Bedford-Stuyvesant

Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing Plan

The Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing Plan is the result of a community-driven process to evaluate and improve upon the agency's affordable housing investments in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The housing plan summarizes the community’s goals for affordable housing development, plans for future development of affordable housing on City-owned land, and strategies for supporting tenants and homeowners across the neighborhood.

By working with local community groups and coordinating housing-related city agencies, the housing plan is designed to ensure that government programs and investments are working towards common objectives for the neighborhood and that housing developed on public land responds to local needs. The Initiative is a collaboration with Brooklyn Community Board 3, the Office of the Council Member Robert E. Cornegy Jr., the Office of Council Member Alicka Ampry Samuel, the Office of Borough President Eric L. Adams, and local community-based partners.

Why Create a Housing Plan in Bed-Stuy?

Bedford-Stuyvesant is a historically Black neighborhood that is rapidly changing. Demographics are shifting, rents are rising, and long-time residents are being pressured sell. The neighborhood has a rich history of community leadership, a strong network of community and faith-based organizations, and a stock of City-owned vacant land that can be used to address these pressing issues. Convening local leaders with partners across government, HPD worked to create a unified plan to solve community housing issues using a race-forward approach.

Events

Short-Term Rentals Webinar
On November 17, 2021, HPD held a webinar in collaboration with the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement and the Center for NYC Neighborhoods to educate Bed-Stuy homeonwers and other stakeholders about laws pertaining to short-term rentals.

Goals

The housing plan builds on the pioneering neighborhood preservation success of local organizers in the 1960s, and advances a series of strategies focused on homeowner and tenant displacement. The plan will also help ensure City programs, public services, and community resources are coordinated and aligned with the neighborhood's unique challenges. The goals of the plan are to:

Support tenants and owners struggling to keep up and under pressure to sell.
Through initiatives like a new Homeowner Help Desk HPD will continue to partner with other city agencies and CBOs to support Bed-Stuy residents by connecting tenants to support services and homeowners to capacity building services that will aid them in growing their wealth.
Reduce housing speculation and illegal housing-related activities.
A hotspot for illegal Airbnb activity and deed theft targeting seniors, local homeowners report repeat harassment and solicitation to sell properties below market value. The City will counter harmful real-estate practices by connecting more homeowners to resources and counseling around estate planning, educating the community about illegal short-term rentals, and supporting community efforts to implement a neighborhood "cease-and-desist zone."
Promote safe and healthy housing.
Safe and secure housing is fundamental to a healthy life and poor housing conditions can lead to the underlying health problems that disproportionately affect communities of color. Nearly two-thirds of all homes in Bed-Stuy are more than 70 years old, and have higher rates of maintenance issues that impact health compared to other communities. Through this plan, HPD and NYCHA will implement service improvements for hundreds of public housing residents and provide new financing resources, technical assistance, and enforcement tools to improve housing quality for both homeowners and tenants.
Enhance resource delivery to homeowners and tenants.
Working closely with homeowner and tenant associations, housing nonprofits, local businesses and community organizations, the City will develop better public engagement and information sharing around housing support services and educate residents about their legal rights and responsibilities. To start, HPD plans to host tenant resource clinics and develop a Bed-Stuy homeowner’s guide. Education and outreach for tenants will center on the recent expansions of tenant rights passed at the State level.
Create new affordable rental and homeownership opportunities on vacant land.
The City is advancing community-driven strategies for new affordable housing opportunities on local City-owned sites. New affordable housing created in the neighborhood will reflect the community’s desire for housing investments to enhance affordability, promote community wealth and financial well-being, foster opportunities for minority- and women-owned business enterprise (M/WBEs) and non-profit developers, while uplifting the neighborhood’s cultural history.

Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Wealth and Wellness RFP

HPD released the Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Wealth and Wellness RFP for two City-owned sites in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Community feedback analysis of existing and planned affordable housing, community facilities, and retail have informed the following site goals:

Fulton-Howard East: Homeownership
Proposals for this site should incorporate homeownership opportunities for moderate-income, first-time homebuyers and consider ground-floor programming that supports the overall goals of the initiative.

Fulton-Saratoga: Community Wellness and Healing
Proposals for this site should incorporate building design, uses, and programming that brings residents together around community, health, wellness, healing, and food sovereignty and security. This site will include between 220 and 240 affordable apartments with a requirement that between 80 and 100 apartments will be affordable senior apartments. Community recommendations include:

Fresh and healthy food access and education
All-purpose community center
Fitness classes
Health living skills classes
Affordable healing services

Planning Process

HPD launched the Bed-Stuy Housing Initiative in Spring of 2019. As part of the initiative HPD has hosted a series of public workshops and roundtable events to engage residents, elected officials, community-based organizations, and housing-related government agencies. The Initiative is a collaboration with Brooklyn Community Board 3, the Office of the Council Member Robert E. Cornegy Jr., the Office of Council Member Alicka Ampry Samuel, the Office of Borough President Eric L. Adams, and local community-based partners.

Between June 2019 and January 2020, HPD hosted a series of public interactive workshops:

HPD also held Tenant Resource Fairs in the neighborhood so tenants know their rights and available housing-related resources, Property Owner Events for homeowners and landlords to troubleshoot issues and share resources, and Community Partner Roundtables and Preservation Stakeholder Meetings to better understand housing issues in the neighborhood.

Questions?

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to bedstuy@hpd.nyc.gov