City Council approves Innovative Urban Village in East New York

In East New York, the City Council has signed off on an expansive mixed-use project that will bring thousands of affordable housing units to the neighborhood, according to multiple published reports.

Innovative Urban Village, a project led by the Gotham Organization, is planned for a 10.5-acre campus at 12020 Flatlands Avenue which is currently home to the Christian Cultural Center. The newly-approved plan calls for the construction of multiple structures featuring 2,050 affordable homes - including 200 reserved for seniors and 100 reserved for sale.

In addition to housing, which will cater to households between the extremely low- and moderate-income levels, the village would also include a senior center, a grocery store, retail, medical spaces, athletic areas, two acres of public open space, and childcare facilities.

Likewise, the existing Christian Cultural Center would be combined with a new Performing Arts Center, with space for live theater, dance, and music performances, as well as film screenings, lectures and panel discussions.

Practice for Architecture and Urbanism is designing the project, which is shown in renderings with buildings up to 12 stories in height.

Construction is expected to commence in 2023, according to a project website.

The City reports that approval of the Innovation Urban Village is the end result of years of negotiation between the developers and Councilmember Charles Barron, who represents the surrounding area. As a result, the apartments will cater to households earning between 30 and 80 of the median income, or roughly between $40,000 and $106,000 for a family of four. In comparison, the median income for East New York is approximately $48,000.

City Council approval of Innovation Urban Village occurred concurrently with the Innovation QNS development, a $2-billion project which would bring more than 2,800 homes to Astoria, Queens.

• East New York (Urbanize NYC)