The Local Development Corporation of East New York is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to making East Brooklyn a better place to live and work. We pursue this objective by promoting a physical environment and other conditions that are supportive to businesses, large and small. LDC initiatives include working with city agencies to promote safety and sanitation, preserving and developing the local industrial base and attracting new businesses to the area. The LDC provides support to businesses located in the community’s industrial areas, commercial strips and retail malls. We also provide assistance to individuals who are starting or expanding businesses. These range from sole proprietorships with a few employees to larger companies employing hundreds of people.

If you are looking for a home for your business, why not take a look of what East New York has to offer. If you are considering locating here and need assistance with identifying and acquiring a location, the LDC looks forward to working with you. We will also assist you in negotiating the various city agencies as well as identifying and obtaining financing, if necessary. Should you need assistance in putting together a business plan and / or loan proposal, we are here for you as well. In short, we will be your advocate every step of the way.

The business professionals on our staff offer expertise in a variety of business areas, including financing, marketing, and management. If you are a small business owner or aspire to become one, the LDCENY has resources that can help you to succeed.

We train and counsel entrepreneurs, provide support for local industry, and initiate projects for the improvement of the community and the quality of life of local residents. Through these efforts, the LDCENY is helping East New Yorkers to build prosperity.

The LDCENY is organized into the following divisions: industry, business development, environment, and housing. The work of each division is critical to achieving the overall mission of the organization.

Our History

During the 1960s and 1970s, East New York experienced rapid and severe deterioration in the form of housing abandonment, business closings, and a welter of ills that accompanied the flight of the area’s middle class to the suburbs. In 1979, owners of local businesses located in the area now known as the East Brooklyn Industrial Park founded an organization to address the circumstances that made it increasingly difficult to conduct business in the community. One of the earliest LDC programs consisted of a neighborhood security patrol that provided surveillance and protection for the businesses located in the industrial park. The patrol was organized in response to the high incidence of burglaries and other crimes that plagued the neighborhood’s industrial sector. Security guards patrolled the area and monitored burglar alarms and cameras. Other early LDC programs included a metalworking initiative which trained local residents for employment in the area’s metalworking industry. As businesses closed or left the area, many industrial and commercial buildings remained vacant and became derelict. Many were demolished and large parcels of commercial and industrial land became available. Under contract with the City, the LDC marketed the available buildings and vacant parcels of land to other businesses seeking to locate in the area.

In 1989, the LDC initiated one of the first entrepreneurial training programs in the City. This program which continues until today provided training, counseling and technical assistance to local entrepreneurs seeking to start or expand their businesses. Over the years, the LDCENY has expanded its programs to include not only business issues, but also other aspects of the neighborhood’, including the environment and health of local residents. Recently, the LDC began planning a 99-unit low-to-moderate-income housing development, which is slated for completion in the summer of 2009.