By COLlive reporter
A major new development planned for the corner of Troy Avenue and East New York Avenue is prompting questions among Crown Heights residents about the type of housing being built in the neighborhood.
Permits have been filed for a 13-story, 94-unit mixed-use building at 767 East New York Avenue, with Yonah Grunhut of Grun Group LLC listed as the developer.
The project would replace the former 770 Auto, a longtime auto repair and maintenance shop, with a substantially larger residential and commercial building at the prominent corner.
According to the filings, the proposed apartments would average approximately 561 square feet per unit, a figure that has drawn attention in a neighborhood where many growing families are seeking larger apartments.
Community members familiar with the transaction say the property was sold by a Lubavitch resident, who owns the neighboring ODA building, to a Satmar developer from Williamsburg. They also say unused development rights from the neighboring property were included in the transaction, allowing for a larger project on the site.
The plans have prompted a broader discussion among residents about whether new construction in Crown Heights is adequately serving the needs of the existing community.
Some have pointed to Williamsburg, questioning whether a project of this scale, particularly one consisting largely of smaller apartments, would face greater community scrutiny there.
The concern is not about development itself. Crown Heights needs additional housing, and new construction can help address the shortage. But residents say adding units alone does not necessarily solve the problem if those apartments are not suitable for the families struggling to find housing in the neighborhood.
As longtime commercial properties and smaller buildings increasingly give way to larger residential projects, the development at 767 East New York Avenue highlights a question likely to become more pressing in the years ahead: Who is the new housing in Crown Heights being built for?
The neighborhood will continue to grow. The question is whether that growth will meet the needs of the community already living there.
