Bedford Union Armory Project – 16DME005K

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) in coordination with Bedford Courts LLC (the "Applicant") is seeking a series of discretionary approvals to facilitate the redevelopment of the historic Bedford Union Armory (the “Armory”) located at 1555 Bedford Avenue (Block 1274, Lot 1) in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn (the “Project Site”) into an approximately 542,393 gross square feet (gsf) three-building mixed-use development. Specifically, the redevelopment would result in approximately 390 residential dwelling units (DUs), including approximately 177 affordable DUs; up to 48,997 gsf of office space; up to 18,122 gsf of academic space; approximately 72,252 gsf of community facility space; and a minimum of 118 parking spaces (the “Proposed Development”). Should the 18,122 gsf of academic space be determined infeasible, 25 additional DUs (including 14 affordable DUs) would be incorporated into the Proposed Development in lieu of the 18,122 gsf of academic space. The analysis build year for this project is 2020.

The Proposed Project would be facilitated by the following discretionary actions that are subject to review under the City Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) and CEQR process:

• Disposition of City-owned Property: The portion of the Project Site on which the condominium building would be built would be sold to the Selected Developer by the City. The remainder of the Project Site, including the Armory’s existing Drill Shed, Head House, and garage, would be disposed of through a long-term ground-lease between the City and the Selected Developer. These dispositions of City-owned property require Mayoral approval pursuant to Section 384(b)(4) of the New York City Charter.
• Zoning Map Amendment: The Project Site is currently located in an R6 residential zoning district. The City is requesting approval by the New York City Planning Commission to change the zoning on the Project Site from R6 to R7-2 with a C2-4 commercial overlay. The proposed C2-4 commercial overlay, mapped to a depth that will capture the entirety of the Head House, will allow for commercial office uses throughout the Head House, and span eastward from Bedford Avenue to a point 220 feet west of the Rogers Avenue street-line.
• Zoning Text Amendment: The City is requesting approval of a Zoning Text Amendment to map the Project Site as a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Area (“MIHA”) in Appendix F of the New York City Zoning Resolution (ZR), pursuant to ZR sections 23-154 and 23-90. In support of this request, the Selected Developer proposes that the Proposed Development would comply with ZR Section 23-154(d)(3)(ii) - Option 2 (“MIH Option 2”). MIH Option 2 requires that a minimum of 30% of the residential floor area be affordable to residents with a weighted average of three income bands (for instance, 40%, 50% and 110% of area median income or “AMI”) that would not exceed 80% of AMI. To meet this requirement, the Selected Developer would ensure that 30% of the 335,262 zoning square feet (zsf) of the residential floor area of the Proposed Development would comply with MIH.
• Special Permit: Pursuant to ZR Section 74-74, the City is seeking approval of a special permit to create a large-scale general development (LSGD). The LSGD would allow the Selected Developer to address the unique circumstances created by preserving the existing Armory’s Drill Shed and Head House, and meet the project goals to provide approximately 50% of the proposed rental DUs as affordable, a large recreation center, a community multi-purpose space, and community office space. Specifically, the following special permits under ZR Section 74-74 are requested:
  • Building base and building height relief pursuant to ZR Section 74-743(a)(2)
  • Setback relief pursuant to ZR Section 74-743(a)(2)
  • Maximum number of stories relief pursuant to ZR Section 74-743(a)(2)
• Special Permit: Pursuant to ZR Section 74-532, the City is requesting approval of a special permit to reduce the parking requirements for accessory group parking facilities. The reduction in accessory residential off-street parking spaces would allow the Proposed Development to meet the project goals of maximizing on-site affordable housing while preserving and maintaining the existing Drill Shed and Head House to the largest extent practicable.

On December 23, 2016, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development (ODMHED), as lead agency for the environmental review pursuant to CEQR, issued an Environmental Assessment Statement (EAS) and a Positive Declaration for the project indicating that there was the potential for significant adverse environmental impacts due to the project and directed that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) be prepared. At the same time, a Draft Scope of Work for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was issued for public comment. A revised Positive Declaration and Draft Scope of Work were issued on February 3, 2017. To receive public comments, the public Scoping Meeting was rescheduled from Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 6:30 P.M. to Tuesday, March 7, 2017 and was held at Ebbets Field M.S. 352, 46 McKeever Place, Brooklyn, NY 11225. Written comments on the Draft Scope of Work were accepted until Friday, March 17, 2017. The Final Scope of Work for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the DEIS, and the Notice of Completion for the DEIS were issued on May 19, 2007. A public hearing on the DEIS was held on September 19, 2017, at 9 AM, in the Manhattan Municipal Building located at 1 Center Street – Mezzanine Level, New York, New York 10007, in conjunction with the City Planning Commission’s citywide public hearing pursuant to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). Written comments on the DEIS were accepted until Friday, September 29, 2017.

On October 19, 2017, ODMHED issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Notice of Completion, marking the completion of the project’s environmental review pursuant to CEQR.

Environmental Review Materials

The environmental review documents can be downloaded from CEQR Access.