New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the opening of new commercial development around Broadway Junction in Brooklyn.
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00:00Good morning everyone, it's truly an honor to be here today in this great space.
00:06This project has been years in the making and it is such a joy to see it come to fruition.
00:12This is only the beginning, we are committed to expanding equity across the city and ensuring
00:17opportunity is accessible to all New Yorkers.
00:21And with that, it is my privilege to introduce a leader who has made equity, opportunity,
00:27and access the guiding principle in his administration, Mayor Eric Adams.
00:32Thank you so much, Commissioner, and really excited to be here, particularly with Raphael.
00:44Together back, he was a councilman, and I was the bar president at the time, and we
00:51just saw that this was a field of dreams.
00:55And if we build it, they will come.
00:58My childhood was spent blocks from here, and watching how this community was denied
01:05vital services, and oftentimes you had to go downtown to get those services.
01:13And people didn't realize that trip downtown meant you had to find the token.
01:18It wasn't a MetroCard back then, it was a token.
01:22And often you didn't have it.
01:25We used to walk downtown from here and find means, and we just knew that if we came together,
01:33we could change this dynamic.
01:35And this beautiful building, this beautiful structure, was an important part of building
01:42an anchor tenant, and there's no better anchor tenant than city employees.
01:49They shop in the area, they use the restaurants in the area, and many of them find when they
01:56move to a particular area, when they work at a particular area, they look for housing,
02:01they look for school, they look for daycare.
02:03But if it's in Manhattan, the rent is too unaffordable, but if it is in areas like East
02:12New York, like Flatbush, like South Jamaica, Queens, they can actually buy a home, find
02:19an apartment, and they can start building communities, working class, middle class people.
02:25So this is a deja vu for my brother and I, you know, started out several years ago and
02:32now we're here.
02:33We are not new to this, we are true to this.
02:36We've been doing it for quite some time, and this is the fruit of our labor.
02:42And when you look at this neighborhood, during my days as a transit cop, I would be on these
02:49subways, the J, the L, the A, the C, I would stop at District 33, from riding the trains
02:56from 8 at night to 4 or sometimes 6 a.m. in the morning, keeping this community safe.
03:04And now we're back here, showing the product that we produce.
03:09I believe and I love this city in general, but specifically communities that I was raised
03:15in as a child, and I saw how the city abandoned far too many New Yorkers like my family, and
03:23we want to have that come to an end.
03:27Others will see this Kremlin infrastructure and poorly maintained surroundings as an end
03:33of the road.
03:34I don't.
03:35I see it as possibilities.
03:36And that's what we always felt it was.
03:39So today's announcement brings us one step closer to making Broadway Junction a thriving
03:45hub for East Brooklyn and the entire borough.
03:50Together with the Department of Social Services, Commissioner Park, Economic Development Corporation
03:56President and CEO Andrew Kimball, and Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner
04:03Molina, we are proud to announce the official opening of 2440 Fulton Street, the largest
04:10ever commercial space in this area.
04:15Deputy Mayor, carry on.
04:18Job well done.
04:21400,000 square foot building delivers on our CARE pledge, which stands for City Agencies
04:28Revitalizing the Economy.
04:31City Agencies Revitalizing the Economy brings city agencies into communities, and it is
04:38a win-win solution.
04:40This is a strategy we first announced in 2022 to revitalize underserved neighborhoods with
04:47the strategic placement of city office space and services.
04:51It's about leveraging our city resources as an employer to drive growth and local economies.
04:59In addition to 80,000 square feet of retail space that will bring good-paying jobs and
05:05quality retail options to the neighborhood, 2440 Fulton will also bring 1,100 Department
05:14of Social Services Human Resources employees here.
05:181,100 will be here in this community to provide services to those who are in need.
05:25The location will also offer services like cash assistance, SNAP, Medicaid, and Fairfax.
