An affordable housing development in Jamaica is providing seniors of all backgrounds in Queens with living space that is clean, safe and enables them to age gracefully, but just as importantly is affordable.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony last week marked the completion of an annex that adds an additional 158 units to Northeastern Towers, including 56 homes for formerly homeless seniors.
It is comprised of 58 studios and 100 one-bedroom apartments, each designed with the mobility of its residents in mind.
There are two sets of wide elevator doors on each floor and handrails lining the hallways. It also has amenities, including an exercise and wellness center, gardens, personal care room, and an office for social services.
Through the Housing Choice Voucher program, tenants will pay only 30 percent of their income in rent.
“We are delivering on our promise to put seniors first and create deeply affordable housing with on-site services to help them age with dignity,” said Louise Carroll, commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
District attorney Melinda Katz allocated $3 million in discretionary capital funding while serving as borough president to the project, which allowed for the inclusion of a solar canopy, roof deck, and other amenities that will support seniors.
“This project is a shining example of what can be accomplished when local government and community organizations work together,” she said.
The Northeastern Towers Annex fits with the broader initiative of addressing housing instability among low-income New Yorkers that is partially due to gentrification and rising rents. It was financed jointly by the HPD and HDC with a total of $93.6 million in public and private investment.
“No senior should ever be priced out of the neighborhood they love and proudly call home,” said current borough president Donovan Richards. “With more than 300,000 seniors living here in The World’s Borough, we look forward to more such ribbon cuttings as we work tirelessly to make sure that Queens is an affordable place to live for all, but especially our seniors.”
The project broke ground in 2018. Approximately 90 percent of the apartments are already rented.
“If you have the land, you should certainly be looking to model and duplicate this because we need to get ahead of the problem that we have over 60,000 people sleeping in shelters tonight,” said Richards. “We know when this eviction moratorium is lifted in September, we are going to see these numbers jump astronomically.”
Stephen Julty, 63, is a native New Yorker and one of the first to move into the annex. He said his new home is much better than the assisted living facility he was placed in by a hospital before being accepted to Northeastern Towers.
“I’m very emotional right now,” he said. “I realize how lucky I am as I hear the numbers, considering that I’m one of 28,000 applicants to this building.”
One of the building’s standout features is its central air conditioning system and the ample amount of natural light in each room, two features that are less likely for low-income seniors living in rent-stabilized apartments.
The project was developed in partnership with the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, Fifth Avenue Committee and Mega Development.
“May the North Eastern Towers Annex and original building, be a great representative of Christ’s ministry, in healing, preaching, teaching,” said Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, who is president of the Seventh-Day Adventist World Church. “Let us remember that we are to do that which is right in helping people here in the city.”

Having earned an impressive 63.9 percent of the electorate (16,537 votes to be exact) after ranked choice voting, Lincoln Restler is poised to be the next Councilman representing District 33 in North Brooklyn. Since he is running unopposed in the Fall, our paper recently caught up with Restler to discuss his political history and his goals for Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, and the other neighborhoods he will represent.
Born and raised in Brooklyn Heights, Restler got his start in politics as a founding member of the New Kings Democrats and as a volunteer for the Obama campaign. Over a decade later, he is proud to see how much the progressive movement has grown in Brooklyn from its humble beginnings.
“When we founded the New Kings Democrats almost the entire political establishment was in opposition to us,” Restler explained. “Every elected official, every political club, and every political union was lined up with Hilary Clinton, but we realized that despite having none of that institutional support, we were able to garner over 49% of the vote in Brooklyn for Barack Obama.”
He continued: “That was because of the dynamism of his [Obama’s] campaign, but also the hard work we put in at subway stops, knocking on doors, and calling voters. It inspired many of us to look locally at how we could make a difference across the borough that we live in. We had no idea of the depth and breadth of corruption across our local political landscape.”
After finding early allies (including Brooklyn Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez), Restler and the New Kings Democrats went on to help elect reform-oriented progressives in a number of City Council Districts throughout the borough. However, now that Restler is entering the Council himself, he is less focused on political labels and more focused on addressing issues in his North Brooklyn district and throughout the City.
One such issue is gentrification, another trend that has taken Brooklyn by storm in the decade since Restler’s political beginnings.
“We have seen more new development in our district than any other in the city of New York since 2010. It’s not even close,” Restler explained. “Too many of my neighbors are struggling to get by today. And the few affordable apartments that have been built aren’t affordable. I’ve never met anyone that finds a $2,350 studio apartment affordable.”
Restler points to the 2004 and 2005 rezonings of Downtown Brooklyn and Greenpoint and Williamsburg respectively as the root causes of this affordability issue. However, he does not label himself as an anti-development candidate. Instead, he is focused on using his Council seat and political power to reform certain aspects of the City’s land-use policy.
He specifically highlighted the State’s 421a program that incites development with tax breaks. Although it is a state program, the City Council can repeal certain options within the program that allow developers to sell ‘affordable housing’ at 130% percent of the area median income, a step that Restler hopes to take in his first days on the Council.
Restler also spoke at length about holding the City accountable to completing the parks and schools that were promised to North Brooklyn during the 2004 and 2005 rezonings, including the yet to be finished Bushwick Inlet Park.
Restler advocates for a more comprehensive approach to community feedback to address hyper local issues, including the pushback against open streets and outdoor dining by some residents in Greenpoint. He also discussed the need for a community-led approach to street safety and vision zero policies, especially following the tragic hit-and-run death of beloved local teacher Matthew Jensen on McGuinness Boulevard this past May.
“My goal as a legislator is to be in constant communication with my community, getting regular input, feedback, and new ideas about what we can do to make our neighborhood and our City even better,” Restler said. “That’s why I’m hoping to organize regular active town halls and be an accessible 24/7 Councilmember that people know can reach out to for help with local problems but also be a partner to help implement bold ideas to make our neighborhoods more affordable, more sustainable, more livable, and more dynamic.”
The incoming City Council class includes many progressives (including other incoming Brooklyn representatives Jennifer Gutierrez and Shahana Hanif), and Restler is confident that they will be able to pass many measures furthering their progressive agenda. He is also longtime friends with incoming Brooklyn Borough President and former Bushwick City Councilmember Antonio Reynoso.
Additionally, Restler has previously worked with Eric Adams, the Democratic nominee for Mayor, during his time as a State Senator and the Brooklyn Borough President. Although Adams is viewed as more of a moderate, Restler is hopeful that the most-likely next Mayor will be open to working together towards progressive ideas.
“I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to find a lot of common ground on a variety of different issues,” Restler said. “I ran on a stridently progressive platform and committed to representing those values and the values of the residents of the 33rd City Council district. Sometimes that will be in agreement with the mayor and sometimes it won’t.”

