Brooklyn Borough President

BOROUGH PRESIDENT CONVINCES CITY TO PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING
FOR 20 HENRY STREET TENANTS FACING EVICTION

Former and current residents of 20 Henry Street will receive priority when applying for alternative affordable housing units within their community.

Today, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz announced that, at his request, the City has developed a plan to provide alternative affordable housing to the tenants of 20 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights. The building's tenants have either recently moved or will be forced to move soon, because they face eviction due to the building landlord's buyout from the Mitchell-Lama Program.

"Fighting to build and preserve affordable housing has always been my top priority," said Borough President Markowitz. "Mitchell Lama tenants must be protected from buy outs. I am pleased that in this case we were able to agree on a solution that allows 20 Henry Street's residents to find new housing in their neighborhood, that they can afford, but the fight continues to preserve and create much needed affordable housing."

The residents who are adversely affected by the recent buyout include some of the finest artists in the Brooklyn Heights community. The Middagh Street Studio Apartments at 20 Henry Street, which were formerly known as the “Candy Factory,” is a commercial building that was converted to artist studios in 1975 under the Mitchell-Lama Program. But its longtime purpose has been completely lost due to the buyout.

However, today Borough President Markowitz announced that all of the Middagh Street Studio tenants affected by the buyout will receive priority status when applying for low, moderate or middle-income affordable housing at four new locations in Downtown Brooklyn: Atlantic Court (which Markowitz convinced the developer to build under the City’s 80/20 affordable housing program); 344-348 Bergen Street; and two sites along Schermerhorn Street.

“I want to express my thanks to Marty for sticking by all of us to find a realistic political solution,” said Avis Allman, a 20 Henry Street resident and tenant leader. “None of us expected this to be the final result, but it does represent the critical opportunity to Borough President Markowitz acknowledged several groups and individuals for their efforts to ensure that the residents will be able to remain in their community. They include: the tenant advocates of Middagh Street Studios, including Karen Zebulon; Jack Bales and Avis Allman; Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff; Emily Youssouf, President of the New York City Housing Development Corporation; and Shaun Donovan, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.