Opinion: Don’t Delay New Affordable Housing for Struggling Coney Island

‘1607 Surf Ave. can begin to address the pain of the housing and food instability that many in this community face every day, and offer an economic boost for the neighborhood as well.’

Coney Island is a New York City icon—from its beach escapes and the Wonder Wheel to Nathan’s Famous. But in recent years, the legendary neighborhood has experienced myriad struggles. Eight years ago, Superstorm Sandy destroyed this community. Before it was able to fully recover, it was hit again—this time with the COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts of which will linger for years to come, both in health and in pocketbooks.

While many parts of the city are starting to reopen and reach some semblance of normalcy, Coney Island lost an entire summer season—the heart of this local economy. Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced an extra $500 million this year to fund more affordable housing throughout the city, a vitally important public investment that will galvanize his strong record on affordable housing. Without an outside investment, we don’t have any hope to see activity, jobs and economic investment return until possibly next summer—assuming COVID is no longer a threat. 

Much in the way that the pandemic has rocked our economy, it has made clear that we must do everything we can to expand and modernize access to local healthcare. This has only become more apparent with the disproportionate impacts this deadly virus has had on outer borough communities. The terrible disease has shown the inequities in our healthcare system in a profound way, with Coney Island included in the top ten NYC zip codes with the highest death rates over the summer.

New York City is also facing a critical housing shortage, which is about to be exacerbated as we face the long-lasting impacts of this devastating pandemic. Such ramifications on the thousands of New Yorkers who have been unstable for months, paired with the pressing need to accommodate the elderly with the projected growth of our senior population, will make for an extreme gap of affordable units in our city. While no one project can significantly ease the housing shortage, we must give serious consideration to those that are bringing 100 percent affordable housing to Coney Island, that have sustainable retail to properly serve existing residents who have been underserved for generations, and provide affordability levels more in line with neighborhood income.

1607 Surf Ave. is a project that addresses all of these concerns. A $182 million investment, bringing 280-350 temporary and permanent jobs that will prioritize local hiring in Coney Island, a new local healthcare facility along with 376 apartments ranging from studio to three-bedroom—with 148 units available to households earning below 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), 160 to those below 57 percent AMI and 67 below 37 percent AMI. 1607 Surf Ave. can begin to address the pain of the housing and food instability that many in this community face every day, and offer an economic boost for the neighborhood as well.

We know City Hall has a hard road ahead of them balancing competing priorities to reinvigorate our city, and they have made it clear they intend to prioritize investments that will support the hardest-hit areas, particularly projects that will include expanded healthcare access — and 1607 Surf Ave. is exactly that. 

This shovel-ready project would bring the three important prongs needed to initiate a recovery effort: stimulated economic activity with job creation, new affordable housing and health care access, which together can spark an immediate recovery and provide long-term resources to the Coney Island community. However, the city is threatening to delay this project for years.  

We can’t wait nine months to possibly restart our local economy; Coney Island needs jobs and activity now. Why are we delaying millions of dollars of activity and hundreds of jobs? If we don’t act now, we may see an abandoned project, and other progress we have made—including the new retail centers with jobs—could fail because the critical mass to sustain it failed to develop.

If we postpone projects from getting underway this year that are currently scheduled to come online in the next 18 months, we are postponing any real recovery in the hardest-hit areas. With a potential uptick in those experiencing homelessness as this pandemic continues on, the city must have a robust pipeline of housing in the works to ensure we can house those in need with dignity. We need thousands of units now to ease the pressure and ensure the city can stop the bleed. This project also helps keep this diverse community in place by providing more affordable housing—a win for the economy, local jobs and stable housing. 

The city cannot continue to delay long-overdue promises any further. They cannot and must not abandon our community any longer. Now is the time to invest in the future of our city—we need it more than ever. 

Mark Treyger is a New York City Council Member representing Brooklyn’s 47th Council District. Hakeem Jeffries is a Congressman representing the 8th District of New York. Both of their districts include Coney Island.