Meanwhile, the decade-long effort led by the community to modernize zoning for the entire neighborhood, originally known as M-CROWN and more recently designated as the Atlantic Avenue Mixed Use Plan (AAMUP) by the Department of City Planning (DCP), is still a long way away from becoming reality as the area-wide rezoning effort to support it inches forward through the rezoning process.

Those who advocated for the approval of 962 Pacific noted that it would provide more deeply affordable housing, as championed by Community Board 8, than is called for in the DCP plan and should be viewed as a model as the broader rezoning process continues in collaboration with Councilmember Crystal Hudson, who represents the district.  In fact, according to land use counsel representing the project at the hearing, 25 of the 26 lots surrounding the empty site, have already been rezoned to an R-7 equivalent — the zoning designation that the application seeks. All but ensuring that the final AAMUP rezoning will match the 962 Pacific proposal.

Yet, while the merits of the project seem to be receiving near-universal praise, concerns around the timing of the application continue to be raised by Councilmember Hudson. Despite 962 Pacific already having been in the rezoning process for nearly four years, and including many neighborhood priorities like affordable housing, daycare facility and light manufacturing uses, Hudson continues to voice concern that allowing the application to proceed could slow down the AAMUP initiative.

Hudson opened the hearing with a statement about recent progress on AAMUP and the need for a comprehensive plan as opposed to a “piecemeal approach,” noting that a final plan will “shortly be in place,” even though it requires an environmental review to be completed before entering the ULURP process. That indicates that, at best, AAMUP is a year or two, away from being finalized.  

Councilmember Hudson departed the hearing for a press conference, as noted by Subcommittee Chair Kevin Riley, before the public testimony portion of the meeting, which saw 13 attendees speak enthusiastically in support of the project. 

“Too often, I have seen longtime members of this community forced out because of rising rents they can no longer afford,” said Bishop Eric R. Figueroa of the New Life Tabernacle Church on Bedford Avenue, just a few blocks from 962 Pacific St.  “They return to come to church, yet they cannot call it home. This is not something we should find acceptable.  Everyone in our congregation should be able to live near where they worship. Meanwhile, vacant lots bursting with potential like this one have sat fallow for too long.”

Other clergy members in attendance included Bishop Robert V. Butler II of Glory Tabernacle Church on Ralph Avenue and Rev. James Neville, the pastor of Holy Temple of Prayer and member of the 77th Precinct Community Council, as well as several current and former community residents. 

“Most of my neighbors and myself, we have adult children. Our children have children — they have no place to live,” said Leola Holmes, a resident of Crown Heights for over 40 years.  “They cannot afford the prices of the apartments that have gone up in my neighborhood. This project will do so much for my community right now.” 

The proposed plan for 962 Pacific, which was approved by the City Planning Commission in December after it was advanced by CB8 and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, includes 150 apartments — many of which will be family-size and feature home-office space. It will also include 19,000 square feet of space for light manufacturing uses and an early childhood education center on the ground floor. The plans commit one-third of the units to being permanently affordable, many of which will be at the lowest levels of Area Median Income. The building would also house approximately 9,000 square feet of retail space, which would be targeted at locally-owned small businesses. The team behind the project — HSN Realty Corporation (HSN) — is a woman-owned and run business that has been part of the Crown Heights community since the 1940s. 

When DCP unveiled the draft zoning framework for AAMUP last September, some residents and local organizations claimed the vision was too tepid, especially regarding affordability levels and displacement prevention. Both of these had been emphasized in the community guidelines issued by Councilmember Hudson a month earlier. The proposal for 962 Pacific, which first began the rezoning process in 2021 when the future of AAMUP looked bleak, is now being viewed by some as evidence of what the market can yield in the area and why the AAMUP framework can be more ambitious. 

Long time, community activist, and Community Board 8 member Gib Veconi, took to X to tweet, “The ULURP for 962 Pacific Street would deliver more deeply #affordablehousing and accessible jobs that @brooklyncb8 has called for than the neighborhood rezoning proposed by @NYCPlanning. It’s a better model, and @NYCCouncil should approve it.”

Nadine Oelsner, President of HSN and owner of 962 Pacific Street, cites participation in the M-CROWN initiative as the inspiration for her vision of a project that could meet more community needs than has been typical of other nearby residential developments. 

“We admire the indefatigable advocacy Councilmember Hudson has demonstrated in bringing AAMUP closer to reality, and we hope this project can spur momentum by showing what’s possible from both a community and feasibility perspective,” said Oelsner. “In the midst of the ongoing housing and affordability crisis, it’s imperative that new development prioritize both deeply affordable units and preserve good-paying manufacturing jobs. We firmly believe 962 Pacific Street can achieve these community priorities — affordable housing, jobs, and child care for the neighborhood.”

Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director of the Fifth Avenue Committee, a Brooklyn-based housing non-profit, stressed how the 962 Pacific project aligns with the objectives of the broader rezoning: “It absolutely fits into the AAMUP framework, and even goes further,” said de la Uz. “These are local developers who have been in the community for decades. They are very knowledgeable about what the community would like to see — mixed-use buildings with amenities that enable a diverse neighborhood to thrive.”