A controversial development is moving forward in Brooklyn's Windsor Terrace. The move will bring affordable housing, but also high-rises that are unwanted by many longtime residents.

Last week, City Council approved the development of two new towers at the old Arrow Linen site, a hospitality textile supplier.

Plan will address housing shortage, councilmember says

The plan submitted by developers asked for two 13-story towers with 25% affordable housing. 

After more than a year of heated debate, the approved plan landed on 10 stories, 40% of which will be affordable at 60% AMI. It also included a community benefits agreement that would bring subsidized space for local organizations. 

"We want to have a local child care provider working out of the one of the buildings and then an office space for an anti-domestic violence organization," said Councilmember Shahana Hanif, who represents the district.

Hanif says the decision ended in a compromise between the community's, developer's and landowner's interests, and will ultimately be a way to address the housing shortage in the neighborhood.

"This is unprecedented because we're working with a private owner and usually adding more affordability requires public subsidies. And what's happening here is without any public subsidy. So we're really grateful that the community's advocacy really helped push that forward," she said.

Residents concerned about rent, community involvement

Not everyone is satisfied with the deal.  

Neighbors describe Windsor Terrace as a neighborhood known for charming row houses and short, modest apartment buildings. 

"We are not in density and some people in New York don't want to live in density, and this neighborhood provides that," said Velma McKenzie, who has lived in the neighborhood for almost 20 years. 

Jay Goldberg is on the steering committee of Housing Not High-Rises, a local group formed in response to the planned development. 

"It raises median rents in the neighborhood considerably, and that means that raises median income in the neighborhood considerably, and that will lead to renter displacement," he said, citing one of many concerns the group has. 

Others say they wanted more community involvement in the process. 

"When we use phrases like affordable housing, we always have to say like affordable to who? And the way that those affordability rates are currently calculated, you know, when you're talking about 60% AMI, that's unaffordable to 50% of New Yorkers," said Eric Olson, a renter in the neighborhood. 

Additionally, critics worry that if Arrow Linen were to sell the property, the community benefits agreement would be hard to enforce with the new land owner.

Arrow Linen did not reply to multiple requests for comment. 

Andrew Esposito, founder and principal of Apex Development Group, which will be building the towers, said there is no intention to sell the property. 

He added that the increase in affordable housing can make projects like these harder to finance, but sent a statement that reads, in part: "...We think a good result was achieved overall to bring much-needed affordable housing to the Windsor Terrace community." 

Esposito says his team is now working on financial considerations and pre-development activities before groundbreaking is estimated in approximately a year. 

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