CB6 declares itself Non-Nimby

At the March meeting, CB6 members faced a dilemma: approve a land use application that would bring more housing to the area, or reject it for not welcoming more affordable units.

The board approved the application that would allow Charney Companies and Tavros Capital, the developer of a proposed mixed-use building at 175 Third St., to build an additional 100 units. To do this, they need to modify the bulk of the building and acquire development rights from a neighboring property owned by Powerhouse Arts. In accordance with the City Charter, the application must be voted on by the community board and the City Planning Commission (CPC).

At the board meeting, Land Use Committee chair David Briggs said that the committee asked the developers, as part of the development rights purchase from Powerhouse Arts, to go a step further: make all of the additional 100 units affordable at a 60% average area median income, create public bathrooms in the development, and that they leverage their purchase of the rights from Powerhouse to ensure that the non-profit opens its outdoor promenade to the public.

“Over the six months of discussion, most of them initiated by us, it didn’t seem that [the developers] talked to Powerhouse about it much,” said Briggs, who mentioned the development team said they couldn’t add more affordable units and that underwriting (the process of assessing property value) limited their plans for the building.

“It was a frustrating meeting,” said Briggs.

At the March 5 committee meeting, the developer confirmed that no funds have been paid to Powerhouse yet.

Still, the committee approved the application with the following conditions: having a public outdoor promenade as a result of the development rights acquisition and 30% of the development’s 1,000 units meet affordability requirements at a 60% average area median income.

Rents from $1701 and up
Units in the proposed development range from studios to three-bedrooms. According to the Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development, a 60% AMI in New York City ranges from the maximum rent of $1,701 per month for a studio to the maximum rent of $2,527 for a three-bedroom.

Briggs explained that the conditional compromise fits the community board’s progressive stance on housing.

“We don’t want to be seen as a NIMBY [Not In My Back Yard] group that just says no to something that is going to happen,” said Briggs, referring to the term used to describe people who typically oppose development in their neighborhoods.

Board member Mandi Spishak-Thomas asked Briggs whether disapproving the modification would have more impact than a conditional approval.

“The conditional approval is right because it shows that we’re willing to have a conversation and if anything, it shows that the developer is not,” said Briggs, who then reiterated his claim about CB6 being non-NIMBY.

Board member Pauline Blake asked whether the motion could slow down the process so that the community board would have more time to discuss its original requests to the developer.

“They [the developers] are scheduled to go before City Planning on the 16th of this month, so there’s no wiggle room in that case,” said Land Use Committee member Jerry Armer.

The commission’s hearing for the Gowanus application actually took place on March 18, a week after the community board approval, and was followed by a vote on April 1, where the CPC voted in favor of the application.

“I think that what we put together in the motion is the best we can do,” said Armer. “I think that by giving city planning, the developer and Powerhouse something instead of saying no, we’re giving them, hopefully, a road map.”

While the application passed with overwhelming support, some members were uneasy about how Briggs characterized the board’s position of not wanting to be viewed as a NIMBY.

“I think there’s far more nuance than that; I don’t appreciate folks portraying it either way,” said board member Reema Sharma during the meeting, who noted that area median income levels commonly don’t match what households can actually afford.

During the meeting’s public comment session, fourth-generation Brooklynite Edward Straka had a few choice words for the board about the Third Street project.

“It was surreal listening to you all talk about that development,” said Straka. “It sounds like there was a lot of horse trading going on, like there were a lot of backroom deals going on. Sounds like you had your hands tied.”

The next full Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m. inside the Van Alen Institute in Gowanus at 303 Bond St. and is open to the public.