Borough President Reviews Brooklyn's Modular Affordable Housing Proposal

As part of the public review process, the Borough President is now evaluating a public application, proposing a modular affordable housing complex in Brooklyn's East New York neighborhood. Submitted by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD), the application requests "UDAAP Project Approval and the Disposition of a City-Owned Lot", a "Zoning Map Amendment from R5 to R6", and a "Zoning Text Amendment to Designate an MIH Area". These changes would facilitate the construction of a 7-story, 173-unit building at 581 Grant Avenue.

What's particularly interesting about this project is the heavy reliance on module construction methods. In response to East New York's growing need for affordable housing, HPD put out a Request for Proposals seeking a design that would satisfy this demand. One of their requirements was that a modular construction method must be used in order to save on costs. A submission by Think! Architecture + Design was selected as the winning design.

581 Grant Avenue would be a 100% affordable complex, containing a wide range of units from studios to four-bedroom apartments. Each unit will be built with uniform module sections in order to keep costs down. Put simply, the larger the unit, the more module sections it will have.

Additionally, the building will include a landscaped rooftop, a medical clinic, a daycare, and workforce training services. Construction start and finish dates are not yet clear, but once the project is approved, the building should only take about a year to construct.

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