The Watchtower Society developed the building at 90 Sands Street in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood in 1992 to provide a long-term residence for its volunteers and staff (at one time the building housed more than 1,000 people). In 2018, Breaking Ground acquired the then-vacant building with a plan to transform it into supportive and affordable housing. We completed construction and officially opened the building in the Fall of 2022.
Of the 491 apartments at 90 Sands, 185 are affordable to a wide range of New Yorkers, from extremely low-income to moderate-income households. 305 units are home to formerly homeless individuals. One unit is for an onsite building superintendent. The 30-story building features a 24-hour attended lobby, security camera system throughout, multipurpose room for community events and meetings, a digital library/computer lab, fitness room, bike storage, and reimagined plaza space for public use at the corner of Sands and Jay Streets. We also seek to bring in community-serving uses to occupy more than 28,000 square feet of community facility and commercial space on the ground floor and two lower levels.
The Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS) provides onsite social services to residents of 90 Sands. Breaking Ground and CUCS have a longstanding partnership and 90 Sands marks our twelfth building together to provide housing and onsite support for formerly homeless individuals and families. Services provided at 90 Sands are available to all tenants and include: case management, primary medical care, mental health services, employment readiness, and benefits counseling, among others.
