Gibson, a former Knick, has a long history of community work in Fort Greene
Taj Gibson signed a one-year contract with the Hornets earlier this month. So he’ll spend most of the 2024-25 NBA season in Charlotte, about 600 miles away from his hometown of Fort Greene.
Despite that distance, Gibson will still have a daily presence in his old neighborhood.
Gibson and two lifelong friends recently formed a community-driven development firm, GFB, that will play a vital role shaping a new multi-use real estate project in Fort Greene.
For Gibson and his partners, Tameek Floyd and Malik Brown, the project is an opportunity to uplift members of the community that molded them. Gibson, Floyd and Brown will be directly involved in the planning and implementation of the new project at the 240 Nassau Street Navy Yard Clubhouse.
The site will have a community center with programming for Fort Greene residents of all ages and housing that will include a significant number of affordable apartments.
“Growing up in NYCHA was a blessing and a curse – it made me who I am today, but I’ve also seen how limited resources and poor housing conditions can take a toll on families. We want to do our part in changing that cycle,” Gibson, who grew up in Ingersoll Houses in Fort Greene, said in a release. “This project will rethink and reopen a vital neighborhood resource informed directly by the needs of this community. Because when residents are involved in planning for the future of their neighborhood, it makes for better outcomes for everyone.”
The project is on the site previously known as the Madison Square Boys and Girls club. Gibson, Floyd and Brown spent countless hours in the space while growing up. They all lived at Ingersoll Houses, a housing project that was a 10-minute walk from the Boys and Girls Club.
Naturally, Gibson, Floyd and Brown were drawn to this project by the opportunity to impact their home neighborhood. They formed GFB and partnered with Brooklyn-based Alloy Development to rebuild the area.
“We are focused on working in the communities we live in because it’s what we know and it’s where we want to make a difference,” Floyd said in a release. “Development should be about meeting the community where they are and upgrading the quality of life for all people.”
Madison sold its space to Alloy Development in November 2023 following court-ordered financial restructuring. Alloy has partnered with Madison to temporarily restore after-school services for the next two years, funded in part by a $2 million donation from the firm.
GFB and Alloy intend to build a new community center in the space along with housing. They have sought input from community members who live in Farragut, Ingersoll, and Walt Whitman Houses as well as elected officials, other neighbors, and local groups. They will continue that process as they pursue a re-zoning of the site to build the new community center and housing.
Gibson, Floyd and Brown see the project as a chance to help uplift their community. They founded GFB with a goal of creating stability in historically underserved communities and improving quality of life for low-income families in those communities.
“I always wondered why my people who live in Ingersoll aren’t evolving with the surrounding community – it’s because they’ve been left behind,” Brown said in a release. “I have an opportunity to represent people like me who still live in NYCHA and deserve better. This project is all about investing in the spaces and housing that will strengthen ties between Ingersoll, Farragut, and Walt Whitman for decades to come.”
Gibson, a former Knick, has a long history of community work in Fort Greene.
Through the Taj Gibson Foundation, he provided support and unique opportunities for residents of his old neighborhood and beyond.
This project is another opportunity for the 39-year-old Gibson to give back.
“There’s so much work to do, and we’re ready to do our part,” he says.
