BY CAITLYN JONSSON
Hundreds of South Slope and Windsor Terrace residents filled the Community Board 7 meeting Monday evening at the Holy Name of Jesus Church, lining the walls and bringing the town hall to full capacity. Echoes of booing, cheering, and heckling flew throughout the crowd as presenters and attendees spoke out about proposed housing developments.
Arrow Linen Supply Company, a retail distributor based in Brooklyn since 1947, put forward a zoning application last year requesting rezoning of the area of its laundry structure in Windsor Terrace to allow for the construction of two high-rise buildings in the mostly three-story neighborhood. If the rezoning is approved, the company plans to sell the property to residential property managers Apex Development. The town hall meeting on Monday, September 9th addressed the rezoning application as part of the required Uniform Land Use Review Procedure.
A spokesperson for Arrow Linen was not present at the meeting. Instead, representatives for Apex Development presented their plan for two 13-story high-rises in the form of a U-shaped lot that would add 244 apartments to the neighborhood. According to the current plan, 48 of the units will be affordable for renters between 40-60% of New York City’s Average Medium Income.
The local community organization Housing Not Highrises (HNH) presented an alternative plan to Shahana Hanif, the council member for District 39 in Brooklyn. Instead of the two 13-story high-rises, HNH has worked alongside the Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples Development Corporation (CCPOP) to propose two seven-story buildings of entirely affordable housing. This plan would bring in approximately 200 units of affordable housing as opposed to 48. However, Arrow Linen has not expressed interest in selling land to the charity, according to a statement by CCPOP read to the town hall, which also stated that the charity “has no further involvement in this property.”
Despite Arrow Linen’s lack of interest, many attendees held flyers stating “Housing Not Highrises” and argued that the size and affordability of the 7-story plan fits into the culture of the neighborhood. Others were eager to see the 13-story plan built.
Drew Edwards lives with his family in Windsor Terrace and argued in support of the construction of the 13-story buildings. He expressed concern for the under-enrollment in District 15 schools following the Covid-19 pandemic. “In order to live here, we need to build homes for people to live in,” he said.
Like Edwards, Ben Miller argued in support of the two high-rises. “Housing delayed is housing denied,” Miller said. “We need housing now because we are literally in a crisis. We have not built enough in decades and the city is suffering for it.” Miller’s statement drew scattered applause.
Melissa Olsen argued against the 13-story plan and expressed support for the affordable housing plan by HNH. Olsen said she lives with her family of four in Windsor Terrace and is looking to move into a larger unit in the neighborhood. She said that though there are many apartments for her to view, there are not many that are affordable at her family’s income level. “We don’t have a crisis of availability in Brooklyn, there are plenty of units we can see, what we have is a crisis of affordability,” said Olsen. “It is not the city’s job to make sure Arrow Linen can make their property sale, it is the city’s job to make sure all communities have affordable housing.”
Assembly Member Robert Carroll, who has represented Windsor Terrace since 2017, expressed concern for the pending change in the zoning law, as the construction of two high-rise apartment buildings with limited affordable units can pave the way for similar projects to enter the neighborhood. “Gentrification and displacement are real and powerful, and that can be spurred by profit-driven rezoning purposes,” said Carroll.
“Arrow Linen’s application is not what is best for this neighborhood,” continued Carroll, leading to an eruption of cheers from the crowd. “It has the potential to force out the remaining working-class residents of Windsor Terrace,” he said.
Councilmember Shahana Hanif told the town hall that “at this early stage, my office does not have a formal statement on the proposed housing.” But Councilmember Hanif made clear that she “will not be accepting the bare minimum” from developers.