A long vacant site has been transformed into 97 Crooke Avenue, a 53-unit affordable housing development in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood.
CAMBA Housing Ventures (CHV) acquired the property from a Caledonia Hospital bankruptcy sale after it had sat undeveloped for decades. The land appraised for $2.5 million, but CHV moved quickly to purchase it for $760,000.
It was the hole in the neighborhood, according to David Rowe, CHV executive vice president.
With the development of 97 Crooke, his organization is providing 32 apartments for formerly homeless individuals, 20 apartments for those earning no more than 60 percent of the area median income, and a manager’s unit.
CHV is an affiliate of CAMBA, Inc., a community-based organization that is providing residents with case management and other key services.
97 Crooke is also a community asset. In a creative move, CHV incorporated a neighboring parcel into the frontage to enliven a bleak streetscape with plantings and art.
All the apartments are studios, so the team added multiple areas for residents to enjoy, including a rooftop garden and two community rooms.
The Enterprise Green Communities-certified building’s patterned brick design incorporates the many brick colors found in the neighborhood.
The $15.3 million development utilizes low-income housing tax credit equity from Enterprise Community Investment.
