# NEW YORK | 960 Franklin Ave | 424 + 421 FT | 39 + 39 FLOORS
**URL:** https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784
**Category:** Proposed
**Created:** [February 13, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784 "2019-02-13T14:23:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@chris08876](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/chris08876)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/1 "2019-02-13T14:23:37Z")
**[Multi-Towered Mega-Project Revealed At 960 Franklin Avenue In Crown Heights, Brooklyn](https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/02/multi-towered-mega-project-revealed-at-960-franklin-avenue-in-crown-heights-brooklyn.html)**
> Recent proposals to the New York City Department of City Planning could facilitate the construction of a 1.4 million square foot, mixed-use project in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. If approved, the massive plan could yield one of the community’s largest-ever developments.
>
> The assembled parcels, referred to simply as 960 Franklin Avenue, were purchased in a partnership by Bruce Eichner’s Continuum Company and Joel Bergstein’s Lincoln Equities. Further funding for the project would be sourced from a combination of state and federal programs for affordable housing developments in addition to privately acquired capital.
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> Located just East of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and Prospect Park, the development would include the construction of two mixed-use buildings to be completed in two distinct phases.
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> The first phase would begin as early as January 2021 with anticipated completion by September of that same year. If approved, building one would rise 39 stories, or about 421 feet, at the southern end of the project site. The building would comprise 705,652 square feet and contain 810 residences. A total of 405 units would let as affordable homes.
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> The first building would also contain 9,641 square feet of retail area and 113 parking spaces.
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> The second phase could begin as early as October 2021 and wrap up by April 2024. This structure would also comprise 39 stories, but top-off slightly higher at 424 feet. The building would comprise 663,662 square feet and contain 768 units. Given the total number of proposed affordable units in the entire development, it can be assumed this phase would include 381 affordable homes.
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> The second phase would also include 11,542 square feet of retail, 9,678 square feet dedicated to a community facility, and 67 parking spaces.
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> In total, approximately 50% of residential area would let as affordable housing at tiered levels of income. That percentage amounts to about 790 units out of approximately 1,590 total residences.
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> The development would also introduce 50,258 square feet of open space divided between public and private residential use. Of that total area, about 18,000 square feet would be available to the public during daytime hours.
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> On March 12th, 2019, the development team is expected to present these proposals to the public, where members of the local community will be able to voice their opinions and concerns. If deemed appropriate, the developer would alter the proposals before submitting final plans to city agencies.
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> It remains to be seen how the city and community members will react to the new proposals. If approved by the Department of City Planning, full completion is expected by 2024.
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### Author:  [@colrain](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/colrain)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/2 "2019-02-13T16:36:03Z")
Is this planned for that empty lot by Medgar Evers College? Something better than glass boxes would have been nice.
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### Author:  [@Tectonic](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Tectonic)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/3 "2019-02-14T18:32:10Z")
It’s next to the spice factory.
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### Author:  [@chris08876](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/chris08876)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/4 "2019-02-18T22:20:26Z")
**Draft Scope of Work for an Environmental Impact Statement**
[https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/applicants/env-review/960-franklin-ave/960-franklin-ave-draft-scope-work.pdf](https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/applicants/env-review/960-franklin-ave/960-franklin-ave-draft-scope-work.pdf)
A lot of information within document pertaining to this project.
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### Author:  [@chris08876](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/chris08876)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2019, 10:24pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/5 "2019-02-18T22:24:16Z")
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### Author:  [@chris08876](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/chris08876)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2019, 2:21am UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/6 "2019-02-22T02:21:13Z")
**[Monster’ Crown Heights Development Reignites Fears Of Shadows Over Brooklyn Botanic Garden](http://gothamist.com/2019/02/21/crown_heights_development_shadows.php)**
> A developer has unveiled plans to build two 39-story residential towers in Crown Heights, confirming fears of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and its advocates who have warned the city that tall developments in the increasingly gentrifying neighborhood will cast damaging shadows across a beloved green space.
