Lower rents in, condos out, project OK

THE CITY COUNCIL struck a deal to approve a controversial development project at Brooklyn’s Bedford Union Armory, after the plan was overhauled to lower rents for affordable housing apartments and scrap condos.

Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo, who initially resisted the plan for the city-owned property in Crown Heights, threw her support behind it, and the land use committee approved it Tuesday.

The plan originally called for 330 rental apartments, half of them market rate — and half considered affordable housing but with rents as high as $2,135 a month. There would also be 56 condos, 80% of them market rate.

Under the new deal, the condos are gone and there will be 400 rental apartments, 250 of them considered affordable with rents ranging from about $521 to $1,166 for a two-bedroom.

“Crown Heights has not seen this level of affordable housing developed in a number of decades,” said Cumbo (D-Brooklyn).