Construction is set to begin on the Emerson-Davis Family Residence at 161 Emerson Place in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Redevelopment efforts will transform the longstanding facility operated by the Institute for Community Living (ICL) into an 11-story, 103-unit building that combines affordable and supportive housing. Designed by Dattner Architects and led by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), ICL, and Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, the $77 million project will yield 61 supportive units for parents with serious mental illness or substance use disorders and 41 affordable apartments for households earning up to 60 percent of the area median income. The property is located a the corner of Willoughby Avenue.
The new Emerson-Davis building will include a mix of supportive housing tailored for family reunification, including two-bedroom and one-bedroom units, as well as studio apartments for single adults. On-site services will include parenting support, trauma-informed therapy, and access to ICL’s Child and Family Treatment and Support Services. The project will also feature shared amenities such as a children’s activity room, a teaching kitchen, a fitness center, and a work lounge. One unit will be reserved for a live-in superintendent.
161 Emerson Place, via Google Maps
The redevelopment is backed by a broad coalition including HPD, New York State Homes and Community Renewal, the Office of Mental Health, Richman Group, and TD Bank. Funding sources include $40 million from the state and nearly $20 million in city subsidies. Eight of the affordable units will be supported by federally funded Project-Based Vouchers. ICL originally launched the Emerson-Davis model in 1999 to fill a gap in housing for parents experiencing homelessness and behavioral health challenges.
“ICL’s Emerson-Davis model has demonstrated what’s possible when you combine supportive housing with family reunification services tailored to the unique needs of parents with behavioral health challenges,” said Jody Rudin, president and CEO, ICL. “This reimagined building in a high opportunity neighborhood enables us to serve even more families, keeping them together and setting them on a path toward long-term recovery, stability, and connection.”
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So, what exactly are we looking at?
Confusing article.
A quick Google search turned up some articles from last year (AMNY, The Brooklyn Paper, The Brownstone, others) that referred to the 1996 building being completely rebuilt and expanded, though they don’t have any details about the scope or size. In September, when the project received $1.5 million in funding from Council Member Hudson, the BK Reader gave some details about the project: “The 38-unit building located in Clinton Hill first opened in 1996 and was in need of significant repairs. ICL will redevelop the site into a new 12-story, 103-unit building for parents/heads of household with mental illness who are reunifying with their children or at risk of losing custody, as well as households earning up to 60% of the Area Median Income.” This month’s articles/press release about the financing of the rebuild/expansion don’t even mention that it is a rebuild and expansion, so we have no clue exactly what it being done, especially how much is being retained versus replaced.
What’s happening is that the 4 story building at the corner (the former Emerson Hall of Pratt institute) will be torn down and replaced with a new 11 story building. The top image is the rendering, the bottom image is the current +100YO building (with a recently completed building behind it).
Mayor Adams why the city never builds housing for the average working person making under sixty thousand the AMI needs to disappear.