Nine Story Apartment Tower Could Rise At Flatbush Stalled Construction Site

A nine-story, 115-unit mixed-use building could rise at 222 East 21st Street between Church Avenue and Albemarle Road, reports YIMBY.

Plans for the 80-foot tower include a community space, an enclosed 58-car parking garage, and 115 residential units on the other floors, according to filed permits.

Sunset Park-based developer Bentley Zhao bought the property (through an LLC) in March for $11.5 million, according to property records. The same developer also filed plans for a nine-story condo building in Sheepshead Bay earlier this year.

This project could bring hundreds of new neighbors to the area, adding to the ever-increasing density in Flatbush.

“It’s a little unsettling because density and mitigation of resources is something we’re concerned about,” neighbor Duane Joseph told BKLYNER. “There’s a lot of development happening within a 3 block radius of East 21st Street and Caton, and there are concerns about what kind of strain its going to put on traffic, transportation, and sewage systems.”

These plans are filed for a site that’s been a serious eyesore — and safety hazard — in the neighborhood for years, where the rotting skeleton of an abandoned construction project looms above the street.

There are several complaints and active violations on the stalled construction site that spans to Ocean Avenue, dating back 10 years. The complaints include leaning and shaking steel beams, a structurally unsound plywood fence, and rusting metal beams. There are also three active violations for working without a permit, and 26 construction violations from the environmental board.

In addition, PropertyShark also lists a toxic site on the property — a hazardous waste generator or transporter, at the alternate site address 571 Ocean Avenue. But the toxicity at the site isn’t listed on other maps or databases, which could mean that someone reported hazardous materials on the site at one point and the material was transported somewhere else, said toxicity researcher Walter Hang of Toxics Targeting.

“There are more toxic sites in Brooklyn that you can shake a stick at,” Hang told BKLYNER.

We reached out to several sources to confirm that the area is no longer classified as containing toxic materials, and will update as we hear back.