Gas Leak Disrupts Controversial Brooklyn Housing Project

WINDSOR TERRACE —A high-pressure gas main broke at the former Arrow Linen Supply Company site on Prospect Avenue between Prospect Park West and Eighth Avenue Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of eight nearby buildings and adding another disruption to a long-delayed housing project.

No injuries were reported, and crews brought the leak under control by Wednesday afternoon, according to the Fire Department.

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A third-party contractor struck the gas main, according to National Grid.

The incident came one week after Goose Property Management closed on the stalled redevelopment at 441-467 Prospect Ave. for $55 million.

Goose told the Real Deal the work had proper permits and the incident would not delay the project.

The site once housed a commercial laundry and restaurant linen supplier. Previous developer Apex Development spent years seeking approval to replace it with housing.

The City Council approved a rezoning last year allowing two 10-story buildings with 250 apartments.

Apex agreed to include 100 affordable apartments, a child care center and community space for survivors of domestic violence.

Apex later sold the property to Goose, citing the project no longer made financial sense under those terms.

Goose now plans four 99-unit buildings, for a total of 396 apartments. The new plan would make 25 percent of the apartments affordable, down from the 40 percent affordability level under Apex's 2025 community benefits agreement.

Goose's four-building, 99-unit plan also avoids a provision of the City's 485-x tax incentive program.

The program requires projects with 100 or more apartments to meet a $40-an-hour construction wage requirement to qualify for the property tax benefit.

Council Member Shahana Hanif has pressed Goose to honor Apex's earlier affordability commitments.

In August, Hanif said the community benefits agreement should remain "the floor" for permanently affordable apartments and other benefits promised to the neighborhood.

Her office said Wednesday it was monitoring the gas leak because it occurred at the site now owned by Goose and managed with its sister company, Developing New York State, which is handling construction.