area under the Lefferts Place overpass.

Hudson’s and Ossé’s offices will also receive $1.2 million for tenant and legal assistance services for residents, while organizations in their districts will get additional resources for renters and homeowners.

Additionally, the city will launch a study to identify potential new uses for the massive Bedford Atlantic Armory, which lawmakers said will keep hosting a men’s homeless shelter. The city will also put $1 million toward community workforce development.

Mayor Eric Adams hailed the City Council’s actions, saying they aligned with his administration’s broader housing pursuits.

“We look forward to continuing to work with our partners in the City Council in advance of a full vote later this month,” he said in a statement.