Sheung Shui Shelter Plan Sparks Outrage, Representatives at All Levels Join Forces to Oppose

In response to the planned redevelopment of 2134 Coyle Street in the Bay Parkway area of Brooklyn into a shelter for the homeless, Council Member Mercedes Narcisse of the 46th district, along with State Senator Simcha Felder, State Assemblyman Kalman Yeger, the 15th Community Board, and neighboring Council Member Inna Vernikov of the 48th district, jointly sent a letter to New York City Mayor Adams and the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services on April 3, strongly demanding the rescinding of the shelter contract at 2134 Coyle Street.

Narcisse stated that the original approval for 2134 Coyle Street was for affordable housing, not a shelter. Bypassing the community and changing the use without consultation has severely damaged public trust and set a dangerous precedent for future similar actions. She emphasized, “Our community deserves real solutions, not backroom deals. We should revert to the original plan – building affordable housing.”

According to the contents of the letter, on February 24, 2022, the City Council approved a plan to construct a five-story mixed-use building at the site, including approximately 119 residential units and ground-floor commercial space. Since 2021, the project had been certified by the City Planning Department and reviewed by the 15th Community Board, receiving approval from the Board on October 26 of the same year. Throughout the process, there was never any discussion or announcement about converting the project into a homeless shelter.

The joint letter pointed out, “While we understand the severity of the homelessness crisis and the need for shelters, changing the use of the site after the permanent housing project approval does not address the root problem and erodes trust in the system. This approach hinders the ability of council members and the community to ensure promises made to voters are upheld.”

The letter further urged the city to halt any plans related to a homeless shelter at 2134 Coyle Street, rescind or modify the existing contract, and return to the original affordable housing project.

Addressing two current concerns in the community, Council Member Narcisse responded to a reporter from Daiji World. First, regarding whether 2150 Coyle Street is another site for a new homeless shelter, she clarified that 2150 and 2134 are part of the same plot and the same project, with no additional shelter facilities.

Secondly, some residents were worried that her support for rezoning 2185 Coyle Street to a nine-story mixed-use development with 400 housing units (20-25% of which are affordable) and a supermarket could undermine the demand for affordable housing at 2134 Coyle Street or potentially lead to a similar conversion into a shelter at 2185.

Narcisse reiterated that the 2185 project also went through public processes and community reviews. She stated, “I expect and demand that the city respects this process, avoids repeating mistakes, and further angering the community. This incident has only strengthened my resolve that all future projects must undergo transparent, fair reviews, listen to public input at every stage, and ensure that the mayor and relevant departments fulfill their commitments to the community. Residents deserve developments that are honest, responsible, and in line with approved plans.”

Narcisse told the reporter that developers had requested a meeting with her, but she refused because they had lost the community’s trust. “I said, I would rather die than let you establish a shelter here. We originally supported affordable housing, and you sold it to the city for a shelter? That is completely unacceptable. I hope the only conversation between us is you telling me that you are withdrawing all plans, just withdraw them.”

She condemned the developers for their “bait-and-switch” tactics, mentioning that she had gathered over 28 lawmakers to protest the case, and many colleagues were shocked upon learning the details. She also expressed anger at the lack of transparency in the entire process, noting that even the Buildings Department was unaware of the situation.

Narcisse stressed that as early as 2023, when she received an alert, she had been explicitly against converting the site into a shelter, but subsequent inquiries with the Buildings Department yielded no information, with the Department only becoming aware of the situation in January of this year when she found out that the site had been sold to a city agency on December 17, 2023. “Looking back, someone handed me a file, and someone did the research, only then did I realize all the parties involved.”

She criticized the developers for publicly sharing an email she received in July 2023 alerting her to the situation, but failing to mention her clear opposition in the reply at that time. She emphasized that as a council member, she couldn’t casually disclose internal email exchanges between government departments, but she had always made her position known.

Regarding what she described as a “procedural breach” in this incident, Narcisse emphasized her commitment to legislating to prevent similar events in the future. “If this affordable housing project is not profitable for you, if you bought it and found it unprofitable, you should come back to our community to discuss the next steps together, instead of making unilateral decisions.”

Narcisse spoke with the reporter for 20 minutes, mentioning that she had given up a career in medicine to enter politics to serve residents. She thanked the community for showing strong unity, acknowledging that many residents even took shifts at night, staying outside the construction site to prevent surprise start of work. “I must say, thank God, the community is so active, and thank you all for being willing to stand up and fight back. Please let them know, I am working very hard, I will fight to the end.”