NYC Council OKs ULURP for 300 Units at 1720 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn
By Mark Hallum December 5, 2025 12:37 pm
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New York City Council gave one of the last Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) applications a nod Thursday as the government prepares to shift how it approves new developments.
Local lawmakers approved the Bawabeh family’s request to turn a strip mall at 1720 Atlantic Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, into 278 housing units, with 70 of them set aside for low-income residents.
The development, led by Jack Bawabeh’s Bermuda Realty, will rise 13 stories across two buildings and include 50,427 square feet of commercial space and 17,421 square feet for community facilities, according to the application.
The strip mall is currently leased to a pawnbroker, a furniture store, a discount store, a grocery store, coffee shops, a check cashier, and a pharmacy. It has 56 parking spaces, according to the City Council.
Councilman Chi Ossé, whose district the development site is located in, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Bermuda Realty could not be reached for comment.
In the Nov. 4 election, voters adopted a set of ballot measures, crafted by the New York City Charter Revision Commission, to transfer most power over approval of land use items pertaining to housing from the City Council to either the City Planning Commission (CPC) or the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA).
The new procedures essentially do away with the dreaded ULURP process, which has been viewed as a hindrance to addressing the housing shortage.
The change, pushed by outgoing Mayor Eric Adams to streamline approval of new housing projects, was fought tooth and nail by the City Council under Speaker Adrienne Adams.
In October, Ossé said he supports the project at 1720 Atlantic but would like more deeply affordable housing options at the site, which meets Mandatory Inclusionary Housing requirements of the city, TRD reported.
The surrounding area could see a major boost in housing development overall after the City Council’s May 2025 approval of the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan, which will transform a 22-block corridor along Atlantic Avenue between Vanderbilt and Nostrand avenues, allowing for a total of 4,600 apartments including 1,440 permanently income-restricted homes.
Bermuda’s 1720 Atlantic Avenue plan sits outside the scope of the neighborhood rezoning.
Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.
