Affordable Housing

The city launched on Wednesday an affordable housing lottery for 84 affordable studios on the Lower East Side exclusively for low-income seniors. The building at 140 Essex Street sits as part of the nine-site Essex Crossing development and contains 92 units total. Qualifying senior households earning between zero and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from $331/month to $761/month.
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Affordable Housing

City withdraws plan for mixed-income tower proposed for Upper East Side playground

Previous rendering of the original project; Via NYCHA

June 17, 2019

City withdraws plan for mixed-income tower proposed for Upper East Side playground

The New York City Housing Authority has ditched plans to build a private 47-story apartment building on top of a playground on the Upper East Side, agency officials said Friday. The original plan called for a 300-unit tower to replace the playground at the Holmes Tower public housing complex with half of the units affordable and the other half at market-rate, the latter meant to raise funds for repairs at the tower. The new plan for the site will increase the number of market-rate apartments in order to collect more money, NYCHA officials told THE CITY.
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Affordable Housing

Real Estate groups plan to file lawsuit if rent reform law passes

Image via Pixabay.

June 13, 2019

Real Estate groups plan to file lawsuit if rent reform law passes

Real estate industry leaders say they will file a lawsuit against the state to challenge a package of bills containing changes to current rent regulations, which expire on June 15, the Observer reports. As 6sqft previously reported, the legislative package headed to both chambers for a vote this week contains landmark changes to current rent regulations aimed at strengthening New York’s rent laws and tenant protections. Industry stakeholders say they'll challenge the legislation on several points including one that makes the rules permanent, rather than having them expire every few years. The lawsuit would also challenge the retroactive nature of a provision to lower the amount landlords can charge for major capital improvements.
The industry fears 'disaster'

1,250-name waitlist opens for affordable co-ops at Chelsea’s Penn South, starting at $84,000

23rd Street subway station and Penn South, via Wiki Commons

June 13, 2019

1,250-name waitlist opens for affordable co-ops at Chelsea’s Penn South, starting at $84,000

By Dana Schulz

Though it's rare, the city does offer affordable apartments to purchase, and a new waiting list is now open for residences at Penn South, a limited-equity housing co-op (h/t Rachel Holliday Smith). The Chelsea development stretches between Eighth and Ninth Avenues from 23rd to 29th Streets and is comprised of 10 buildings and nearly 3,000 units. Though the complex was constructed almost 60 years ago, its location today is prime thanks to a booming Chelsea and proximity to Hudson Yards. Those who meet the income requirements can enter the 1,250-name waitlist for studios starting at $84,372, one-bedrooms from $101,247, and two-bedrooms from $151,870.
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Affordable Housing

New York reaches major deal to strengthen rent and tenant protections

Image by Jorbasa Fotografie / Flickr

June 12, 2019

New York reaches major deal to strengthen rent and tenant protections

Democratic leaders in Albany announced Tuesday that an agreement has been reached on a package of bills that will significantly strengthen New York’s rent laws and tenant protections. As the New York Times reports, contained in the legislative package headed to both chambers for a vote this week are landmark changes to current rent regulations, which expire on June 15. The new legislation is meant to address concerns about the high cost of housing and the sweeping inequality that has resulted from it. To that end, as the Times explains, "the changes would abolish rules that let building owners deregulate apartments, close a series of loopholes that permit them to raise rents and allow some tenant protections to expand statewide." These changes have long been opposed by the real estate industry, which lost some of its influence in Albany when its Republican allies became outnumbered in the State Senate in the November elections.
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32 middle-income units up for grabs at new Sheepshead Bay rental, from $1,450/month

Design and rendering by EranArc pllc

June 4, 2019

32 middle-income units up for grabs at new Sheepshead Bay rental, from $1,450/month

By Dana Schulz

Several years ago, 6sqft referred to Sheepsheads Bay as "the once-sleepy waterfront community that’s almost as far out as Coney Island." Since then, a slew of new projects has started to rise in the neighborhood, including the tallest residential building in South Brooklyn and a luxury condo with prices up to $1.7 million. Adding to the buzz is a new affordable housing lottery at 2442 Ocean Avenue, a seven-story, 105-unit rental building that, thanks to its U-shaped design, offers an interior courtyard and many outdoor terraces. The 35 middle-income apartments up for grabs are available to those earning 130 percent of the area median income and range from $1,450/month studios to $2,499/month two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Apply for 63 affordable studios at new La Central development in the Bronx for $650/month

Rendering of 626 Bergen via FXCollaborative

May 31, 2019

Apply for 63 affordable studios at new La Central development in the Bronx for $650/month

A new housing development in the Bronx launched a lottery this week for 63 studio apartments. Located in the South Bronx, the La Central complex will include five buildings with 992 units of mixed-income housing, a new 50,000-square-foot YMCA, a television studio, landscaped courtyard, and a skate park. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income (AMI) can apply for the $650/month studios.
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Affordable Housing

