Op-Ed | Governor Hochul: Affordable housing is needed, Creedmoor is an opportunity

Alma Reyes • November 1, 2023

Op-Ed | Governor Hochul: Affordable housing is needed, Creedmoor is an opportunity

My daughter and I lived in Corona, Queens, for 28 years. Over that time, our landlord repeatedly refused to repair essential appliances, from the fridge to the oven to the air conditioner during peak summer months.I personally fixed and paid money out of my pocket for all repairs. When our basement flooded, not only did he refuse to clean up the damage, but had the audacity to stand by his demand for a rent increase. My family had enough.

As many of my fellow New Yorkers are forced to do, I took time off of work and embarked on the search for a new home. This year, the average asking rent in Queens increased 12 percent year-over-year, surpassing the city-wide average of 10.7 percent.

When I finally found a place suitable for my family, a 15% broker’s fee soon followed along with moving costs upwards of $8,500 – rendering the dream of moving we had stalled until we could afford it. I felt relief and fear – relief I could stay in Queens, but fear set in knowing that may not be the reality for at least a full year’s time. But our story of displacement is sadly not unique, and is in fact a heartbreaking reality for countless Queens families, particularly in recent years.

When Queens Borough President Donovan Richards expressed that 100% affordable housing at the state-owned Creedmoor site in Eastern Queens was achievable, neighbors and I were encouraged, but eager to see real action taken. Our community’s optimism for the 55+ acre site only grew when Governor Hochul announced her housing plan that included utilizing state-owned land for housing. Additionally, earlier this year, the Governor promised to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Creedmoor site in particular.

Creedmoor became a symbol of hope and potential for our community.

However, as the months have gone by we have yet to see meaningful action from the Governor, and it increasingly appears as though her housing agenda is focused on creating small portions of barely affordable housing in wealthy areas designated for New Yorkers earning over 160% of area median income (AMI).

Creedmoor is acres of largely obsolete land holding unused state-owned facilities. Reflecting on my own experience, I can’t help but think how my life could have been changed had it already been developed when I was apartment hunting. It is a once-in-a-lifetime site that could transform the community with space for 3,000 housing units, parks, businesses, schools and churches. Yet, as the time passes, Queens residents like my daughter and I continue experiencing the repercussions of New York’s affordability crisis. In 2023, the median Queens home sale price was up 10% from a year ago, reaching a record high of $648,000 – well out of reach for typical Queens residents like myself.

Time is of the essence. Governor Hochul and Borough President Richards need to keep their promise, join forces, and develop Creedmoor into truly affordable housing — or our generation of Queens locals will be forced out of the borough we call home.

Alma Reyes works as an outreach worker for Queens Community House, an office assistant, and a house cleaner

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183 Affordable Senior Homes Open in East New York

By BK Reader • September 23, 2026
Sarah Plowden Place has opened in East New York with 183 fully affordable homes for seniors, marking another milestone in the development of Nehemiah Spring Creek. Monadnock Development, East Brooklyn Congregations and Nehemiah HDFC celebrated the opening Sept. 16 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 890 Erskine St. The $135.9 million development provides homes for extremely low-income seniors and is intended to expand access to affordable housing in East New York. City Council Deputy Leader Chris Banks, state Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud, Assemblymember Nikki Lucas, representatives from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and Housing Development Corporation, residents and community leaders attended the event. “Sarah Plowden Place represents what it means to honor the people who built this community while making sure they can continue to call it home,” said City Council Deputy Leader Chris Banks, who represents the 42nd Council District. “Our seniors have spent decades raising families, supporting their neighbors, strengthening our churches and helping shape East Brooklyn into the community we know today. They deserve the opportunity to remain here, surrounded by the people and places that mean so much to them.” The building is named for Queen Mother Sarah Plowden, a faith leader at St. Paul Community Baptist Church, community organizer and affordable housing advocate whose work has helped shape East Brooklyn for more than four decades. Designed by Bernheimer Architecture PLLC, Sarah Plowden Place includes an outdoor recreation area, gym, library, community room, elevator and card-operated laundry room. Apartments feature quartz countertops and stainless-steel appliances. The project was financed through HPD’s Senior Affordable Rental Apartment program and Housing Infrastructure Fund, tax-exempt bonds issued by HDC and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits syndicated by National Equity Fund. TD Bank provided construction financing and invested in the tax credit equity, with additional support from Santander and Chase. Sarah Plowden Place is part of the 45-acre Nehemiah Spring Creek transformation, which began with a 2006 groundbreaking. The first phase, completed in 2010, included 368 single-, two- and three-family homes. Monadnock Development and Nehemiah HDFC plan to continue their partnership on 1,380 additional affordable rental units. When completed, Nehemiah Spring Creek is expected to bring more than 2,000 housing units to East New York, along with retail and townhouse homeownership opportunities.

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By Spectrum News 1 • October 16, 2025
In East New York, Brooklyn, signs of pride and progress are unmistakable. Rev. David Brawley of St. Paul Community Baptist Church believes the neighborhood has been able to turn around because “leaders, citizens, have imagination and are willing to do the work. Once known as the murder capital of New York City, the 75th police precinct had 126 murders in 1993. Last year, there were 12. For many residents, signs of economic development have brought new optimism. Now they hope the neighborhood’s comeback will continue under the next mayor. “As a pastor here in the East New York section of Brooklyn, every week it feels like I’ve got to say goodbye to members that I love because they can’t afford to live here,” Brawley told NY1. When he’s not in the pulpit, Brawley is focused on his other calling, building affordable housing in East New York. For 40 years, St. Paul has worked with East Brooklyn Congregations to transform parts of the community like Spring Creek. “This was a former landfill,” Brawley said. “Our leaders and our people saw more than garbage. We saw an opportunity to build affordable housing for the city of New York. There are 2,600 units here in this area.” Brawley hopes the next administration in City Hall comes in with a bold vision to build new homes that doesn’t leave longtime East New York residents priced out. “I would say to the next mayor that this is an urgent existential crisis that demands an urgent response,” he said. Along the New Lots Avenue corridor, residents Erica Townsend and Eleanor Pinckney shared their concerns about sanitation. “People are dumping,” Townsend said. “If you look down the street, you’ll see it’s bundles of garbage all along here, why?” Pinckney added. City Councilmember Chris Banks believes it’s important to continue “the upward trend in addressing quality-of-life issues.” Banks believes the next administration in City Hall should be attentive to the needs of NYCHA residents and public transportation in East New York.

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Creedmoor Plan: New Generation's Chance to Call Queens Home

By Will Spisak and Rev. Carl Adair. • July 16, 2024
Lots of people are talking about the state’s plan for 2,800 housing units at the Creedmoor site. Understandably, many life-long residents of the area fear that the project would change the character of the surrounding neighborhoods. Their parents or grandparents worked hard to buy homes in Glen Oaks Village or Hollis Hills: this new plan feels like a threat to their legacy.