NYC Brokers Back Affordable LEED Housing Development in Brooklyn

Brokers Build is a campaign spearheaded by New York City’s real estate brokers to raise $1 million in order to help build a forty-one unit, three building affordable condominium development in Brooklyn in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity - double the number of homes that Habitat constructs in New York during a typical year. Designed by Dattner Architects (Bronx Library Center), the four-story complex will be located at 1870 Eastern Parkway and seek an unspecified level of LEED certification (image via Brokers Build website). The units will be available to applicants who earn forty-five to eighty percent of the area’s median annual income. The chairman of Brokers Build, Stan Ponte, is the president of Coldwell Banker Previews International, and founded the group upon hearing about Habitat’s plans for the project. The Brokers Build website just launched earlier this week and has already raised $30,000; the organization is asking every broker in the city to participate by donating $25. Ground on the project also broke this week and a 2008 occupancy is expected. It’s great to see the broker community getting behind this important project, and even more encouraging that green principles are integral to its design.

• Brokers Look to Raise $1M for Habitat (The Real Deal)
• Brokers Team Up with Habitat (Multi-Housing News)
• Brokers Build
• LEED Silver for Bronx Library Center (gbNYC)