The 11-acre site surrounding an East New York megachurch is on the path to be transformed into a large-scale “urban village.”
Dubbed “Innovative Urban Living,” the plan calls for transforming part of the church’s site on Flatlands Avenue into a huge mixed-use community, with 13 buildings ranging from two to 17 stories, with space for around 2,100 residential income-based units.
The proposal also includes retail space, a day care, a school, parking, a trade school, and a public park. The project, a partnership between the site’s owner, Christian Cultural Center and the Gotham Organization, with Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) designing, is close to beginning the environmental quality review process with the city. Assuming the approval process goes smoothly, the whole thing would take eight to 10 years to build, according to the developers and PAU.
First announced in December 2018, the project’s stakeholders—which, in addition to the developers and architects, include the church’s owner, Rev. A. R. Bernard—have been meeting with local officials and members of the community. The project would require a zoning map amendment and special permits from the city, and will begin to make its way through the Department of City Planning’s (DCP) environmental review, with a scoping hearing taking place at the church on March 3.
According to the developers, the application for the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) will be submitted this year. They expect to break ground on the project by the end of 2021. […]
