Livonia Commons

Organization Name: Dunn Development Corp., L+M Development Partners, and Housing Partnership Development Corporation

Project Title: Livonia Commons

Project Location: East New York, Brooklyn

Project Goals:
Livonia Commons was envisioned to serve as a cornerstone for the revitalization of the Livonia Avenue corridor, transforming it from a blighted, often deserted place into a vibrant mixed-use destination that not only attracts new residents, employers, and workers, but also supports the needs of the existing community. The goal of Livonia Commons was to realize the previously untapped potential along the corridor, well-served by two subway lines, by adding residential density along with ground floor retail and community facility spaces that create an active streetscape and a strong sense of place. The project name, Livonia Commons, evokes the vision for Livonia Avenue as a centerpiece of a revitalized community, a focal point for the neighborhood and a place that brings neighbors together. The street level facades of Livonia Commons use light, glass, and porcelain to activate, beautify, unite, and illuminate the once neglected streetscape, facilitating a sense of safety and community.

Project Description:
Livonia Commons is a distinctive mixed-use development that is revitalizing the Livonia Avenue corridor in East New York, Brooklyn with a dynamic mix of new affordable housing, retail stores and community spaces. Livonia Commons includes 278 units of affordable housing across 4 buildings serving families at a range of incomes with more than half of the units for households earning less than 40% and 50% of AMI. 51 units of supportive housing are integrated into the project with on-site support services provided by CAMBA and The Center for Family Support. To meet the needs of the neighborhood beyond affordable housing, Livonia Commons has 28,000 sf of new stores and community space designed to create a vibrant, active streetscape including a new arts center operated by ARTs East New York, a pharmacy, a Catholic Charities HomeBase program, and a planned supermarket. Dunn Development worked with the City of New York to upzone 10 blockfronts along the corridor to facilitate new development.

Community Impact:
Livonia Commons broadly succeeded in spurring the renewal of the Livonia Avenue corridor. Foot traffic from the residential and non-residential uses and to or from the two subway stations, coupled with place-making design and storefronts brightly illuminated at night, brings neighborhood residents, new and old, back to the avenue, resulting in a bustling and energetic street. The deeply affordable housing addressed the needs of local residents with 1 of every 8 renter households in East New York applying to the lottery. Livonia Commons created significant local economic activity including construction jobs for 51 local residents and contracts with local businesses. The housing, retail stores and community facility spaces will create more than 100 permanent jobs when completed, many of them local. Livonia Commons has already spurred other community improvements including the refurbishment of the Success Garden and a new mural created by ARTs East New York. Livonia Avenue is newly alive!

Organization Description:
Dunn Development Corp. is a socially conscious, award-winning real estate developer with expertise in affordable and supportive housing. Dunn Development has developed 30 projects consisting of over 2,700 dwelling units with development costs of $750 million. Our mission is to build the highest quality affordable housing for low and middle-income New Yorkers, including those with special needs. L+M Development Partners has been an innovator in developing quality affordable, mixed-income and market rate housing, and takes pride in its long-standing dedication to the communities it serves through job training programs, after-school programs and substantial support for local nonprofits. L+M is responsible for $4 billion in development and more than 15,000 high-quality residential units. Housing Partnership Development Corporation assists in the development of affordable homeownership and rental housing through specialized programs and services that benefit the residents of NYC.