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Q&A
Council Member Riley questions JT Realty Advisors on housing units and church development
0:10:50
·
3 min
Council Member Kevin Riley engages in a Q&A session with James Howard from JT Realty Advisors regarding the proposed housing development project. The discussion covers the breakdown of housing units, the lack of three-bedroom apartments, the church's property acquisition history, and the reasons for selecting an R6A zoning district.
- Riley expresses concern over the lack of three-bedroom apartments and the high number of studio apartments, which he believes are not conducive to growing families.
- Howard explains the church's history of acquiring properties for affordable housing development over the past 20 years.
- The R6A zoning district was chosen to be consistent with the adjacent East New York rezoning that took place several years ago.
Kevin Riley
0:10:50
Thank you so much.
0:10:52
Just a few questions before I toss it to council member nurse.
0:10:56
Can you give me a breakdown on the units one more time, please?
James Howard
0:10:58
Sure.
0:11:00
As far as the unit distribution or affordability?
0:11:03
Unit distribution.
0:11:04
Absolutely.
0:11:05
So the current proposal includes 29 studios, 53, five three, one bedrooms, 71, two bedrooms, and no three bedroom apartments.
Kevin Riley
0:11:22
Apartments.
0:11:22
How much three?
James Howard
0:11:23
No, zero three bedrooms for a total of a 53 units.
Kevin Riley
0:11:28
Is there a reason why there's no three bedrooms apartments?
James Howard
0:11:31
We were trying to maximize the number of affordable units so that's why the original proposal did not have any three bedrooms.
Kevin Riley
0:11:39
If you minimize the studios, would you be able to produce any three bedrooms?
James Howard
0:11:42
Yes.
0:11:43
So, what we've looked at now as
Kevin Riley
0:11:45
Affordable three bedrooms.
James Howard
0:11:46
Yes.
0:11:46
Absolutely.
0:11:46
A % affordable under both scenarios.
0:11:48
The original with a 53 units and the proposed which would total a 35 units, we would have 37 studios
Kevin Riley
0:11:58
Mhmm.
James Howard
0:11:59
Thirty two one bedrooms, fifty seven two bedrooms, and nine three bedrooms.
Kevin Riley
0:12:08
Okay.
0:12:09
I just want to continue being consistent.
0:12:11
Sure.
0:12:11
I I'm not a fan of studio apartments.
0:12:15
I believe that they're not conducive to communities Sure.
0:12:18
Who are trying to grow families or even have, you know, shared spaces where they can invite loved ones over.
0:12:24
So, I just wanna put that on the record as consistent as I've been.
0:12:28
Sure.
0:12:29
The other two questions I have are, when did the church acquire the residential properties on the block?
James Howard
0:12:37
I'd say over the last twenty years or so.
Kevin Riley
0:12:40
Twenty years.
0:12:41
Okay.
James Howard
0:12:41
Yeah.
0:12:42
So, Grace Baptist Church had developed Grace Houses down the Street some time ago as a HUD project.
0:12:50
They sold it and as part of the sale, they had to use the proceeds to further affordable housing development.
0:12:57
So they used those proceeds to acquire the vacant lots along Vermont Street as well as New Jersey Avenue for future development.
0:13:03
So it had always been contemplated that the church would develop those sites.
0:13:08
Given the the poor condition of the existing church, the church had a need to redevelop their church as well.
0:13:17
And in an effort to do that we looked at kind of cross subsidizing that by also building affordable housing and creating a new church at the base of the New Jersey Avenue residential building.
Kevin Riley
0:13:28
Is the church going to be the same square foot as the original church or are they the most Yes.
James Howard
0:13:34
Yes.
0:13:34
Absolutely.
Kevin Riley
0:13:35
Okay.
0:13:35
Yes.
0:13:36
I'm sorry.
0:13:37
I said two questions.
0:13:38
No, no, no.
0:13:38
That's fine.
0:13:39
Can you just educate the committee on why the church selected the R 6 A District for this project?
James Howard
0:13:46
Sure.
0:13:46
Absolutely.
0:13:48
The R 6 A was done in to be consistent with the adjacent East New York rezoning that took place several years ago.
0:13:57
In fact, one of the sites that the church owns was in fact included right off of Liberty Avenue, but unfortunately it did not extend down towards you know the other end of the block.
0:14:11
So
Kevin Riley
0:14:12
So this is just to continue the same makeup of the community?
UNKNOWN
0:14:15
Yes.
0:14:15
Absolutely.
Kevin Riley
0:14:16
Okay.
0:14:16
Thank you.
0:14:17
I have no more questions.
0:14:18
Councilmember Nurs?