A Brooklyn mosque is collaborating with a local developer to create senior housing in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Kalel Companies and the Masjid Abdul Muhsi Khalifah mosque are planning to redevelop the mosque’s property at 1166 Bedford Avenue, also known as 120 Madison Street, which has been owned by the mosque since the 1980s.
According to a rezoning application submitted to the Department of City Planning, the proposal calls for demolishing the current three-story building and constructing a new 12-story structure. The planned development would cover 94,000 square feet and provide 144 units dedicated to senior housing.
The project will also include over 13,000 square feet of community space reserved for both the mosque and the Clara Muhammad School. These organizations currently occupy about 44,000 square feet on the site. Additionally, nearly 5,000 square feet of commercial space is part of the plan.
A post on Kalel Companies’ website notes that while an earlier version of this project was smaller in scale, the current iteration is expected to cost at least $90 million. Neither Kalel Companies nor Masjid Abdul Muhsi Khalifah responded immediately to requests for comment.
Kalel Companies, led by Pierre Downing, is recognized in New York City for its involvement in NYCHA’s Permanent Affordability Commitment Together program, which transitions public housing developments into private management. The firm has multiple projects underway and recently expanded into Jersey City.
This development follows similar trends in repurposing religious properties for housing needs. In another Bed-Stuy project, Jacob Fulop filed plans earlier this year for a 120-unit residential building at 1445 Fulton Street after acquiring several nearby parcels for $5.5 million. In Manhattan’s East Village, a former church at 181 Avenue D was sold by the Archdiocese of New York last year for at least $58 million; buyers intend to convert it into a fully affordable housing complex with up to 570 units.
