Plan to redevelop Bed-Stuy's 'Smurf Village' complex sparks tenant concerns
Since the 1980s, the Fulton Park apartments, also known as Smurf Village, have been more than just a place to live - it’s been home for generations of families.
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A major redevelopment plan could soon transform a housing complex that’s been part of the Bed-Stuy community for more than four decades.
Since the 1980s, the Fulton Park apartments, also known as Smurf Village, have been more than just a place to live - it’s been home for generations of families.
“I have lived here for over 40 years,” said Gale Blackwell. “My baby is 39 years old. I had her when I moved here. My son was 2 years old. He's 43, and my daughter was 8. She's 50 years old now.”
Now, a new redevelopment project could change everything.
The plan from L+M Development Partners and SMJ Development calls for the three-story buildings to be replaced with 12 new buildings as tall as 17 stories high and more than 2,000 apartments. The apartments include 209 Section 8 units and 351 100% affordable units.
“The tenants really like it because it's three floors,” said Quay, whose grandmother lives in the complex. “Everyone's not on top of each other and things, and I think that's just a big discrepancy in the overpopulation of the area.”
Not only are tenants worried about possible overcrowding in an already saturated area, but they're also concerned about where the elderly tenants will fit in.
Residents tell News 12 that they’re not against improvements, but they want guarantees. Guarantees that they won’t be pushed out, and that their voices will matter.
"It'd be cool if they were actually putting us in the new buildings,” said one tenant. “But I don't believe they’re going to do that. The biggest loss is going to be the community, the bonds. They’re going to separate people.”
Despite some chatter about displacement, developers say that won’t be the case at all.
In a statement, a spokesperson from Fulton Park wrote, “The redevelopment of the 40-year-old Fulton Park buildings will deliver new state-of-the-art affordable apartments for every resident who lives there now. By constructing the new modern buildings on the site of a parking lot, residents will be able to move only once their new apartments are finished, starting in 2029 — and pay the same rents they pay now.”
News 12 is told that after the first replacement building has been completed, every resident will have the opportunity to move into a brand-new apartment in a new building with the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
There will also be no temporary relocation, because residents will remain in their existing homes until the construction of their new replacement apartment is complete.
At this point in the process, meetings between residents, city officials, and developers are expected to continue.
The first replacement building is said to break ground in 2029.