Construction began this past week on 80 Flatbush, the first all-electric residential building coming to New York City. The project is expected to be completed in 2024 and is part of a larger mixed-used development on the border of Boerum Hill and Downtown Brooklyn.
Dubbed “The Alloy Block” in honor of its developer (real estate company Alloy Development), 80 Flatbush will rise 44 stories tall, or approximately 500-feet high. The mixed-use building will include 441 units, 45 of which will be set aside as affordable housing. Residents will have access to a fitness center, workspace, and a rooftop pool with views of Manhattan.
Additionally, two schools will move into the building once it’s completed. The Khalil Gibran International Academy, a dual English-Arabic language school, will move to 80 Flatbush from its current location at 380 Schermerhorn. A new public elementary school will also move into the building, equipped with a state-of-the-art gym and auditorium (both of which will also be open to the community).
Alloy Development has also boldly claimed that the building will be carbon-neutral, the first of its kind in New York City. Instead of using natural gas to heat water, stoves, and other appliances, 80 Flatbush will operate solely using electricity.
“We are committed to making Brooklyn beautiful, sustainable and equitable and as the city recovers from the pandemic, we hope the Alloy Block will set the standard for progressive, thoughtful development,” said Jared Della Valle, Alloy’s founder and CEO. “When it comes to taking the environmental impact of buildings seriously, building truly affordable housing in wealthy, transit-rich neighborhoods, and creating healthier school environments, we are proud to play a leading role as we begin construction on the Alloy Block.”
Alloy Development recently received an additional $240 million in funding from the New York City Educational Construction Fund to help finance 80 Flatbush. Previously, the developer received vast sums of money from financial juggernaut Goldman Sachs.

Red Hook-based real estate company Pilku Construction Services is seeking city approval to rezone a lot they currently own in the waterfront neighborhood. If approved, the zoning change would allow for the construction of a colorful mix-used building in the heart of Red Hook.
Located at 150 Mill Street near the elevated portion of the Gowanus Expressway, the developer has proposed a ten-story building for the site with retail and office space and parking. Renderings of the proposed building reveal a whimsical design aesthetic, with bursts of bright colors clashing against the muted greens of the nearby highway.
The proposed rezone also includes 338-354 Hamilton Avenue and parts of 595 Clinton Street and 157-159 Centre Street, which would supply additional parking for the completed building.
The project at 150 Mill Street is one of many new developments taking hold in Red Hook and neighboring areas. Tech giant Amazon recently broke ground on a new last-mile fulfillment center along the Red Hook waterfront, not far from the massive IKEA store that opened in 2008.
Amazon’s new facility will be located on a pier at 280 Richards Street, at the former location of the old Revere Sugar Factory, which was torn down in 2009.
New York real estate mainstay Thor Equities had formerly planned on constructing a waterfront office at the site, but those plans were abandoned back in 2019.