The Fort Greene Park Conservancy is raising concerns about how a proposed 72-story tower on nearby Flatbush Avenue could affect sunlight in the park and add demand to the green space that has exploded in popularity with dog owners since the pandemic.
Housing officials and the project’s developers say their analysis shows the affect of the shadow would be minimal, and that the need for new affordable housing in the neighborhood is paramount.
The new tower is planned for 395 Flatbush Ave. Extension and would rise from the drab metal structure that squats above the DeKalb Avenue subway entrance, adding around 1,200 new apartments to the neighborhood. The conservancy worries that could strain the already popular park.
“A lot of people got pets during the pandemic and we all love dogs, but the amount of people and dogs that use Fort Greene Park is astronomical,” said Rosamond Fletcher, the group’s executive director. The group estimates that as many as 1,000 new dogs could rely on the park.
The group also shared illustrations of shadows from the proposed development looming over the park online, drawing ire from commentators who said the group is worried more about the shadows than fixing the housing crisis.
The existing seven-story building on Flatbush Ave. would be overhauled for new retail and office space. The plan calls for 1,263 new apartments, with 25% of them permanently affordable. The dispute over the shadows comes down to dueling interpretations of their impact. The developers and housing officials say the shade will be fleeting, but the conservancy argues that they could be significant especially during months when sunlight is already in short supply.
A spokesperson for the developers, Rabina and Park Tower Group, said that they’d continue working with the conservancy while the public review process continues. There is room for potential concessions given where it is in the development.
A rendering of the proposed building at 395 Flatbush Ave. Extension in Brooklyn.
Fletcher said the group recognizes the need for more housing, but said that mitigation for the project's effects on the park is key for keeping it an enjoyable place for all.
“ We just need the team to be as creative as possible and make sure they've really looked at all options,” she said. “ There's a real opportunity to be a model of taking leadership and thinking about how to support the cherished green spaces that everyone uses.”
The conservancy has asked the developers to rethink the building’s height and design to reduce shadows, and to offset the added strain on the park by contributing to a new maintenance and operations fund.
Fletcher acknowledged that the group’s calculations of new dogs coming to the neighborhood were rough.
There are 1,331 dogs registered with the city in the ZIP code where the tower is planned, and another 405 where the park is located. These numbers are likely much higher, since many New Yorkers don't register their pups.
The local community board is reviewing the proposal, and it will then head to the Brooklyn borough president’s desk. Brooklyn Community Board 2 identified affordable housing as its top priority for the last decade.
The Flatbush Avenue tower may be a preview of an even larger development closer to the park. Earlier this month, a developer took control of nearly 250,000 square feet at the Brooklyn Hospital complex, which borders the park’s southwestern edge.
Councilmember Crystal Hudson, who will ultimately have a decisive vote on the Flatbush project, said it would add hundreds of badly needed and permanently affordable units.
“I look forward to working closely with the developer and stakeholders to determine how we best ensure sustained investments in Fort Greene Park and the surrounding community,” Hudson said in a statement.
Officials with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development pushed back on the issue of the shadows and said that an environment review found no significant impact from the building.
Housing Preservation and Development officials said a citywide vacancy rate of just 1.4% makes projects like 395 Flatbush critical, and vowed to move it through public review while weighing community feedback.
