The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched a request for proposals to redevelop an underutilized MTA-owned property in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood into a residential project of roughly 300 housing units. The initiative is positioned as an extension of the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use District rezoning adopted in 2025, which was designed to enable more intensive and diversified use of properties along that corridor.
The site being offered through the RFP is located at 1119 Pacific St. in Crown Heights. In addition to the lot itself, the offering includes air rights associated with the adjacent Franklin Avenue Shuttle, part of the New York City Subway system. By combining land and air rights, the MTA is signaling that it expects respondents to consider a more substantial, transit-adjacent multifamily development program than the current, largely underused condition of the property.
The property has historically been tied to New York City Transit’s Atlantic Avenue Cable Shop, which supported system operations. That function is in the process of being relocated to a modernized facility in East New York, freeing up the Pacific Street site for residential use under the new zoning framework. With the shop’s operations moving off-site, the lot and associated rights are now being repositioned for housing production.
MTA chair and CEO Janno Lieber framed the RFP within a broader transit-oriented development strategy, emphasizing that projects built around transit nodes can support both job creation and housing expansion across the region. He described the Pacific Street opportunity as combining strong transit access with a location in a high-demand Brooklyn neighborhood, and noted the authority’s collaboration with the Governor’s office in seeking the most effective long-term use for the property.
The RFP highlights the potential for a sizable multifamily development integrated with existing rail infrastructure, reflecting a policy focus on placing new housing near transit services. While specific pricing, project costs, and delivery timelines were not disclosed in the announcement, the offering is structured to attract proposals that leverage the zoning changes adopted in 2025 and respond to local housing needs in Crown Heights.
As the Atlantic Avenue Cable Shop transition advances and the RFP process unfolds, the MTA’s move underscores how surplus or underutilized transit-related land can be repositioned to support residential growth. Prospective respondents are being invited to consider how a roughly 300-unit project at 1119 Pacific St., combined with the Franklin Avenue Shuttle air rights, can align with both neighborhood context and broader transit-oriented planning goals.
