New York City’s 40,000-member Christian Cultural Center is planning to build a $1.2 billion affordable housing development project on its campus in Brooklyn.
While Speaking to Christian leaders from over 45 countries at the 100 Cities Summit hosted by Movement Day at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., Pastor A.R. Bernard told the crowd that the Christian Cultural Center will partner with various government and private entities to build a community of 2,100 mixed-income housing units.
The community, which Bernard expects to be finished within the next seven to 10 years, will also include an education center, retail space, and a performing arts center.
He said “We are a 50/50 partner with the developer, not land that the church sold or gave up. In New York, it is not just land but air rights that is worth millions of dollars. We are in it together to reap all that comes out of that development and to address gentrification issues that are happening in the communities there in New York City.”
The evangelical pastor said that the development will include a mixture of tall development buildings and maisonettes. The community, he said, will provide rental and homeownership opportunities.
He added, “To have a true community, you have to have the amenities and services within a 1,000-foot walking distance and we want to stay by that model.”