New York Mayor Bill de Blasio joined Bruce Ratner with a shovel in Brooklyn to officially break ground on a new affordable housing building at 35 Carlton Avenue, to be built by Forest City Ratner. The new building, part of a $5 Billion project at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards, is one of fifteen being constructed in partnership with Chinese-government owned Greenland Holding Group which was also represented at the ceremony.
535 Carlton Avenue will have 298 rental apartment units over 18 stories.
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The start of construction represents a major win for Ratner which recently had a falling out with the Swedish firm Skanska over a modular building project at the Atlantic Yards development. The two companies are currently suing each other.
It also represents an achievement the New York Mayor who has made increasing affordable housing in the city a priority. “We’ve made major strides in bringing more affordability to this development, ” he said. “We’re speeding up the process for development that achieves affordable housing.”
“You have units for folks who make very low income. You have units for folks who at this moment, given the cost of this city, are struggling to stay in the middle class. So you have a range, ” the Mayor added.
Bruce Ratner also took the opportunity to make a statement about affordable housing. “That’s two hundred and ninety eight units of affordable housing. Let me say it again: 100 percent affordable.”
“Look what’s been done, whether it’s pre-K, or housing, or pushing this project along, or something called ‘Vision Zero, ’ which is very, very important, and safety and security. This year, this city will be the safest city we’ve ever had, ” he said. “Plus, we’re going to get the convention!” referring to the anticipated Democratic Party’s national convention to be held in New York in 2016.
