Our position





 
Responsible Development for Prospect Lefferts Gardens


Prospect Lefferts Gardens is a low rise, mixed-income neighborhood. A massive 23 story, 254 unit mostly market rate residential tower is planned for 626 Flatbush Avenue between Fenimore Street, Chester Court and Ocean Avenue. The developer, Hudson Companies, is borrowing tens of millions of dollars from state agencies to fund construction (i.e. our tax dollars), but they have been unresponsive to community calls to lower the height of the development: 
  • This will be the tallest building on or near the perimeter of Prospect Park. Buildings this tall are not permitted by zoning in any other neighborhoods that border Prospect Park including Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Prospect Park South. 
  • High floor apartments at premium rents will have a ripple effect in the neighborhood, leading to rising rents in buildings that are currently affordable. 
  • The building will be completely out of character for this low rise historic neighborhood. 
  • It will tower over Prospect Park, a National Historic site, and violate Vaux and Olmsted’s intentional design of the Park as a rural retreat from the sights and sounds of the City. 
  • Long Shadows will be cast over Prospect Park, Ocean and Flatbush Avenues, and surrounding side streets. 
  • Small retail shops on Flatbush will be forced out when landlords sell property for luxury park views or for big box store rents. 
  • It will lead to similar projects from Empire Blvd. to Parkside, increase population density in already too-dense area, overwhelm schools and other neighborhood services, create more traffic and transportation congestion. 

What We Are Asking For: 

  • Lower the height of the building to 80 feet—the current zoning limit for new development in all the other neighborhoods surrounding Prospect Park. 
  • More and larger affordable housing units for working families. (i.e. more 2 & 3 bedroom apartments). More units to be affordable at lower income levels than currently planned. 
  • “Contextual” zoning for Flatbush and Ocean similar to the other neighborhoods around Prospect Park that limits new development to 80 feet.

Sign our Petition


PROSPECT PARK EAST NETWORK