Leasing Launched at Brooklyn Adaptive Reuse Project

The Highland is being built on the site of the former Empire State Dairy Co. in the borough’s Cypress Hills neighborhood.

A rendering of a new project at the site of a former dairy in Brooklyn

The Highland at 2840 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Image courtesy of The Moinian Group and Bushburg

Residential leasing is underway at 2840 Atlantic Avenue, the 14-story, 320-unit adaptive reuse redevelopment and expansion of the former Empire State Dairy Co. site in Brooklyn’s Cypress Hills neighborhood. Developed by The Moinian Group and Bushburg, the 370,000-square-foot mixed-use project, dubbed The Highland, also includes 21,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a charter school. First move-ins are expected this month.

The joint venture partners began construction on the project in November 2022, several months after receiving a $105 million construction loan from Valley National Bank in New Jersey, according to Yardi Matrix data.

Situated on a 1.7-acre site, the residential tower will have mixed-income units and feature studio and one- two- and three-bedroom residences. Shared amenities will include a rooftop terrace, fitness center, coworking space, tenant lounge, children’s playroom and onsite parking. The property will also offer high-speed internet access.

Nearby express subway lines offer a 30-minute commute to lower Manhattan. The property is also near New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and a Long Island Rail Road station.

Adaptive reuse project

The Empire State Dairy Co., designed by architects Theobald Engelhardt and Otto Strack, was completed in 1915. Originally part of a row of industrial buildings and warehouses, the dairy operated until the mid-20th century. Bushburg acquired the building in 2018, according to CommercialEdge data.

Dattner Architects has been overseeing the redevelopment effort, which incorporates a variety of adaptive reuse elements. Part of the project called for restoring the original building’s brick façade. The building was also restructured and a new roof added.

The Highland is the second joint venture between The Moinian Group and Bushurg, which also collaborated on PLG, a 26-story, 467-unit luxury residential development in Brooklyn’s Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood that was completed in 2020.

Last month, The Moinan Group began vertical construction of 7 Platt Street, a 35-story 250-unit luxury residential property in Manhattan’s Financial District. The company is also working on a residential project at 1640 Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn.

Last summer, Bushburg and partner Sequoia Development Group obtained a $59 million bridge loan to finance the final stages of construction at 711 Montgomery Street, a 16-story, 285-unit property in Jersey City, N.J. The loan was to be used for completing construction, leasing up the property and stabilizing it.