Coming Home to Clarendon Road

This March, residents of the new HDFC co-op at 2310 Clarendon Road celebrated the start of a brand new era in their building: one based on cooperation and community. The 27-unit building in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn has seen an epic change since it was left in foreclosure by its previous owner: hallways are well lit and filled with greenery. Security cameras can be seen throughout common spaces. A refinished basement hosts a laundry room, office, and community room open to all. The residents came together to plant a garden in their front yard. And, most importantly, the majority of residents at Clarendon are now owners and not renters.

UHAB’s Program Manager Jaz Lancaster has worked in the building since 2006, and has seen a drastic rise in resident participation since that time. “I went around and knocked on doors, scheduled meetings, and made it clear that UHAB was a consistent and positive presence in the building,” she noted.

Once participation increased, Jaz conducted a series of 14 trainings back-to-back, culminating in the first board election in 2007. “Once they organized, they did a lot with their building,” she noted. “Even during construction, when they faced a lot of warranty issues, they stayed on track and moved forward. That’s where a lot of buildings get stuck. And now, they keep their building together really well: all residents participate in cleaning public spaces, they have plants in the hallways- everyone pitches in and it works.”

The building’s President of the Board, Merlyn Moore, has lived at the building in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn for over 20 years, and remembers the building when tenants had to chip in money to buy heating oil, and open their apartment doors using only the dim glow of community flashlights. “We came from scractch,” she noted during this March’s share distribution party. “Today is a memorable day, coming this far. Being able to see what we were fighting for all these years. I’m so happy.”

Treasurer Betty McBride had similar feelings of the building’s progress: “Oh, I’m so delighted this day has come! I’ve been here for 2 years, so I came on the gravy train, so to speak. They’ve all been through so much, and I’m just so glad that we’ve reached this point together: we’re shareholders!”

by Dana Variano