BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A proposed conversion of the original St. John’s College site in Bed-Stuy could bring 120 market-rate housing units — with two-bedroom units ranging from $1,800 to $2,500-a-month.
The development at 71 Lewis Ave. would transform the currently vacant community facility into a residential building, according to documents filed with Brooklyn Community Board 3.
The proposal from Alliance Private Capital Group’s Mike Kohn looks to convert the five-story structure into 41 studios, 42 one-bedroom apartments, 26 two-bedrooms, five three-bedrooms and six four-bedroom apartments.
Community board reps said they were told the two-bedroom units would range from $1,800 to $2,500, but that information was not included in the proposal, they said.
The building spans the entire block between Willoughby Avenue and Hart Street, with a total of 107,611-square-feet of residential space.
The historical site was built in 1870 and served as the location for St. John’s College, which eventually relocated and became St. John’s University in Queens in the 1950s.
Complete with a central courtyard, turrets and towers, the building housed the major seminary of the Diocese of Brooklyn, a grammar school, and a high school over the years.
Most recently, it had been used for parish-based activities and a New Horizons Adult Education Center.
The Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist currently owns the property, according to city records, and the church is located directly behind the proposed apartment complex.
Kohn is leasing the site from the church under a 99-year term, his representatives said at a CB3 housing and land use meeting last month.
Under the proposal, the church will remain untouched, they added.
The Williamsburg-based developer is currently applying for a special permit to waive the 60-spot parking requirement for the residential conversion.
According to documents presented to CB3, Kohn’s representatives said there is insufficient space on the current lot for parking and there are no alternative sites in the immediate area.
In addition to the market-rate units, a gym that was formerly open to the community for rental will be converted into private fitness amenities for future residents.
Kohn’s representatives could not be reached for comment.
