Breukelen Houses
Encyclopedia
Breukelen Houses also known as Breukelen
or Brookline Projects, is a large housing complex maintained in Canarsie, Brooklyn
, by the New York City Housing Authority
(NYCHA).
Its main office is located at 618 East 108th Street, Brooklyn, NY
11236. It is bounded by Flatlands Avenue, East 103rd Street, Williams Avenue and Stanley Avenue. The community sits on 64.98 acres (26.3 ha) and consists of 1,595 apartment
units inside 30 structures, all of which are either three or seven stories
high. As of March 2008 the population
was estimated to be 4,038.The development was completed October 31, 1952.
gets its name from the Dutch in 1683, when present-day Brooklyn was known as Breukelen. It later changed to Brockland, Brocklin, Brookline, and finally Brooklyn
. The housing project borders the community of Flatlands
to the southeast, which the Dutch originally called Nieuw Amersfoort. It, along with the towns of New Lots
, Flatbush
, and Gravesend
, were annexed by the city of Brooklyn between 1886 and 1896.
In 2001 the New York City Housing Authority
authorized $4.5 million dollars in upgrades to Breukelen Houses. Residents enjoyed new fencing, walkways, shrubbery
, playgrounds, and updated lighting. In February 2007 the Breukelen Community Center opened its doors to the homeless as one of nine winter emergency “warming spots” in the city.
and pending rent hikes. As of June 2007 the NYCHA held a deficit of over $200 million dollars with little to no fiscal help from Albany
(state capital) or Washington
in sight. Additionally, the NYCHA has lost $999 million dollars between 2001 and 2008. In spite of it financial insufficiency, the NYCHA is not going to privatize housing. Instead they're selling surplus NYCHA land to the city's housing agency to develop affordable housing. They’ve also made staff and expense cuts and have more impending employee cutbacks in the works.
Nevertheless, Julia Vitullo-Martin purports that a potential buyer offered up $1.3 billion dollars for an area of public housing
in East New York that might encompass some or all of Breukelen Houses. Furthermore, Mayor Bloomberg
stated on a radio show in 2007 that public housing has to pay for itself. With the NYCHA’s perpetual debt and with pressures from private, city, state, and federal departments, privatization
may in fact be in Breukelen’s future.
Breukelen
Breukelen is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is situated to the north west of Utrecht, along the river Vecht and close to the lakes of the Loosdrechtse Plassen, an area of natural and touristic interest...
or Brookline Projects, is a large housing complex maintained in Canarsie, Brooklyn
Canarsie, Brooklyn
Canarsie is a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City, United States. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18....
, by the New York City Housing Authority
New York City Housing Authority
The New York City Housing Authority provides public housing for low- and moderate-income residents throughout the five boroughs of New York City. NYCHA also administers a citywide Section 8 Leased Housing Program in rental apartments...
(NYCHA).
Its main office is located at 618 East 108th Street, Brooklyn, NY
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
11236. It is bounded by Flatlands Avenue, East 103rd Street, Williams Avenue and Stanley Avenue. The community sits on 64.98 acres (26.3 ha) and consists of 1,595 apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
units inside 30 structures, all of which are either three or seven stories
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
high. As of March 2008 the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
was estimated to be 4,038.The development was completed October 31, 1952.
History
BreukelenBreukelen
Breukelen is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is situated to the north west of Utrecht, along the river Vecht and close to the lakes of the Loosdrechtse Plassen, an area of natural and touristic interest...
gets its name from the Dutch in 1683, when present-day Brooklyn was known as Breukelen. It later changed to Brockland, Brocklin, Brookline, and finally Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. The housing project borders the community of Flatlands
Flatlands, Brooklyn
Flatlands is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18.One of the original five Dutch towns on Long Island , this neighborhood was originally known as Nieuw Amersfoort, after the Dutch city of Amersfoort, but the name was changed to...
to the southeast, which the Dutch originally called Nieuw Amersfoort. It, along with the towns of New Lots
New Lots, Brooklyn
New Lots is a sub-section of the East New York neighborhood in the eastern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It was known as the Town of New Lots from 1852 when the area seceded from the Town of Flatbush until it was annexed in 1886 as the 26th Ward of Brooklyn. The population is...
, Flatbush
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
, and Gravesend
Gravesend, Brooklyn
Gravesend is a neighborhood in the south-central section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA.The derivation of the name is unclear. Some speculate that it was named after the English seaport of Gravesend, Kent. An alternative explanation suggests that it was named by Willem Kieft for the...
, were annexed by the city of Brooklyn between 1886 and 1896.
In 2001 the New York City Housing Authority
New York City Housing Authority
The New York City Housing Authority provides public housing for low- and moderate-income residents throughout the five boroughs of New York City. NYCHA also administers a citywide Section 8 Leased Housing Program in rental apartments...
authorized $4.5 million dollars in upgrades to Breukelen Houses. Residents enjoyed new fencing, walkways, shrubbery
Shrubbery
A shrubbery is a wide border to a garden where shrubs are thickly planted; or a similar larger area with a path winding through it. A shrubbery was a feature of 19th-century gardens in the English manner, with its origins in the gardenesque style of the early part of the century...
, playgrounds, and updated lighting. In February 2007 the Breukelen Community Center opened its doors to the homeless as one of nine winter emergency “warming spots” in the city.
NYCHA's funding problems
Officials of the NYCHA claim their woes are due to “chronic federal under-funding”. As a result, in recent years many residents within the Breukelen community have expressed fears of mass privatizationPrivatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
and pending rent hikes. As of June 2007 the NYCHA held a deficit of over $200 million dollars with little to no fiscal help from Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
(state capital) or Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in sight. Additionally, the NYCHA has lost $999 million dollars between 2001 and 2008. In spite of it financial insufficiency, the NYCHA is not going to privatize housing. Instead they're selling surplus NYCHA land to the city's housing agency to develop affordable housing. They’ve also made staff and expense cuts and have more impending employee cutbacks in the works.
Nevertheless, Julia Vitullo-Martin purports that a potential buyer offered up $1.3 billion dollars for an area of public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
in East New York that might encompass some or all of Breukelen Houses. Furthermore, Mayor Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
stated on a radio show in 2007 that public housing has to pay for itself. With the NYCHA’s perpetual debt and with pressures from private, city, state, and federal departments, privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
may in fact be in Breukelen’s future.