05:34Far too many New Yorkers don't receive the services they deserve because the challenges
05:41and the barriers that are in place, we are removing those barriers one brick at a time.
05:48It will deliver directly to neighbors who rely on them right here in their community.
05:54This relocation puts many different human resources services under one roof.
06:01It cuts down on travel time.
06:03It makes it easier to access services with rapid electronic check-ins, upgraded self-service
06:10technology, and expanding waiting areas.
06:14And it is part of our administration's efforts to more easily connect a record number of
06:19New Yorkers to critical benefit programs.
06:23This new development also builds on our long-term strategy to revitalize East New York and the
06:30surrounding neighborhood, a strategy, as I stated, begun when I was Brooklyn Borough
06:37President.
06:38I look at this article here, Raphael, going back to 2017, 2017, you know, we still look
06:47good.
06:49But 2017, he and I stood on this platform and looked over into East New York and stated
07:00that it was very much possible, you know, if you stay consistent with the dream, the
07:06dream would never die and the dream would stay alive.
07:09And today, we're seeing the alarm clock of that dream.
07:14We're waking up to the reality that we meet, we met the destiny that we were looking for.
07:20This is something that's important to all of us.
07:24Here today, we are revitalizing and realizing the plans we set in place nearly a decade
07:31ago.
07:32At the time, I chaired the Brooklyn Junction Working Group, which created the Broadway
07:38Junction Report released in 2019.
07:41And in 2023, as mayor, along with the MTA, we announced a $500 million commitment to
07:48improve the Broadway Junction station and the surrounding areas.
07:52We also announced a $130 million investment in the public space around Broadway Junction
08:01through EDC, and Andrew has continued to make sure that dollar goes to good, those dollars
08:07go to good use.
08:09And we are actively seeking workforce development organizations to expand job training opportunities
08:15for local residents through an EDC request for proposal that is out now.
08:22We've dropped unemployment in this city for black and brown folks by 20%.
08:31The public and private investments, and this is the number I love the most, the public
08:40and private investments in this neighborhood are expected to produce $11.5 billion, with
08:49a B, $11.5 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years.
08:58This includes opportunities for local businesses, nonprofits, and minority and women-owned businesses.
09:06While we have been in office, we put over $18 billion into women and minority-owned
09:13businesses and will continue to do so.
09:16So they will be prepared for the future as we build the foundation today.
09:21So today's announcement is a reflection of the many years we have spent working on these
09:26projects and the joy we feel when seeing our plans come to life.
09:31I'm proud to keep delivering for the people of this city in general, but specifically
09:36in communities like East New York.
09:402040, 2440 Fulton Street will be a place where people can get services, find employment,
09:50build their community, and not have to leave their city, but to be part of the city that
09:56they love.
09:57A safe and affordable city to raise children and families.
09:59Y'all, well done.
10:00I want to thank everyone that's involved.
10:08Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
10:09I'd like to acknowledge those who are here with us today.
10:12Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, Adolfo Carreon.
10:17Deputy Mayor, just to give us credit, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, Susana
10:21Miles-Gustav.
10:22The Commissioner of the Department of Social Services, Molly Wasu-Park.
10:33Human Services Administrator, Scott French.
10:38And New York City's Economic Development President, Andrew Kimball.
10:44As the Mayor said, through collaboration between Mayor Adams, the Department of Social
10:48Services, Economic Development Corporation, and our team at DCAS, we brought the CARE
10:53strategy to life.
10:55City agencies revitalizing the economy to life.
10:59Projects like these are more important than ever, especially after the challenges brought
11:03by the pandemic.
11:05That's why the CARE strategy was created to bring services and meaningful job opportunities
11:09directly to people who need it the most.
11:12By placing city agencies in key neighborhoods like East New York, we're bringing jobs closer
11:17to communities and supporting our economy.
11:20Now to speak more about the broader Broadway Junction efforts and EDC's vital work, welcome
11:25Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce, Adolfo Carreon.
11:33Thank you so much, Commissioner.
11:35Good morning.
11:36Happy Monday, everybody.
11:37There's a lot of excitement in this room.
11:44You know, this doesn't get old.
11:45I have to say, I've been in government a long, long time, decades.
11:53And every time something like this happens, where there is a transformational moment,
12:00where government steps forward and fulfills its best and optimal role, this is powerful.
12:11So you have a former borough president and a former council member who stood on a particular
12:21subway platform decades ago, looked at this site that was not a pretty site, right, sir,
12:29and, you know, in partnership said, something transformative can be here.
12:34We need to do something about Broadway Junction and East New York.
12:39And here we are.
12:40It's a phenomenal moment.
12:42So I want to thank the mayor for his leadership, for bringing this reality to vision for Broadway
12:49Junction that he started as borough president of Brooklyn.
12:56It's a pleasure to join our partners at the Economic Development Corporation, the Department
13:02of Citywide Administrative Services, the Department of Social Services, the Human Resources Administration
13:09that has its own background music, our local stakeholders, and the development team at
13:18Lesser Group to mark the completion of 2440 Fulton Street.
13:24This project matters.
13:27This new building will be the largest ever commercial building in the area and will be
13:33home, as the mayor said, to 1,100 city employees at HRA.
13:40That's 1,100 people coming to work here, walking in this neighborhood, spending their dollars
13:44in this neighborhood, getting services in this neighborhood, transforming the local
13:49economy.
13:51This delivered more than 700 construction jobs and will provide more employment opportunities
13:59for new businesses that can use the building's 80,000 square feet of retail space.
14:08And by locating the city's workforce in East New York, these public servants not only serve
14:14New Yorkers in their critical roles at HRA, they will contribute, as I said, to the neighborhood's
14:20economy.
14:23And this project is one piece of a larger vision for Broadway Junction.
14:28That vision began when Mayor Adams was borough president in 2017.
14:35Since then, the area has begun to transform into a mixed-use neighborhood with this new
14:41office building, with many more homes, major investments in the industrial business zone,
14:49and improvements, as you can see around the neighborhood, to the public realm.
14:55More than 5,600 housing units have been permitted in East New York, with over 3,200 of those
15:03being affordable homes.
15:07Callahan-Kelly Playground was reopened in 2023.
15:12We were there after a $21 million renovation, and the city will be investing $110 million
15:20more to create a gateway plaza with new open space and new streetscaping.
15:26Our partners at the state level have improved accessibility to public transit, with the
15:32MTA investing $400 million for accessibility upgrades and other improvements at the Broadway
15:40Junction station.
15:42Once all of this work is completed, the area in and around Broadway Junction station will
15:47be transformed into a regional transit center.
15:52And we've partnered with City Councilmember Nurse to fund and improve the industrial business
15:58zone.
16:00So you can tell Councilmember Nurse, when you see her, that we appreciate.
16:06Is she here?
16:07Where is she?
16:08There you are!
16:09Thank you!
16:10Thank you!
16:11She has been a terrific partner.
16:13She knows how to hide in the public there.
16:16She has been a terrific partner.
16:18I can say that as the former Commissioner of Housing.
16:21We've got thousands of units of housing being built with the public realm.
16:26You were here at the beginning in 2023 when we opened up the park on that cold rainy day.
16:34But this is about partnership.
16:36The handoff that happens from generation to generation is a powerful thing.
16:41This transforms this neighborhood.
16:44Congratulations, and thank you to all the partners.
16:52Thank you, Deputy Mayor Carreon.
16:54Next we have Anthony Garcia, who will speak on the importance of this project and what
16:58it means for the community they serve.
17:05Thank you, Commissioner Molina, Mayor Adams.
17:10Thank you all for being here today at this beautiful building where is now my new workplace.
17:16I'm Anthony Garcia.
17:17I'm an eligibility specialist at the department for approximately 36 years already.
17:23My colleague, Sasha Marrero, has 21 years as well.
17:28We've been working here at this place with the Department of Social Services for quite
17:34some time.
17:36We represent thousands of city workers who form the bedrock of our social safety net.
17:42We work to connect New Yorkers in need to lifelines every day.
17:48We interact with New Yorkers at the lowest point of their lives with nowhere to turn
17:54to.
17:55They come to us for help and assistance, and we often find ourselves having to navigate
18:00traumatic situations with them.
18:04We lead with compassion and empathy every day with these people.
18:09We often find ourselves having to navigate very traumatic situations with them.
18:14We lead, we all do this daily with professionalism, accountability, and integrity towards our
18:23clients on a daily basis.
18:27We are also essential workers.
18:31At first we wasn't essential workers until we did the pandemic, and then the mayor realized
18:35we are essential workers.
18:37We did that seven to ten at night, seven days a week, making sure that we fed New Yorkers
18:43during the pandemic, which was very horrific, but we made it through.
18:49Also, while this could be difficult on the best of days, I'm grateful for the opportunity
18:55to give back to my community.
18:57I have worked in many different buildings, but I never worked in a building like this.
19:02I see the agency going in a different direction finally for the future, for our coworkers
19:07and customers' comfortability.
19:11We got a lot of seniors in the neighborhood, a lot of people with disabilities who are
19:15in need in these communities.
19:18You know, like the mayor said, we're going to have 1,100 DSS staffers that's going to
19:22continue to work in helping vulnerable New Yorkers apply for critical resources, including
19:29SNAP, which is us, cash assistance, Medicaid, Fairfax, and also the IDNYC centers that is
19:37here for people who need identity.
19:40The physical centers and locations where services are delivered matter a lot when you are looking
19:46to support people in crisis.
19:48You know, I mean, I was a young kid and always with my mother.
19:54My mother was on cash assistance, and, you know, from being over there 4-4 Pine all the
20:01time as a little kid with her and seeing all the horrific things and how things was being
20:07handled to me growing up now and feeling like a leader to help the people in need in the
20:13neighborhoods.
20:15You know, I'm originally from, I'm a Brownville native, you know what I'm saying?
20:20I'm originally from Brownville, you know, and my co-worker is originally from Bushwick.
20:24You know, many of our colleagues live and work in this neighborhood as well.
20:30This will also be a very convenient location for New Yorkers living in Brownville, Bushwick,
20:36Eastern York, and a couple of blocks down on Route 5, you start Best Eye.
20:41You know, my father worked in Best Eye for 25 years.
20:44He was a New York City police officer, homicide detective, and, you know, I know about the
20:50area.
20:51So, you know, now we're going to be helping all these people.
20:55This building is also right by Broadway Junction Station, making it commuting here by my co-workers
21:00and customers in the Brooklyn neighborhoods easier.
21:03I'm hoping that the agency continues to strengthen the workforce to ensure customer satisfaction
21:10at this site.
21:12Today's my first day at the building.
21:14It was quite office warming.
21:16Thank you all for joining us and celebrating the opening of 2400 Fulton Street.
21:22Like I said, I'm a Brownville native.
21:25They have a saying, I'm from Brownville, never ran, never will.
21:38Thank you, Anthony, the voice of the people.
21:42And now, please welcome former City Council member and dedicated community leader, Rafael Espinel.
21:51I guess I'll start off by saying that it's been 10 years since we were standing out there.
21:55The mayor had hair, my hair was jet black, and we were dreaming.
22:00We were dreaming together about what could happen here in Broadway Junction.
22:03And I can tell you that when you dream, it does come with a lot of anxiety, especially
22:08in government.
22:09You don't know whether future administrations are going to follow through on that vision.
22:13You don't know whether those promises you made to your community actually are going
22:17to come to light.
22:19And when the mayor became mayor, I was able to rest easy because I knew that since he
22:24was part of this vision from the beginning, that this vision was becoming a reality.
22:27So thank you, Mr. Mayor, for making this happen.
22:29I really appreciate it.
22:32I also want to thank the council member, Council Member Sandy Nurse.
22:35We do need a good quarterback to see it through and make sure this actually comes to fruition.
22:39So thank you, Council Member, for your help along the way as well.
22:44It's really an honor to be here with all of you today.
22:48Back in 2016, when Mayor de Blasio approached me about the East New York Neighborhood Plan,
22:52I saw that many had long ignored.
22:55I saw the raw potential of East New York.
22:57And after years of negotiations and the many gray hairs I have on my head today, we brought
23:02in over $300 million in investments, building a 1,000-seat public school, a full-fledged
23:07community center, rebuilding parks, and building more than 5,600 units of affordable housing,
23:14all to keep this neighborhood strong, rooted, and thriving.
23:18I grew up and still live less than a mile away from here in Cypress Hills.
23:21Like a lot of kids from our neighborhood, I had to pass through this station every time
23:24I went into the city.
23:26And back then, this disjunction felt like the border between two worlds.
23:31A life defined by poverty and the possibility of prosperity.
23:35That feeling came from decades of disinvestment from administrations that saw this place as
23:39a pass-through instead of a place worth investing in.
23:42Little did I know that while I was hustling to get to school or to work through Broadway
23:46Junction, there was a young officer named Eric Adams patrolling this very same neighborhood,
23:50keeping it safe.
23:51We were generations apart, but we shared the same hope that one day Broadway Junction wouldn't
23:56just be a stop on the way to opportunity, it would be a place where opportunity lived.
24:01And that vision, and that's the vision we started putting into action when Eric Adams
24:06and I co-chaired the Broadway Junction Vision Plan with EDC.
24:08And I know some of the staff from back then is still here, so thank you for all your work,
24:12Julia.
24:13Back in 2017, we stood on this very building and imagined it as the anchor of a new era,
24:17a place that would bring jobs, life, and dignity to this corner of Brooklyn.
24:22And trust me, back then, when I learned that this project is likely to come into fruition
24:25in 2025, it felt like a long time from that time.
24:29So today, I stand here with pride, I stand here with a lot of hope, and I'm really excited
24:34about the future ahead, because we're not just unveiling a building, we're celebrating
24:37a decade of hard work of turning a long-overlooked hub into a new center of gravity for equity
24:42and opportunity.
24:43So I want to thank all of those involved, and to the 1,100 DSS HRA workers, welcome
24:50home.
24:51Thank you for being here and for your work.
24:57Open to a few on-topic questions.
25:01Hi Mr. Mayor.
25:02How are you?
25:04Good, happy Monday to you.
25:05I have a few questions.
25:07I wanted to know when the services will actually be up and running for people to come.
25:13I also want…
25:15Everybody mentioned how long this project took to actually get to fruition.
25:18I wonder if you can talk about that, why projects like these take so long when they're meant
25:22to do such good work.
25:24And then what type of ... So many people talk about the city being unaffordable and New
25:28Yorkers leaving because of that.
25:30How does this project help keep New Yorkers and their families here?
25:34I've got all three great questions.
25:36And I don't know, Molly, you want to talk about these, deliver service?
25:40I'll just go into the length of time.
25:44These projects is not just building a house or a building.
25:48These are anchor projects.
25:52And in sports analogy, they say when you build a team, you want to get a marquee player to
25:57build a team around.
25:58This building is our marquee player.
26:01This is going to start to, number one, bring employees, 1,100 employees, working class
26:09New Yorkers as they travel here and see how easy it is to come here because of the transportation
26:15hub.
26:16Many people don't realize East New York is one of the best transportation hubs in our
26:20city.
26:21When you have a place where you have L, A, C, J, it connects you to the entire city.
26:31And when people see how easy it is to come here and to commute here, it's going to have
26:38a major impact, input.
26:41And Brownsville, East New York, they are two places where the real estate value is still
26:47affordable, to be a homeowner, to rent, and to be part of what Adolfo did as HPD commissioner
26:55and building housing and providing places for people to come and to raise their family.
27:02Then when you look at what the former councilman did with building a new school here.
27:08So we're building a community here.
27:10And when you're doing that, you have to get it right.
27:12You have to talk to community boards, you have to talk to the business, you have to
27:16talk to the local electeds.
27:18There are a lot of people that you want to have way in and buy in so that they can see
27:22the vision.
27:23So the mere fact that the councilman and I, former councilman and I, we saw the vision,
27:30we needed other people to see and to buy into it because if you don't, then the barriers
27:35become extremely challenging.
27:37And because we saw that, we're here 10, 9, 10 years later, and we're seeing the actual
27:44materializing of that dream.
27:46And if you walk around the area, this is not the East New York we saw 10 years ago.
27:52This is not the East New York we saw 10 years ago.
27:56And you're seeing hope to say nice things should be throughout the city.
28:01Many people, as you just indicated, many people didn't believe that the East New Yorks and
28:08the Brownsvilles, the South Jamaica, the South Bronx, other parts of the city, they
28:12didn't believe they deserved nice spaces.
28:16And we had to just accept whatever we walked into.
28:19And I remember sitting in these waiting rooms with my mother where it was just horrific
28:24conditions.
28:26So it takes a while before you can get everyone together.
28:30But if you just stay true to the mission and just forge ahead.
28:33We're going to talk about things when we're ready for services.
28:37Yeah, we're starting some service delivery here immediately.
28:40And then we'll be rolling out over the course of the year.
28:43There are about four offices that are being relocated here.
28:46So it will take some time to get to full steam.
28:48But we are starting right away.
28:49Mr. Mayor, I'm wondering if you can speak to the concerns of locals who fear the gentrification.
28:59I know there is affordable housing as part of this plan, but they are also concerned
29:02about the loss of buildings due to the rezoning plan.
29:06Yeah, and you always, you know, I say over and over again, those of you in the media,
29:10you heard me say it, you know, 8.5 million people, 35 million opinions, it's New York.
29:17And no matter what you do, they're going to be those who are going to be naysayers and
29:22yaysayers.
29:23What you have to do, you have to find a sweet spot that you bring that commitment and dedication.
29:29And most importantly to me, the staff must consist of people who went through the journey.
29:37You know, Brother Carreon talks about his journey, his mom and pops coming here, you
29:42know, struggling with English and how the housing opportunities allowed them to move
29:47where they are.
29:48And now their son is a deputy mayor that's in charge of the housing portfolio.
29:53And so my team is made up of people who have gone through a lot.
29:59And so they're helping people who are going through a lot.
30:02And when we make these decisions, we're not making them based on what's in front of us.
30:06We're making them based on our personal experience and what we have gone through.
30:11And we know we don't want to displace our long-term residents.
30:15And that is at the heart of everything that we do.
30:18The people who were here, who were waking up to gunshots and not alarm clocks, they
30:23should now be able to stay in the communities.
30:26And that is our goal.
30:27And we have been steadfast on that.
30:29I think the 5,100 affordable units of housing, a substantial number of them are affordable.
30:36And we want to make sure that we lock in those affordable housing opportunities for these
30:42local residents.
30:43So we're clear on that.
30:44I know gentrification is a real issue.
30:47There are far too many people who come into these communities and want to displace the
30:54culture, the ideas, the lifestyles.
30:57And we're just not in favor of that.
30:59We believe that this is a city that's welcome to everyone.
31:02But there's a rich community prior to folks arriving, and we need to respect that community.
31:07And that's our goal.
31:08And we're going to do everything that's possible to fulfill that goal and not have people leave
31:14their communities.