ANHD 2016 Building the Community Development Movement
A January 19th New York Times’ article– With Plan for Greenpoint Hospital, Neighbors May Finally Get Their Way– examines the long and difficult history of a major affordable housing development site in Williamsburg.
The story behind this hulking, abandoned hospital site dates back to the early 1970s, when the neighborhood worked to turn the tide of abandonment and decay in their embattled community. Multiple community-led plans through the years continued attempts to replace the hospital with much needed affordable housing, senior housing and community facilities . Instead, a succession of mayors over the decades ignored the local vision and support for those plans was repeatedly lost.
A common denominator of each Community plan over 40+ years was to insist that local non-profit organizations – St. Nicks Alliance with the local consortium Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corporation – be the site developers. This is because a mission-driven developer will commit to keeping the housing affordable for the community long after the regulatory restrictions on the affordability expire. And as a result, the city won’t have to worry that the developer will eventually cash out and go market-rate in this increasingly gentrifying area, as often happens with commercial developers . (See ANHD’s 10/8 blog and recent white paper).
We hope that the title of the Times article gives an accurate clue to the future and that the hospital site will finally be developed with the community’s plan in mind.
Bloggers: Benjamin Dulchin, Executive Director – ANHD