Site of Former Jail To Be Affordable Housing

The site of a former Brooklyn jail will become a 435-unit development of mostly affordable housing, the city announced yesterday, unveiling its plans for the site adjacent to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The block, southwest of Williamsburg, served as a naval brig in the 1940s and 1950s and later functioned as a minimum-security prison until 1994. The complex was razed by the city in 2005, and new construction is expected in 2008. The estimated $127 million development, for which about 77% of the units will go to families making between $21,000 and $92,000, comes as the city's supply of vacant land for affordable housing development is limited, a point outlined in Mayor Bloomberg's sustainability plan.