Tomorrow, on December 28, 2017, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is scheduled to release a Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop the airspace above a section of the LIRR Bay Ridge Branch freight rail corridor in Brooklyn. The Development Site is located along 61st Street between 8th Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway on the borders of several neighborhoods including Sunset Park-Borough Park.

“This monumental project is a long time in the making and I am very pleased to see that it is finally commencing,” said Senator Simcha Felder (D-Midwood). “Affordable housing is desperately needed in the neighborhood and I applaud the MTA for issuing this proposal to build new housing opportunities.”

The RFP is scheduled for release on Thursday morning via the MTA’s website: http://enterprise.nymta.info/MTA_Real_Estate_RFP/ with a deadline for submissions of April 27, 2018. The development site covers an area of approximately 3.8 acres and is conveniently located adjacent to the 8th Avenue Subway Station and Fort Hamilton Parkway Station.

“The vision is to create residential development that is consistent with the character of the neighborhood,” continued Senator Felder. “The location of this project presents a significant opportunity to create additional housing units on a gigantic parcel of land that covers a few city blocks.”

The neighborhood has experienced rapid population increases over the past few decades and this project will bring much needed housing opportunities to the community while also providing the MTA with a much- needed long-term revenue stream.

“After years of persistent hard work on this project, with many ups and downs, the moral of the story is never give up. The neighborhood is busting at the seams and people are desperate for additional housing to remain close to their families and jobs. This project may not solve the city’s affordable housing problem, but it will certainly help ease the housing crisis faced by many local families,” concluded Senator Felder.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)