R&E secures city approval for 962-972 Franklin Ave. rezoning

Brooklyn, NY Rosenberg & Estis P.C. (R&E), currently celebrating its 50^th year as one of New York City’s pre-eminent real estate law firms, has secured approval for the rezoning of 962-972 Franklin Ave., a planned 10-story, 355-unit rental building in the Crown Heights neighborhood, on behalf of The Continuum Company and Lincoln Equities Group. 

“Despite significant headwinds, our clients had the vision and resolve to see this project through. I am honored to have played a key role in such an important project, especially as the city faces a generational housing shortage and the mass exodus of middle-class jobs,” said R&E counsel David Rosenberg, who represented the developers.

Rosenberg and R&E’s multidisciplinary NYC Development Group leveraged the firm’s extensive experience navigating the city’s labyrinthine land use regulations to guide the project to approval. The team created a pioneering height-control mechanism to preserve sunlight for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, while simultaneously structuring a legal framework that combines mandatory inclusionary housing with 421-a tax benefits to deliver 106 units of workforce housing as part of the project. 

Called “one of the most debated private applications to come before the city” by city planning commission chair Dan Garodnick, this historic rezoning will create the city’s first “Union BFO” (union built, financed, and operated) residential development - creating hundreds of new homes and over one thousand union jobs in Crown Heights. 

“Complex projects such as 962-972 Franklin require the kind of innovative thinking that is only possible when you can draw on experts in all aspects of real estate,” said Rosenberg. “I am grateful to be part of a team at Rosenberg & Estis that can deliver these kinds of results for our clients.”

“As our third successful rezoning of 2024, this approval cements R&E’s position as a powerhouse in New York City zoning and reflects our strategic investment to incorporate NYC Zoning and Land Use into our full-service real estate firm,” said Michael E. Lefkowitz, Managing Member of Rosenberg & Estis, P.C.. “Our ability to navigate complex approvals and drive innovative solutions across all aspects of real estate for our clients demonstrates why developers increasingly turn to R+E for their most challenging projects.”