BROOKLYN, NY –Trinity Financial on Wednesday joined the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the New York City Housing Development Corporation, elected officials and a group of business, nonprofit, and community leaders to celebrate the opening of Van Dyke III – an affordable and supportive housing development in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Van Dyke III is a 12-story, mixed-use, 100 percent affordable housing project, which is located within NYCHA’s Van Dyke development consisting of 23 residential buildings. The project includes 179 permanently affordable apartments for extremely low and low-income households, including 54 supportive housing units, and one superintendent’s unit. Funding for the project was provided by the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Urban Investment Group, and Citi Community Capital.
“It has been incredibly rewarding for Trinity and our partners to work so closely with NYCHA, the Van Dyke Residents and the greater Brownsville community to successfully develop such a transformational project providing much-needed affordable and supportive housing in addition to ground floor community space” said Thomas Brown, Vice President of Development at Trinity Financial. “We greatly appreciate all of the hard work exhibited by the development team and our funding partners, including HPD and HDC.”
Van Dyke III was constructed on underutilized land at NYCHA’s Van Dyke campus on Dumont Avenue between Mother Gaston Boulevard and Powell Street. In addition to the residential program, the Van Dyke III site will also include an early childhood educational center with a capacity for 118 children operated by Friends of Crown Heights, and an urgent care clinic with pharmacy and a wellness center operated by BMS Family Health and Wellness Centers. Supportive services will be provided by the nonprofit organization CAMBA.
“NYCHA is committed to fostering public-private partnerships capable of bringing high-quality residential apartments and amenities to places where they are needed most,” said NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ. “The collection of resources, facilities, and affordable housing represented in the Van Dyke III project will benefit this neighborhood for generations to come.”
Other participants in the ribbon cutting celebration and tours of Van Dyke III included Alicka Ampry-Samuel, New York City Council Member; Latrice Walker, New York State Assembly Member; Van Dyke I Resident Association president Lisa Kenner, Michael Lohr, Vice President of the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs, and Richard Gerwitz co-head of Citi Community Capital.
Building amenities at Van Dyke III include a computer lab, a fitness room, a tenant lounge, a community room, an accessible roof deck, a children’s playroom, package delivery room, and a ground floor outdoor recreational area complete with a new mural showcasing the faces of notable Brownsville activists, community leaders, celebrities, and more. The project also included site improvements to the Van Dyke campus, including a new barbecue area, new benches, game tables and a Skelly court. The newly updated basketball court was adorned with artwork designed by Sophia Dawson and painted by residents and other community members.
