City Planning Commission Supports Affordable 575 5th Ave. Housing Plan

Media Advisory: CITY SAYS “YES” TO AFFORDABLE SUPPORTIVE HOUSING

City Planning Commission approves Fifth Avenue Committee’s plan for affordable, supportive housing at 575 5th Avenue.
New York, NY May 24, 2007 – The New York City Planning Commission voted in favor of Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC’s) plan to build 49 units of affordable, supportive housing for low-income community residents and formerly homeless individuals at 575 5th Avenue in South Park Slope, Brooklyn. The apartment building was designed to integrate into the neighborhood through a contextual and environmentally friendly design; it will contain studio-efficiency apartments with on-site social services, 24 hour front desk security and a garden. As a result of input from local elected officials and the community and in response to community concerns the project has evolved over the past several months - target populations were modified and the residential entrance was moved from 16th Street to 5th Avenue.

Twenty four (24) of the 49 units will be for formerly homeless individuals living with mental illness, five (5) units will be for formerly homeless individuals living with HIV/AIDS, and the remaining twenty (20) units will be rented to low-income community residents. In order to qualify for tenancy, prospective tenants must earn at or under 60% of Area Median Income, currently $29,775. FAC has also committed to target senior citizens and youth aging out of foster care for opportunities to live in the building.

Today’s victory is an especially heart-felt one for FAC, its supporters, and the large majority of the project’s neighbors after the project faced opposition from some local residents and businesses. The City Planning Commission’s vote in favor of the project is an important step in preserving the diversity in our Park Slope community and ensuring that everyone – regardless of race, income or medical history – can live with dignity in the neighborhood. The vote in favor of the project advances the City’s commitment to build over 9,000 units of affordable, supportive housing over the next 12 years as part of the NY/NY III agreement between the City and the State to provide housing and support services in the community to individuals who are formerly homeless with special needs.

FAC’s Executive Director, Michelle de la Uz, thanked the Commission, stating “The City Planning Commission was diligent and thoughtful in its role. The Commissioners listened intently as an unprecedented number of supporters - numbering over 100 – waited over 5 hours to testify in favor of the project. FAC is certainly pleased that this project is advancing on its merit and we are confident it will not only provide much needed affordable, supportive housing to 49 future residents but will also be a true asset to the local community.”

The next step under the City’s Uniform Land Use and Review Procedure (ULURP) is a hearing before the New York City Council’s Land Use Committee. If you would like to voice your support or get more information on the project or other FAC services, please see our website: www.FifthAvenueComm
ittee.org, or contact us at 718 237 2017.


Michelle de la Uz
Executive Director

Fifth Avenue Committee, Inc.
621 DeGraw Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217

(718) 237-2017 ext. 116 office
(718) 237-5366 fax
(646) 285-2978 cell
mdelauz@fifthave.org
www.fifthave.org

**********