As city spends $3.2B on homeless services, shelter population remains flat

Via CC

May 23, 2019

As city spends $3.2B on homeless services, shelter population remains flat

The population of New Yorkers living in homeless shelters has remained flat for the first time in a decade, officials said on Wednesday. During a City Council budget hearing, Steven Banks, the commissioner of the Department of Social Services, said the city has finally "broken the trajectory" and started to reverse the trend of uninterrupted shelter growth. "We would have more than 70,000 people in shelter today if it wasn't for prevention and housing investments," Banks said, as reported by the New York Post. The number of New Yorkers living in shelters has hovered around 60,000 daily for the last two years.
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Affordable Housing

In Fort Greene, nation’s largest LGBT senior development will open affordable housing lottery

Rendering courtesy of Marvel Architects

May 20, 2019

In Fort Greene, nation’s largest LGBT senior development will open affordable housing lottery

By Dana Schulz

At 112 Edwards Street in Fort Greene, a completely new type of affordable housing is set to launch a lottery for 108 low-income units. The Ingersoll Senior Residences was built as part of the city's controversial plan to lease NYCHA land to private developers in order to build and maintain more affordable housing. Thanks to a partnership between BFC Partners and SAGE, Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders, the building is the nation's largest LGBT-friendly elder housing project and the first in New York City. When the lottery opens on May 29th, individuals or couples who have at least one member age 62 or older can apply for studios and one-bedrooms for which they'll pay 30 percent of their income, which can range from $0 to $42,700.
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Affordable Housing

See how five architecture firms designed affordable housing for small vacant lots in NYC

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY) announced on Tuesday the selection of five New York City-based firms as finalists in the Big Ideas for Small Lots NYC design competition for small-scale, urban infill housing. As 6sqft previously reported, the program was organized by HPD and AIANY as a way to address the challenges associated with the design and construction of affordable housing on 23 lots of underutilized city-owned land. First announced by the city last year, the program falls under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York 2.0 plan. The winning proposals were selected by a panel of nine jurors and evaluated on their design, replicability, and construction feasibility. The finalists will advance to the final stage of the program.
See more of the finalists' designs

Report says city needs 24,000 subsidized apartments to address record homelessness numbers

Photo via Wikimedia

May 1, 2019

Report says city needs 24,000 subsidized apartments to address record homelessness numbers

According to a new report titled "State of the Homeless 2019" by the Coalition for the Homeless, the number of New Yorkers sleeping in shelters each night is large enough to count as the state's ninth-largest city: Close to 64,000 people took refuge in shelters each night according to the report–a record high figure that fell only slightly in February. The report takes both Mayor Bill De Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to task on the issue, AM New York reports, and advises that the city build at least 24,000 subsidized affordable units and set aside 6,000 units for homeless households as quickly as possible to keep the numbers from growing.
More from the report

City can open a homeless shelter on Billionaires’ Row, judge rules

Via Wikimedia

April 30, 2019

City can open a homeless shelter on Billionaires’ Row, judge rules

A judge on Monday approved the city's plan to open a homeless shelter near Manhattan's Billionaires' Row neighborhood. Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Alexander Tisch dismissed the lawsuit from the West 58th Street Coalition, a group of residents who claimed the shelter would have "an enormous impact on our densely populated, narrow, high-pedestrian-traffic street." The ruling comes more than a year after Mayor Bill de Blasio first announced plans to open a shelter for 140 single men at the converted Park Savoy hotel, located next to One57, a supertall with a penthouse that sold for $100 million in 2015.
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New 125th Street project will bring 300 affordable apartments to East Harlem

Rendering courtesy of S9 Architecture

April 26, 2019

New 125th Street project will bring 300 affordable apartments to East Harlem

Long in the works as part of the larger East 125th Street Development project, One East Harlem officially broke ground yesterday. Located at 201 East 125th Street, the 19-story building designed by S9 Architecture will rise on the corner of 125th Street and Third Avenue, bringing over 400 mixed-income apartments, nearly 300 of which will be affordable, 65,000 square feet of commercial space, 5,000 square feet of cultural facilities, and 10,000 square feet of public open space to the neighborhood. Developed by a consortium—Richman Group Development, Bridges Development Group, and Monadnock Development—One East Harlem is slated for completion in 2021.
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Early reports of market-rate towers coming to NYCHA sites on the Lower East Side and Chelsea

Image via Wiki Commons

April 25, 2019

Early reports of market-rate towers coming to NYCHA sites on the Lower East Side and Chelsea

