An empty Bed-Stuy lot near the G train could soon sprout a 180-foot building, but the most eye-catching detail in the new filing may be what it does not list: apartments. Plans call for a 15-story mixed-use project at 23 Spencer Street with 71,562 square feet of community facility and commercial space, along with 186 parking spaces.
Applications for the site between Park and Flushing avenues envision a project near the Flushing Avenue subway station, served by the G train, according to New York YIMBY. Moses Wertheimer of The Tower is listed as the owner behind the applications, while Hamish Whitefield Architects is named as architect of record. The lot is vacant, so demolition permits likely will not be needed, and no completion date has been announced.
Here’s the twist: based on the breakdown published with the filing, this is not a new apartment tower. The plan assigns 44,244 square feet to community facility use and 27,317 square feet to commercial space, with no residential area or unit count identified.
A Lot Of Parking For A Transit-Adjacent Site
Parking is another standout feature. The proposal includes 130 enclosed spaces and 56 open spaces, for 186 spots in all, along with a cellar and multiple rooftop terraces. The available filing details do not say what type of community facility would occupy the building or how the parking would be allocated.
Filing paperwork is not the same thing as construction approval. NYC OpenData says Department of Buildings records track permit activity as applications move through the approval process, while newer permits are handled through DOB NOW. For now, neighbors have a proposal—not a groundbreaking date.
Another Big Bed-Stuy Development Story
The project lands in a Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood already balancing new construction, rising rents and pressure on longtime residents. The city’s Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing Plan identifies affordable housing, community resources and vacant land as major parts of the neighborhood’s development conversation.
It also arrives amid a much larger development pipeline: Bisnow reported in January that a separate proposal could bring more than 2,000 apartments across nearly 2 million square feet in Bed-Stuy. Against that backdrop, 23 Spencer Street stands out for its height, its unusually large parking component and the conspicuous absence of announced homes.
