FORT GREENE, Brooklyn (PIX11) -- Mavis Osemobor, a member of the Hanson Place Seventh-day Adventist Church in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, expressed profound gratitude as the $65.7 million Hanson Place Community Plaza next to the church opened its doors to the community. "We are just really grateful that this has been able to be completed," she said.
The 13-story, 104-unit development provides affordable, mixed-income housing and 22,000 square feet of community space. As the ribbon was cut, Osemobor reflected on the long journey the church undertook to make the project a reality. "It took persistence," Osemobor acknowledged.
Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer joined community leaders and partners to celebrate the opening of the new building, which incorporates sustainable design features, amenity spaces, multiple terraces, and spectacular views from the upper levels.
The community space will also serve as a hub for health care services and local nonprofit organizations.
Torres-Springer praised the development, saying, "This project represents the ability to make sure Fort Greene continues to be a place that brings peace and respite to families across the income spectrum."
She highlighted the affordable homes as particularly meaningful in addressing the city's housing crisis and commended the partnership between the city and the Hanson Place Seventh-day Adventist Church that made the project possible.
"This is a great model for how government can work hand in hand with the faith community to provide for our neighbors in need at a time when there are limited affordable apartments," Torres-Springer stated, adding, "We're saying yes to more housing, saying yes to housing in God's backyard."
As the celebration unfolded, Osemobor and other church members continued to revel in the culmination of years of collaborative efforts to bring affordable housing and vital community resources to Fort Greene. "We are overjoyed," said Osemobor.
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