“A masterclass in overcoming urban complexity.”

-Dmitry Morozov, Altera, MEP Engineer, 2031 Eastern Parkway

Project Overview

2031 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn · 379 units · 100% Affordable · Groundbreaking 2027 · Design Architect: Studio Gang · Architect of Record: SLCE Architects

Eastern Parkway is 379 units of deeply affordable housing in Bushwick, Brooklyn, designed by Studio Gang — one of the world's leading architecture firms. Passive House envelope. Geothermal heating and cooling. Mass timber structure. Hard costs materially below the normal range for comparable high-performance HPD projects.  This is not a typical affordable housing development. It is an explicit demonstration that climate-forward, design-ambitious affordable housing can be delivered within standard HPD underwriting — and a replicable model for doing so.

The Origin Story

The development opportunity didn't exist until we created it.  

This block is zoned for one-story of manufacturing. No residential development of any kind was possible as of right. Two things made this site viable: (i) our careful reading of the BSA's recent extension of the Cornell doctrine to 100% affordable housing — a legal precedent that created a new class of undevelopable sites waiting to be unlocked; and (ii) the site's unique physical condition: an 80-foot freight rail tunnel bisecting the block, which qualified it for a classic zoning variance.  

We went looking for a site that fit this profile. We found this one through research and cold calls.  By pursuing the variance application, we unlocked a site appraised at $27 million post-entitlement against a $19 million acquisition price — $8 million in public value created through legal and policy creativity, reinvested directly into affordability and sustainability.  

That initial insight shaped everything that followed: a building where policy creativity, design ambition, and financial discipline reinforce rather than compete with each other.

The Design

Modern pink building with geometric window design, trees lining the sidewalk, people walking and standing, bicycles parked, and a parking lot with cars in the foreground on a clear day.
A modern pink high-rise building with grid-like windows, set against a blue sky. The building is viewed from a park with green trees, a walking path, and people relaxing on the grass and walking.

Studio Gang's design begins with the site's diagonal geometry — the same freight rail line that made development seem impossible became the organizing force of the architecture.  

The self-shading facade, rendered in a gradient from deep burgundy to pink, does double work: it gives the building a strong, memorable visual identity while reducing solar heat gain and lowering energy costs for residents. A circulation loop linking residential amenities — library, gym, kids' room, media room, work lounge — is animated with seating, plantings, art, and skylights, transforming corridors into a social network. The mass timber community room opens through large doors to a courtyard garden. A rooftop greenhouse supports urban agriculture programs.  

This is a building designed to make residents feel grounded in their community — and to make passersby ask: why wasn't this always here?

Sustainability

A diagram of a sustainable high-rise building illustrating features such as solar panels on the roof, green roofing, natural lighting, and rainwater harvesting systems. The diagram includes labels for health, wellness, climate, biodiversity, energy performance, and carbon reduction strategies.

Geothermal heating and cooling · Passive House, modular envelope · All-electric building systems · Low-carbon structure (optimized concrete + mass timber) · Bird-friendly glazing · On-site stormwater management · Rooftop greenhouse and urban agriculture · Extensive landscaping to mitigate heat-island effects

Eastern Parkway is designed to substantially reduce long-term operating and capital risk for its nonprofit owner — demonstrating that sustainability is not in tension with affordability, but reinforcing to it.

Site Context

Map showing underground utilities and subway lines beneath an area with streets and buildings, including Bushwick Avenue and Bay Ridge Fire Line.

The Bay Ridge Branch Freight Line bisecting the site informed both the variance strategy and the architectural geometry. The diagonal that made development seem impossible became the organizing force of the design.

Key Facts

  • Location: 2031 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY

  • Units: 379 (100% affordable, 50% average AMI)

  • Size: 314,000 sf / 227' / 20 stories

  • Groundbreaking: 2027 (anticipated)

  • Design Architect: Studio Gang

  • Architect of Record: SLCE Architects

  • Developer: Coconut Properties

  • Nonprofit Partner: The Doe Fund

  • Structure: Mass timber + optimized concrete

  • Energy: Geothermal, all-electric, Passive House approach

  • Community: unanimous support of Brooklyn CB4 + Councilmember Sandy Nurse