Tensions are high in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, where a community feels they've been hoodwinked by a bait-and-switch development plan. Residents prepared to block construction efforts for the new homeless shelter slated to rise at 2134 Coyle St, voicing their concerns about what they believed to be a promise of affordable housing, only to find out a shelter for 169 homeless families is to be built instead. "I do care for homeless people and I think they deserve a place to live, but in my opinion it shouldn't be a residential community," Brooklyn Assemblyman Michael Novakhov told CBS News New York.
Discontent surged among neighbors who recounted that Community Board 15 initially approved a plan for a five-story development with affordable housing. As described by former City Councilman Ari Kagan, "This community was duped, basically lied to. They were promised affordable housing. Instead, they learned it's a homeless shelter. That's very different from regular affordable housing." The developer allegedly secured building access from residents under the guise of erecting a new residential and mixed-use building, as recent as documents from 2023 suggest. "They guaranteed that it would not be a homeless shelter and we have recording," homeowner Lai Leung said to CBS News New York.
At a recent board meeting, the waves of disbelief and anger over the proposed shelter continued to ripple through the community. Theresa Scavo, Chair of Community Board 15, expressed her shock in an ABC7 interview: "I got a phone call, 'Did you know that you gave the rights to a homeless shelter?' I said, what?" Safety concerns and the need for affordable, particularly senior housing, were highlighted by residents, including daycare owner Jane Lipkovich, who notes the proximity of the proposed site to the children's facility.
The shift in property ownership and subsequent change in the development’s intended use has community members challenging the transparency of the process. City Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse commented on the altered proposal, "It's a matter of the process. If you go and vote, the community gives their input, how are you going to just get up and say I'm going to change it? If it was that way, then why were we involved?" According to the mayor's office, while the decision to switch from housing to a shelter was made by the private owner and not the city, efforts to work with the community to address concerns will persist, as reported by ABC7.
Amidst the uproar, nonprofit developer Westhab, which is set to operate the shelter, clarified their stance, stating they followed all protocols, from proposing the project as a family shelter to gaining approval and purchasing the property. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeless Services confirmed that the city did not partake in the decision to modify the site's plans, but noted the facility will have 24/7 security. Nonetheless, Sheepshead Bay residents seem steadfast in their intent to halt progress on the shelter during the upcoming groundbreaking, with further discussions expected at the future Community Board 15 meeting.
