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Van Dyke III ribbon-cutting
NYCHA Developments Top Story 

NYCHA and Partners Celebrate Ribbon-Cutting for Van Dyke III Affordable Housing Project

Vincent Echavaria

On November 10, NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ and NYC Housing Development Corporation (HDC) President Eric Enderlin joined with Trinity Financial and a group of business, nonprofit, and community leaders to celebrate the opening of Van Dyke III, a supportive and affordable housing development in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The 100 percent affordable housing project was realized in partnership with HDC and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and includes 179 permanently affordable residential apartments for extremely low- and low-income households, as well as one superintendent’s unit. The 12-story building was constructed on underutilized land at NYCHA’s Van Dyke campus on Dumont Avenue, between Mother Gaston Boulevard and Powell Street. In addition to campus-wide landscape improvements and a public mural, the Van Dyke site will also include a daycare facility, community health clinic, and wellness center. Supportive services will be provided by the nonprofit CAMBA.   

“Van Dyke III shows what is possible when we put underused NYCHA land to work hosting housing and community facilities that support both NYCHA residents and the broader community,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been. “A big thank you to all the agency and nonprofit partners who made this project a reality. Kudos as well to Trinity Financial for its exceptional work in tapping local Section 3 MWBE businesses and in hiring so many low-income residents of NYCHA and the local community to work on the project.”

“New York City must do all we can to address our NYCHA crisis, particularly as we simultaneously fight a pandemic and an economic crisis,” said Brooklyn Borough President and Mayor-elect Eric Adams. “Today’s ribbon-cutting event celebrating the completion of the Van Dyke III affordable housing project is just such a measure that comes forth in the right way, at the right time. My office is proud to have allocated $800,000 towards this worthy project in FY18. It is wonderful to see great efforts coming to fruition on permanent affordability for extremely low- and low-income households.”

“NYCHA is committed to facilitating the creation of high-quality affordable housing and amenities where they are needed most,” Chair Russ said. “The collection of resources, facilities, and affordable housing represented in the Van Dyke III project will benefit this neighborhood for generations to come.”

“Van Dyke III has raised the bar for what affordable housing can look like and create for a community,” said NYCHA’s Executive Vice President of Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “Our partners have delivered exceptional design and finishes while creating neighborhood amenities, economic opportunities, and supportive services that demonstrate what can be achieved when a project is really responsive to community input.”

“Through the Mayor’s housing plan we’ve been working aggressively to put our public land to use for affordable housing and develop projects that bring public amenities to strengthen neighborhoods,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll. “Van Dyke III has leveraged NYCHA land to create 179 affordable homes, a community health clinic, and supportive services provided by CAMBA that will benefit NYCHA residents and the surrounding Brownsville community.”

“Today’s celebration marks a true achievement for the Brownsville community and the City’s mission to create more affordable housing for all New Yorkers,” said Mr. Enderlin, HDC President. “Van Dyke III adds 179 permanently affordable homes to the neighborhood, with 54 reserved for formerly homeless households, as well as onsite supportive services for its residents. Congratulations and thank you to all of our partners for their continued efforts in the realization of vital developments such as this.”

“We look forward to seeing our residents take advantage of all of the resources available at Van Dyke III, and believe that it will allow so many families to enjoy a better quality of life,” said Van Dyke Houses Resident Association President Lisa Kenner. “Throughout the design and construction of this new building, the developer kept our resident association informed and engaged, and the input we had on everything from the programming available to the upgrades that were made reflects the fact that residents of Van Dyke Houses live together, work together, and will uplift each other through this exciting new development.”

This project was designated through a joint NYCHA and HPD Request for Proposals, and advances the goals of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s housing plan to build or preserve 300,000 affordable homes by 2026.

Thirty-one apartments at Van Dyke III will be set aside for NYCHA residents in addition to 54 apartments for formerly homeless residents in the surrounding neighborhood. Supportive services will be provided by CAMBA through an on-site office suite that offers case management, trainings, referral services, and community-building activities. The building also contains ground-floor community spaces, including a daycare center operated by Friends of Crown Heights, and a community health clinic operated by BMS Family Health and Wellness Center.

Building amenities at Van Dyke include a computer lab, a fitness room, a tenant lounge, a community room, an accessible roof deck, a package delivery room, and a ground-floor outdoor recreational area complete with a new mural showcasing the faces of notable Brownsville activists, community leaders, celebrities, and more. The project also involved site improvements to the Van Dyke campus, including a newly updated basketball court with artwork designed by Sophia Dawson and painted by residents and other community members.

The development partner, Trinity Financial, exceeded its targets for Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) procurement and Section 3 hiring. Approximately 38 percent of the original total construction contract involves M/WBE as subcontractors and suppliers on the project. More than $1.7 million of the construction work for subcontractors was awarded to local businesses, and $6.2 million to Section 3 businesses. Over 80 percent of the project’s new hires are represented by low- or very low-income workers, including 17 of the new hires who are NYCHA residents, nine of whom live at Van Dyke Houses. As part of a workforce partnership, the project has additionally provided Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training to more than 30 low-income residents, of which 25 were NYCHA residents.

Photo caption: The new 12-story Van Dyke III development includes 179 permanently affordable residential apartments for extremely low- and low-income households, as well as one superintendent’s unit, in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood.