A public-private partnership is eyeing a notoriously gloomy Downtown Brooklyn office building for an ambitious overhaul.
The all-black, seven-story office building at 395 Flatbush Ave. Extension was once dubbed “one of the biggest eyesores in downtown Brooklyn,” by Brownstoner. Now, the borough’s second-tallest tower could take its place.
The city Department of Housing Preservation and Development is looking to rezone the city-owned site to allow for a 72-story, 840-foot-tall mixed-use tower, the Real Deal reported. A tower that size would be second only to the 93-story Brooklyn Tower, just down the street.
Mayor Eric Adams unveiled the plan at last week’s Real Deal NYC Forum 2025, touting the city’s new tax incentives and City of Yes zoning changes making the proposed development possible.
Developers Rabina and Park Tower Group control the site through a long-term ground lease with the city.
Josh Rabina, President and CEO of Rabina, said the plan to replace the “dark and outdated” office building will “breathe new life into one of the most important intersections in Downtown Brooklyn.”
“395 Flatbush will respond to the city’s urgent housing needs, while anticipating and supporting future growth by overhauling the public realm for the thousands of people that pass through every day,” Rabina said in a statement.
The 53-year-old building sits just above the DeKalb subway station, in the heart of Brooklyn’s transit-rich central business district. The currently squat, triangular office is currently occupied by a Verizon call center and ground-floor storefronts. Its sheltered sidewalk is often crowded with computers and homeless encampments.
A spokesperson for the developers said the 350,000-square-foot office building is “no longer meeting the needs of the community.”
The proposed 1.5 million-square-foot tower would include 1,263 apartments, 253 to 379 of which would be designated as permanently affordable at or below 80% of area median income, according to city records.
The developers plan to construct the affordable units without receiving any loans or grants from the city, according to a spokesperson, but will instead will take advantage of new city tax incentives. An Adams aide has also stated that the building will house formerly homeless residents, Gothamist reported.
The surrounding area will also receive a 10,000-square-foot facelift. The developers plan to construct a 4,750-square-foot public plaza along Fulton Street, widen the sidewalk along Flatbush, add green landscaping and expand the DeKalb Avenue subway station’s public entrance.
The new all-electric building design will also offer 66,000 square feet of retail space, in addition to 75,000 square feet of commercial space, according to a spokesperson for the developers, adding that the redevelopment will retain and reuse portions of the existing office building.
Plans for the tower, however, are still in their infancy — the project must first pass through the city’s lengthy land-use process. A public scoping hearing for the project will be held on June 5.
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