I am Keith Hernandez

Walking by the enormous hole on Carlton between Willoughby and Dekalb, I was fearful that once again, some ridiculously out of place condo was going to sprout up, with 40-50 “luxury” units featuring all the amenties we never thought we wanted in an apartment: margharita maker, bowling alley, pinball machines and dating service. Not to even mention the way the monstrosities jut out against the beautiful brownstones that fill the neighborhood. It’s not worth it, everyone has and will complain about them yet they will continue to prop up and there will continue to be buyers.
That’s why it was a warm, albeit odd, welcome to read the New York Times article about the development of the Carlton Mews property. You see, this is not the typical beast that has gone up in the last few years by some money hungry development firm, looking to gouge out the people that currently reside in the neighborhood. No, a group of New Yorkers, which has been incorporated as Brooklyn Cohousing, LLC is looking to develop 40 communal properties that will be collectively owned with all details decided by consensus. Seems like a hippy dream, but these people are working hard to bring a sense of community to the project, looking to build an enormous community garden in the middle, a common area where people can host dinners and talk with their neighbors.
What makes this different than the ugly condos that have sprouted all over NYC? Well, for one, the people that will be living in the community are the developers. Not only did they collectively buy the land, they also bought the blueprints to the unfinished development and are working with the architect on interior redesigns that fit into the aesthetic of the Ft. Greene community.
It will be intersting to see how this develops. Definitely rooting for them to suceed but it does seem like a daunting road ahead to happy living.

Check out the full article:

A Village Down the Block