In New York City, the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) recently received an appeal from the Gowanus community regarding the homeless shelter at 2134 Coyle Street on U Avenue, alleging that it did not apply for the required permit for stormwater discharge construction. This has reignited discussions on the issue, while a new facility location announcement has added fuel to the community’s anxiety.
Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse, who oversees the U Avenue area, released a community notification revealing plans for an outpatient addiction treatment project in the area. The notification disclosed that her office has received an official letter from the New York State licensed service entity, Care Counseling Center, outlining the establishment of an evidence-based outpatient addiction treatment clinic at 3041 U Avenue in Brooklyn. The notification, in accordance with the regulations of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), required prior notification to elected officials and community stakeholders.
The project is set to offer individual counseling, group counseling, peer support, and rehabilitation services. The clinic is expected to operate from Tuesday to Friday and Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm, with Mondays and Saturdays off, and will have approximately five clinical physicians. The Care Counseling Center emphasized that the project is strictly for outpatient services, with no medication dispensing or storage on-site, and all prescription medications must be obtained from local pharmacies. The establishment of this center aims to “reduce the burden of long-distance travel for patients and expand access to outpatient addiction treatment services for Brooklyn residents.”
Councilwoman Narcisse has expressed reservations about the location, stating the need to fully understand how the institution will operate in the surrounding community. She expressed her anticipation for direct dialogue with the proposed operators to address her concerns and answer any questions raised by community members. The notification concluded by stating that further information will be continuously updated.
Of note is the proximity of the proposed addiction treatment clinic at 3041 U Avenue to the controversial location of the homeless shelter at 2134 Coyle Street, just around the corner. On the night when members of the Save South Brooklyn Alliance received information, the Chinatown community on U Avenue immediately erected white tents in front of the site designated for the addiction treatment center in preparation for future protest actions.
Sources revealed that the Community Board 15 (CB15) overseeing the area had already received notification about the proposed addiction treatment clinic location two weeks ago, scheduling a dedicated discussion on the issue during the February meeting, with representatives from the health department, relevant operators, and elected officials in attendance to explain the plans and address community concerns.
Prior to this, CB15 is set to hold its monthly full board meeting on January 27 (next Tuesday) at Kingsborough Community College on Oriental Blvd. at 2001, to discuss the presentation of the BSA appeal case for 2134 Coyle Street (2025-54-A BSA Appeal Presentation).
Public records indicate that the operators of the addiction treatment outpatient center, Care Counseling Center, currently have a clinic on 116th Street in Harlem, Manhattan. According to health data from the New York City Health Department in 2024, the neighborhoods with the highest drug overdose death rates based on residential areas are concentrated in the Bronx and Harlem, Manhattan, followed by East New York in Brooklyn.
Since learning in March 2025 about the city’s plan to change the property at 2134 Coyle Street from its original affordable housing project to a homeless shelter, local residents have been protesting continuously for nearly ten months. One of the core controversies surrounding the project is whether it will function as “transitional housing” or a “shelter.” The developer had previously stated that the facility falls under the former category rather than a traditional homeless shelter.
However, when 2134 Coyle HDFC purchased the property in January 2025, the restrictive agreement attached to the property explicitly defined its usage as “temporary emergency housing and shelter,” providing housing support services for “individuals and families,” serving as permanent rental housing for low-income individuals and families, or for other public purposes approved by the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) and relevant agencies. The term “individuals” in the agreement does not exclude single men and does not explicitly prohibit its use as a shelter for single men, further deepening the community’s uncertainty and concerns about the future operational model.
In this context, the news of the proposed establishment of an addiction treatment clinic on U Avenue has heightened community concerns. Residents point out that there are already eight children’s service facilities in the vicinity, emphasizing the importance of child safety. Nearby schools, streets, and community organizations will also face additional pressures from the cumulative effects. Some residents are worried that the addiction treatment center might lead to public safety and environmental issues, potentially causing a repeat of the commercial decline and population loss seen in Manhattan’s Chinatown after similar facilities were introduced.
Therefore, for some residents, the “adjacent” location of the addiction treatment clinic is seen as a side confirmation of the target clientele and traffic structure for the homeless shelter, and related controversies are intensifying as the community meeting approaches.