>
> Earlier this month, Continuum Company and Lincoln Equities filed applications with the city Department of Planning for zoning amendments that would allow them to build a 1.4 million square feet development containing 1,578 units of housing, half of which would be affordable, at 960 Franklin Avenue. One tower would rise to 421 feet, while the other would top off at 424 feet.
>
> In 2017, the developers [paid around $75 million](https://ny.curbed.com/2017/10/31/16580954/crown-heights-ian-bruce-eichner-rezoning) for the three-acre site, which is currently home to a warehouse. Continuum is helmed by Bruce Eichner, the builder behind the 777-feet-tall luxury condo tower Madison Square Park in the Flatiron district.
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> The deal immediately raised concerns in the community, which has over the decades fought to protect the area around the Brooklyn Botanic Garden from overdevelopment. Community activists have frequently cited a 1991 city rezoning, which limits buildings around the Botanical Gardens to 13 stories.
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> “The zoning in that area must remain unchanged,” said Elizabeth Reina-Longoria, the director of communications at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. “The position of that building is very close to our greenhouses and conservatory.”
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> The Garden and community activists have long been expecting the developers to roll out a mega-project. As early as 2017, Eichner had [talked about building a complex of four buildings between 20 and 30 stories on the site](https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20171101/crown-heights/spice-factory-development-bruce-eichner-continuum/).
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> Buildings on that particular block are currently not permitted to be greater than 80 feet, or seven stories in height, according to Reina-Longoria.
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> Alicia Boyd, one of the founders of Movement to Protect the People, a grassroots organization which has fought the spread of large developments in the neighborhood, called the project a “monster.”
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> “This is a neighborhood where we have an average of four-stories,” she said. “This is an unprecedented leap that this developer is taking.”
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> In June, Boyd’s group commissioned a shadow analysis that showed that a 441-foot building, slightly taller than what the developers have planned, would [cast shadows on portions of the Botanic Garden for significant durations of time in the morning and afternoon](https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/41/27/dtg-shadows-over-botanic-garden-2018-07-06-bk.html).
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> As the city’s skyline grows taller, more attention is being paid to how much light is being lost to mammoth-sized buildings. In 2016, the New York Times’ Upshot blog [mapped the shadows of thousands of buildings](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/21/upshot/Mapping-the-Shadows-of-New-York-City.html) in New York City. Around Central Park, buildings like the Plaza, Ritz-Carlton and Hampshire House, can produce shadows several blocks long that can last the whole day.
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### Author:  [@YIMHudson](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/YIMHudson)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2019, 2:24am UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/7 "2019-02-22T02:24:14Z")
this one has to go on my list of projects that probably won’t see the light of day. Scaled back, probably. This plan? Probably not. It gets points for its affordable component at least.
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### Author:  [@chris08876](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/chris08876)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2019, 2:25am UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/8 "2019-02-22T02:25:56Z")
I think it’ll be a fight. Just like with Atlantic Yards (aka pacific park), it’ll be a bloody battle between developers and the shadow and acrophobia people.
As is with any development that will add a healthy amount of units, its always a battle to get to the shovel stage.
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### Author:  [@Tectonic](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Tectonic)
#### Post date: [February 22, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/9 "2019-02-22T15:08:25Z")
Live in this neighborhood. The community board meetings will be interesting. This is the most densely populated part of Brooklyn but still has space that should be used better for housing.
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### Author:  [@YIMHudson](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/YIMHudson)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2019, 3:12pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/10 "2019-03-18T15:12:34Z")
not surprising, already conflicting narratives being tossed around.
> **[Green death: Proposed Franklin Ave. towers would kill half of Bklyn Botanic’s...](https://www.brooklynpaper.com/green-death-proposed-franklin-ave-towers-would-kill-half-of-bklyn-botanics-plants-within-a-decade-expert-claims/)**
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> Shadows cast by a proposed 39-story development in Crown Heights would destroy half of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s collection of rare and exotic
> A spokeswoman for the builder, however, insisted that although it has yet to complete a full environmental-impact study of the project, early analysis shows that the development’s impact on the garden would be negligible, citing research conducted by Continuum’s own environmental experts.
