Developers and city officials recently joined to celebrate the start of construction on a dual-building affordable housing complex in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The development site is located on Newport Street between Thatford and Rockaway Avenues and will debut as Bridge Rockaway.
The Bridge Rockaway development team includes privately owned entity Mega Development, nonprofit industrial developer Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center, and The Bridge, a non-profit organization that provides mental health and substance abuse treatment, housing, vocational training, healthcare, education, and creative arts therapy across New York City.
Total construction costs are estimated at $118 million.
“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 Governor Kathy Hochul. “Bridge Rockaway is an innovative collaboration between state and nonprofit partners that will bolster our continued efforts to revitalize Central Brooklyn.”
Rendering of The Bridge Rockaway
Bridge Rockaway will comprise 174 affordable apartments 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 and will provide affordable small scale manufacturing facilities for up to 12 local businesses.
The two residential towers will top out at six and seven stories and share a central podium with an 11,000-square-foot rooftop garden. The residential component will include 87 units of supportive housing for formerly homeless New Yorkers, with the remainder set aside for households earning up to 70 percent area median income (AMI) through the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)’s Extremely Low- and Low-Income Affordability program.
Residential amenities will include a ground-floor community facility space, a 24/7 staffed residential lobby reception area, and 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.
On-site supportive services 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, in addition to funding from the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative administered by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.
“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 be starting construction as mayor,” said New York City mayor Eric Adams. “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.”
HPD is providing $17.1 million in construction support. State financing for the residential portion includes $11.4 million in permanent tax-exempt bonds, Federal Low-Income Tax Credits that will generate $46 million equity, and $16.9 million in subsidy from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is providing $6.5 million through the Homeless Housing Assistance Program. Empire State Development provided $1.6 million to support the $11.8 million manufacturing component.
The building is expected to be finished and occupied by 2025.
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