Real Estate

Ground broken on $118M mixed-use Brownsville development

Combines affordable apartments with manufacturing

May 17, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
Dignitaries have “shovels in the ground” Tuesday at the ground-breaking ceremony for Bridge Rockaway in Brownsville. Photo courtesy of Governor’s Office
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The development team of The Bridge, Mega Development and Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center (GMDC) on Tuesday broke ground on Bridge Rockaway, a new $118 million mixed-use development in Brownsville. 

Known as Bridge Rockaway, the development will offer 174 affordable apartments, including 87 with supportive services, and 39,000 square feet of ground-floor manufacturing space which will be available for lease to light manufacturers. The manufacturing space will be separately owned and operated by Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, a nonprofit industrial developer, and it is expected to create up to 35 jobs.   

“Quality affordable homes and good paying jobs are the foundation for successful and thriving communities, and that is what we are delivering to Brownsville with this important investment,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul, who presided at the ceremony. “Bridge Rockaway is an innovative collaboration between state and nonprofit partners that will bolster our continued efforts to revitalize Central Brooklyn.”  

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Industry City CEO Andrew Kimball. Screenshot via Zoom

The development will consist of two residential towers, one with six floors, and another with seven floors, separated by an 11,000-square-foot garden. All 174 apartments will be affordable to households earning 70 percent of the Area Median Income or less. There is one superintendent’s unit.  

Thirty-five households will have access to on-site supportive services and rental subsidies funded through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. These homes will be reserved for seniors and veterans in need of supportive services.  

New York City Mayor Eric Adams. AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File

An additional 52 apartments will be reserved for chronically homeless adults. Services for these individuals will be funded through the NYC 15/15 Congregate Supportive Housing Services Program administered by the New York City Human Resources Administration and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. On-site supportive services will be provided by The Bridge.   

GMDC’s above-mentioned manufacturing space on the building’s ground floor will provide affordable small-scale manufacturing facilities to approximately 10 to 12 local businesses.   

Residential amenities will include a ground-floor community facility space, a continuously-staffed lobby reception area, and a community garden. Additional residential amenities will be on the second floor including social services offices, a computer room, a community kitchen, a multipurpose room, bicycle room, storage, and laundry facilities.   

State Sen. Roxanne Persaud. Photo courtesy of NYS Senate

The project is being financed by a mixture of tax-exempt bonds, federal low-income housing credits and grants from state agencies.

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke said, “New York has witnessed too many needless tragedies occur due to the affordable housing deficit that stifles families and communities, denying them the security of housing all people deserve. Thanks to the dedication of Governor Hochul, we are beginning to fight back against this affordable housing crisis.”  

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Photo courtesy of Reynoso for Brooklyn

Mayor Eric Adams said, “My administration is deeply committed to building homes for our most vulnerable neighbors, and I am proud to have supported this project as borough president and now starting construction as mayor. We are investing millions of dollars to bring much-needed affordable and supportive apartments to this community with critical space for a local nonprofit manufacturer, and we are committed to investing the billions we need across the city to provide the high-quality, affordable housing New Yorkers need and deserve.”

A rendering of the $118 million Bridge Rockaway mixed-use development in Brownsville. Rendering courtesy of Governor’s Office

State Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud said, “Bridge Rockaway will produce needed affordable units in the Brownsville neighborhood. With half of the 174 units intended for people who have experienced chronic homelessness or live with a disability, these New Yorkers can live with dignity in a supportive environment.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. AP Photo/Joshua Bessex

 Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said, “There is possibly no better celebration than marking the beginning of a project that will bring many affordable housing units in Brooklyn, but the Bridge Rockaway development is going an extra step by also incorporating light manufacturing space that will create dozens of jobs.”

New York City Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Andrew Kimball said, “The groundbreaking of Bridge Rockaway supports the city’s continued economic recovery and commitment to providing affordable housing and job opportunities to all New Yorkers. NYCEDC is proud to support the development of this vibrant facility and work with GMDC, The Bridge, and Mega Development to bring more opportunities to Brownsville.”

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-Brooklyn). AP photo by Bebeto Matthews

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