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 4:06am UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/11 "2020-05-05T04:06:40Z")
> **[Prospect Park tower shadows would have ‘significant adverse impact’ on...](https://nypost.com/2020/02/18/prospect-park-tower-shadows-would-have-a-significant-adverse-impact-on-botanic-gardens-docs-say/)**
>
> A pair of 39-story apartment towers proposed for the Prospect Park area could spell doom for the flowers at the nearby Brooklyn Botanic Garden thanks to their massive shadows, a newly revealed Park…
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### Author:  [@Tectonic](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Tectonic)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/12 "2020-05-05T14:44:36Z")
They really don’t need to go that high here. Two blocks away on Empire they’re building storage units because of the zoning. It doesn’t make any sense.
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### Author:  [@galebrewerwitch](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/galebrewerwitch)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/13 "2020-05-05T14:54:33Z")
More hyperbole from NIMBYs in the same vein as people claiming tall towers around Central Park was going to cast it in permanent shadows.
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/14 "2020-12-15T15:20:17Z")
> **[Restraining Order Lifted, Allowing Rezoning at Crown Heights Spice Factory to...](https://www.brownstoner.com/development/crown-heights-brooklyn-development-spice-factory-960-franklin-avenue-restraining-order/)**
>
> A Brooklyn judge tossed a temporary restraining order that was halting progress on the controversial Spice Factory development.
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2020, 8:25pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/15 "2020-12-23T20:25:12Z")
> **[In Surprise Shift, Mayor De Blasio Says He Opposes Controversial Crown...](https://gothamist.com/news/surprise-shift-mayor-de-blasio-says-he-opposes-controversial-crown-heights-towers)**
>
> The mayor's statement comes after a years-long contentious battle between residents and a high-profile developer who sought to raise two 39-story towers overlooking the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
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### Author:  [@crawdad](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/crawdad)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2020, 9:09pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/16 "2020-12-23T21:09:09Z")
I mean, this is all idiotic. There’s nothing wrong with tall towers in this neighborhood (there are already many) and tall buildings don’t harm parks, obviously.
But in the long run, this is meaningless. We’ll just get a redesigned project of shorter, fatter towers.
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/17 "2020-12-29T16:59:36Z")
> **[Why de Blasio Opposed Project near Brooklyn Botanic Garden](https://therealdeal.com/2020/12/29/de-blasios-crown-heights-flip-flop-was-no-garden-variety-reversal/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=hootsuite&utm_term=trdny&utm_content=7cba3db8-9f20-4664-a5e4-ebcb44a91579&utm_campaign=hootsuite_general&tpcc=hootsuite_general)**
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> When Mayor Bill de Blasio rejected a Crown Heights project that would shadow the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, jaws dropped in real estate circles.
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2021, 10:33pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/18 "2021-02-03T22:33:46Z")
> **[City Planning Commission Certifies Massive 960 Franklin Rezoning, Despite...](https://bklyner.com/city-planning-commission-certifies-massive-960-franklin-rezoning-despite-opposition-from-bbg-and-mayor/)**
>
> The City Planning Commission (CPC) voted on Monday to certify a controversial Crown Heights rezoning proposal at 960 Franklin Avenue,...
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [February 7, 2021, 2:41am UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/19 "2021-02-07T02:41:30Z")
> **[Public Review Procedure Launches for 960 Franklin Avenue Towers in Crown...](https://newyorkyimby.com/2021/02/public-review-procedure-launches-for-960-franklin-avenue-towers-in-crown-heights-brooklyn.html)**
>
> The requisite public review process has begun for 960 Franklin Avenue, a high-rise development in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
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### Author:  [@Emoglez](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Emoglez)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2021, 12:55pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/new-york-960-franklin-ave-424-421-ft-39-39-floors/4784/20 "2021-02-24T12:55:24Z")
> **[Crown Heights Botanic Garden-Shadowing Developer Unveils Shorter Alternatives...](https://www.thecity.nyc/brooklyn/2021/2/23/22297718/crown-heights-botanic-garden-shadows-shorter)**
>
> Continuum Company says it can build 500+ luxury condominiums without any additional clearances. It’s also offering to scale down the project and its affordable housing, but garden tenders say the threat of harm to plants still looms large.
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