Borough Board Signs Off On Controversial Brooklyn Heights Ultra-Luxe Tower
A proposed $52M luxury condo project cleared a crucial hurdle Wednesday when Brooklyn’s Council members and board chairs voted to OK the controversial project.
The 15-1 Borough Board vote came after the developer, Hudson Cos, cut a deal with Councilman Steve Levin (D-Brooklyn Heights), which subsequently swayed Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams.
The proposed 36-story tower would sit on top of the Brooklyn Heights library branch’s Cadman Heights facility. Previous proposals had been rejected, until Hudson agreed to throw in more branch space, a new library nearby and several science labs, Brooklyn Paper reports.
The project has inspired a local backlash since it was first announced last year, with activists saying it wouldn’t do enough to help schools or the library, and that it wouldn’t create enough affordable housing. Hudson has taken flak for placing its required affordable units in a Clinton Hill building, a move some activists say amounts to class segregation.
A New York Post story last month also suggested that Hudson, run by longtime de Blasio friend David Kramer, did not present the lowest bid but still managed to secure the contract due to its mayoral ties.
The next step will be securing approval from the city’s Economic Development Corp, a decision expected to come this spring. [BP]
