A former Verizon call center in Downtown Brooklyn is set to become one of the city’s largest new housing developments after the City Council approved a plan for a 72‑story tower with 1,200 apartments. Nearly 300 of the units are designated as affordable, with average rents of about $1,700 a month, or 58% of area median income. Renderings show the tower rising across from the Brooklyn Tower, making it the second‑tallest building in the borough. Supporters say the size and location are appropriate, while critics argue the affordability levels are still out of reach for longtime residents. “This community board’s population has gone up 29 percent in 10 years. The Black population has fallen 10 percent,” housing advocate Raul Rothblatt said. Fort Greene resident Beryl Edwards said rising rents have displaced many families.

“We used to pay $800 a month, my husband and I. This December would be 30 years, but the rent just shot up,” she said. She added that she does not believe she and her husband could afford either market‑rate rent or the affordable tier. “Not unless it’s 800 a month,” she said. Council Member Crystal Hudson said the council considered those concerns and secured concessions before approving the project. While the average is 60% of AMI, she said many apartments are priced much lower. Nearly 100 units will be reserved for households earning 30% of AMI, about $38,000 a year for a family of two. Another 76 units will be available at 40% of AMI. Hudson also pushed for additional two‑ and three‑bedroom apartments to better serve families. Another 139 affordable units will be listed at 90% of AMI. The funding proposal includes a $1 million developer contribution over 10 years to the Fort Greene Park Conservancy beginning at demolition. The agreement provides $50,000 per year for the first five years and $150,000 per year for the last five. The city has also committed to exploring capital improvements in Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene, including open space and streetscape upgrades. “We must build housing at an aggressive rate to meet the crisis head-on. We must also be sure to build homes specifically for low‑income families at greatest risk of displacement, something this project does,” Hudson said in a statement. Still, advocates argued the city should have negotiated deeper affordability for a project of this scale. “The same rezonings that make a building like this possible at 72 stories have displaced a heck of a lot of people who used to live here,” Rothblatt said. He added that many in the community remain skeptical after the failed Atlantic Yards project, saying promises of affordability often fall short. “These always start promising affordable and end in luxury buildings, so if the opening bid was this many affordable units at 30 AMI, the city needs to push for more,” he said, adding that the use of city‑owned land could have provided additional leverage. There is no timeline yet for when construction will begin.