Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams on Thursday joined the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Bedford Courts LLC, a joint venture of Brooklyn-based developers BFC Partners and Slate Property Group, in partnership with local elected officials and community leaders, in announcing about 500,000 square foot mixed-use development at the Bedford Union Armory.
The project will bring together hundreds of units of housing, a multi-sport recreational facility, community event space, office space and commercial space to the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.
Devised in close coordination with the community and local elected officials, the Bedford Union Armory project will activate the vacant building, built in 1903, in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in New York City, and achieve a double bottom line by providing access to facilities, space for lease, and programming at significant discounts, Adams said.
“Activating the Bedford Union Armory has been a labor of love, a truly community-driven process where the residents of Crown Heights have ensured their voices were heard,” Adams said.
“Thanks to the thoughtful input of engaged Brooklynites, we can proceed with a plan that adds tremendous value to a growing neighborhood,” he added. “In addition to generating scores of critically-needed affordable housing units in the heart of Central Brooklyn, the Bedford Union Armory will serve as an economic engine of opportunity as well as a beacon for the advancement of healthy living.
“I applaud the partnership between local stakeholders and NYCEDC that has fostered a quality vision that enhances the future of Crown Heights and Brooklyn as a whole,” Adams continued.
NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer said The Bedford Union Armory has been “a centerpiece of the Crown Heights community for more than a century,” adding that, by reactivating it, “we are building upon its potential to benefit the entire neighborhood.
“At NYCEDC, we strive every day to create strong and equitable communities that provide economic opportunity for New Yorkers, and thanks to the collaborative efforts of the City, our elected officials, local stakeholders and engaged residents, we are responding to the needs and priorities of this vibrant community,” she added.
Adams said the Bedford Union Armory project was developed in response to feedback from local elected officials and the community after a comprehensive outreach campaign to solicit public input on the redevelopment.
He said NYCEDC and local elected officials co-hosted group discussions with local community leaders from 23 organizations and conducted two public meetings in October 2014 with nearly 250 community members in attendance.
“The restoration of the Bedford Union Armory will provide the community of Crown Heights with invaluable resources, such as affordable housing, which our community desperately needs, and facilities for recreation, an auditorium for entertainment and ceremonies, and office space for nonprofit organizations that work on behalf of the people of Brooklyn,” said Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, representative for the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn.
“I commend the New York City Economic Development Corporation and its esteemed President Torres-Springer, Bedford Courts LLC, Borough President Adams, Council Member Cumbo, Carmelo Anthony and the Carmelo Anthony Foundation, CAMBA, and the many community leaders and residents of Crown Heights who worked to develop this proposal,” she added.
“I am committed to working with the developers and agencies that are involved in this project to support the hiring of construction workers from our community and the awarding of contracts to minority and women-owned business enterprises,” she continued.
