Bedford Armory Developers File Plans Before Judge's Ruling

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Developers filed plans to start working on the much-protested Bedford-Union Armory even though a judge has yet to rule on whether the project passes legal muster, according to city records and reports.

Marvel Architects requested permits on June 14 to build a residential tower on President Street as part of the controversial Armory plan, approved by City Council in 2017, that has sparked multiple protests in the neighborhood, Department of Building records show.

Developers at BFC plan to demolish the armory’s stable wing and build an eight-story, 60-apartment building with affordably priced units, bike storage, a recreation room and space for the Brooklyn Plaza Medical Center to see patients, a spokesman told the Brooklyn Paper.

Developers also hope to build another, larger residential tower with market-rate apartments, a basketball court and a swimming pool in the 138,000-square-foot armory which has stood on Bedford Avenue since the 1890s.

But the extensive plans might never come to fruition if a New York State Supreme Court Judge rules with residents, who sued the city last year. Their Legal Aid attorneys argue officials failed to study the full effect that the armory development would have on the Crown Heights economy.

Photo of a protest outside the Bedford-Union Armory in May, 2017, by Patch reporter Marc Torrence