The City Council voted unanimously on April 22 to allow a non-profit developer to convert a Downtown Brooklyn tower previously owned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses into housing for the formerly homeless. The Council’s approval of the tower’s rezoning paves the way for a renovation that would add more than 500 affordable apartment units to the 29-story tower at 90 Sands St, said the building’s developer.

“We’re on our way to bringing approximately 500 much-needed affordable units to DUMBO, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the borough,” said Brenda Rosen, the chief executive of Breaking Ground. “We are especially grateful for the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Members Stephen Levin and Rafael Salamanca in championing the development of new supportive housing for the most vulnerable New Yorkers.”The Council’s vote is the last step in the land use review process before the rezoning application moves to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is expected to back the Council’s approval.

Breaking Ground — a non-profit that already hosts some 4,000 units across the city — plans refurbish the 1992-built tower between Jay and Pearl streets that once housed volunteers for the Christian evangelist group, adding 305 “supportive units” for recently homeless people and 202 below-market-rate rentals.

The “supportive units” will come equipped with social services to help residents find jobs, treat their medical needs, and transition into the housing, while the 202 other units will be open to households that make 30-100 percent of the area’s median income, which is currently set at $96,100 for a family of three. The 202 affordable units will range from $504 for a studio to $2,000 for a one-bedroom. -The Brooklyn Paper