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Work is wrapping up on 505 State Street, a 44-story residential tower in the Alloy Block complex in Downtown Brooklyn. Designed and developed by Alloy Development, the 482-foot-tall, fully electric-powered structure will yield 441 rental units, with 45 dedicated to affordable housing.

In an ever-changing Downtown Brooklyn, high-rise apartment buildings nearing completion are a familiar sight. But there’s something a bit different about the one at 505 State Street. This 44-story, 440-unit rental building is to be the first all-electric residential tower in New York City, a claim that was confirmed by the Department of Buildings. Functions that would typically use gas will instead be electric — meaning no gas stoves. The heating and hot water will be electric, too.

Touted as the city’s first all-electric residential tower, the 44-story Boerum Hill behemoth from Alloy Development will have 441 apartments and 30,000 square feet of retail space. The residential units range from studios to three-bedrooms and 45 of them are designated “affordable” for households earning between 40% and 100% of the area median income. It’s part of the first phase of the “Alloy Block” complex of five new and old buildings that will eventually include two new public schools, offices and retail.

The affordable housing lottery has launched for 505 State Street, a 44-story mixed-use building at 100 Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn. Designed and developed by Alloy Development, the structure yields 440 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 45 units for residents at 40 to 100 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $29,109 to $127,100.

New York City’s first all-electric skyscraper launched a housing lottery on Tuesday for 45 mixed-income apartments. The 44-story residential tower in Downtown Brooklyn, previously 100 Flatbush Avenue and now called 505 State Street, will run totally off electricity instead of natural gas and apartments will have sustainable features. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which include studios ranging from $763 to $2,017/month, one-bedrooms from $812 to $2,155/month, two-bedrooms from $965 to $1,502/month, and three-bedrooms from $1,105 to 1,725/month.

When complete the Alloy Block should be made up of thoughtful urban parts. It enjoys wider sidewalks on the avenue side, entrances to the residential building from loud Flatbush or quiet State Street, the latter with a through-wall coffee window. Alloy invited Architecture Research Office to design the two schools on the site, and their building also has a 1960s sensibility, its dark gray brick façade and vertical windows recalling some of the punchcard buildings designed by Eliot Noyes. Even with a single developer, it will feel like it developed organically — horizontally, not vertically.

New York City’s first fully electric skyscraper topped out in Downtown Brooklyn this week. The 44-story building 100 Flatbush is part of the first phase of Alloy Block, a mixed-use five-building development designed by Alloy Development to have 850 apartments, 200,000 square feet of office space, and two public schools. 100 Flatbush will contain 441 mixed-income residences, 396 of which will be market-rate rentals and 45 separate affordable residences, and 30,000 square feet of retail space.

“Everyone has a role to play in combating climate change, and developers are no exception,” said AJ Pires, president of Alloy Development. “For us, powering the city’s first all-electric skyscraper with local, renewable energy was the logical next step as we work to do our part in decarbonizing our city and making a building our residents will be proud to live in.”

Alloy Development said it plans to power the city’s first all-electric residential tower entirely with local renewable energy projects, in a move to encourage the build out of community solar and battery storage throughout the five boroughs. “Alloy is basically trying to realize sort of a microcosm of New York state and New York City’s decarbonization plan just 20 or 30 years early,” said Ginsburg. “What better way to power the city’s first all electric skyscraper than with locally generated clean energy?”

Significant progress has occurred since our last update in June, when the reinforced concrete superstructure was just beginning to rise above street level. Now the building has reached the halfway mark and its glass curtain wall is quickly following the newly poured floors. The Flatiron-esque massing is clearly apparent when viewed from the southeast, as shown in the below photograph. Based on the pace of progress, the structure could top out in early 2023.

The project is set to become New York City’s first all-electric tower with all functions powered by electricity, including the use of induction cooktops, heat pump dryers, hot water, and HVAC.

“We are living in a climate emergency, and it’s time for leaders in government and industry to respond accordingly,” Alloy’s chief executive, Jared Della Valle, said in a statement. “Banning new natural gas connections will not only significantly reduce new carbon emissions and improve air quality in our neighborhoods — it will also make New York City a leader in sustainable development nationally and internationally.”

“We are committed to making Brooklyn beautiful, sustainable and equitable, and as the city recovers from the pandemic, we hope the Alloy Block will set the standard for progressive, thoughtful development,” Alloy CEO and founder Jared Della Valle said. “When it comes to taking the environmental impact of buildings seriously, building truly affordable housing in wealthy, transit-rich neighborhoods, and creating healthier school environments, we are proud to play a leading role as we begin construction on the Alloy Block.”

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