During a meeting on Monday, NYCHA officials presented tenants of the LaGuardia Houses with a plan to bring more market-rate apartments to the Lower East Side complex. The revised proposal would see a 35- to 45-story tower rise, with up to 75 percent market-rate apartments, THE CITY reported. Felicia Cruickshank, president of LaGuardia’s Tenant Association, said that in addition to Extell’s One Manhattan Square and the three waterfront skyscrapers in Two Bridges, this tower is “just going to gentrify the whole community and change what the Lower East Side has always been.” Reports have also shown that officials are in the early planning stages of a similar mixed-income project at the Fulton Houses complex in Chelsea, leaving residents to fear displacement and being forgotten in the development process.
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18 middle-income apartments with Hudson River views available in Hell’s Kitchen, from $2,135/month

Photo courtesy of The Helux

April 24, 2019

18 middle-income apartments with Hudson River views available in Hell’s Kitchen, from $2,135/month

Photo courtesy of The Helux Applications are now open for 18 fully renovated units at 520 West 43rd Street in Midtown West. Located between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues, the 33-story building was built in 1998 and boasts Hudson River views and proximity to Port Authority Bus Terminal, Times Square, and Hudson Yards. Known as The Helux, the building's name is a combination of "Hell's Kitchen" and "Luxury." The building comes with a pretty amenities package and no shortage of transportation options. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from a $2,135/month studio to a $2,760/month two-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

The Doe Fund is redeveloping a former army reserve center in the Bronx into affordable housing for veterans

Photo via Wiki Commons

April 24, 2019

The Doe Fund is redeveloping a former army reserve center in the Bronx into affordable housing for veterans

The Doe Fund has announced plans to develop 90 new units of affordable housing in the Bronx on the site of the former Joseph A. Muller Army Reserve Center at 555 Nereid Avenue in Wakefield. The New York City-based nonprofit organization acquired the long-dormant structure in 2013 and has since worked with Wakefield residents to create a redevelopment plan that responds to the community’s needs. As a result, the site will be converted into 90 studio apartments, 54 of which will be reserved for formerly homeless veterans.
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Affordable Housing

16 affordable units now available in new Greenpoint building on McCarren Park, rents from $1,114/month

Rendering of 848 Lorimer Street in Greenpoint (Image: Meshberg Group)

April 23, 2019

16 affordable units now available in new Greenpoint building on McCarren Park, rents from $1,114/month

A lottery offering 16 affordable apartments is now officially open at the newly-constructed mixed-use building at 848 Lorimer Street overlooking McCarren Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between 80 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply, with rents ranging from a $1,125/month studio to a $2,684/month two-bedroom. The brick-and-glass building is six stories tall with 52 residential units total, and includes a street-level parking garage.
Fabulous amenities, this way

Affordable Housing

56 chances to live in an amenity-rich Crown Heights rental, from $1,168/month

Via 409 Eastern Parkway

April 23, 2019

56 chances to live in an amenity-rich Crown Heights rental, from $1,168/month

Applications are now being accepted for 56 middle-income apartments at a brand new luxury building in Crown Heights. Facing Brooklyn's historic thoroughfare, 409 Eastern Parkway sits just one block from bustling Franklin Avenue and two blocks from the Brooklyn Museum, Botanic Garden, and Prospect Park. Plus, the building offers residents more than 17,000 square feet of amenities, including a fitness center, pet spa, children's playroom, co-working spaces, landscaped roof with bocce ball courts, and more. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 80 and 120 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from a $1,168/month studio to a $2,759/month two-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

Staten Island’s Bay Street Corridor rezoning proposal moves forward

Rendering via Department of City Planning

April 22, 2019

Staten Island’s Bay Street Corridor rezoning proposal moves forward

Update 4/23/19: The City Planning Commission voted on Monday to approve the Bay Street Corridor rezoning plan, despite opposition from Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo and local community groups, City Limits reported. As the plan now goes in front of the City Council, housing advocates will continue to push for the rezoning to include deeply affordable units. The City Planning Commission will vote Monday on the rezoning proposal for Staten Island's Bay Street Corridor, an area between Tompkinsville Park and Tappan Park. Ahead of the agency's vote, questions remain about the plan's affordable housing portion, expected to bring 1,800 new residential units to the area. According to a report from Clifford Michel of THE CITY, the rezoning sets aside affordable housing for middle-class professionals, allowing developers to build units for households earning as much as $127,000 per year for a family of three. Based on that income requirement, the "affordable" apartments would rent for more than $3,000 per month.
More details this way

Affordable Housing

April 17, 2019

144 mixed-income units up for grabs at new East Harlem building, from $328/month

Applications are now being accepted for 144 mixed-income apartments at a brand new East Harlem building. Developed by SKA Marin, the building at 1912 First Avenue, called The Gilbert on First, rises 16 stories and contains just over 150 apartments. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between $13,200 and $199,650 annually can apply for the apartments, which range from a $328/month studio to a $3,009/month three-bedroom.
Here's how to apply

Affordable Housing

Apply for 143 affordable units in East New York’s Spring Creek neighborhood, from $426/month

Rendering courtesy of Monadnock Development/ MHG Architects

April 16, 2019

Apply for 143 affordable units in East New York’s Spring Creek neighborhood, from $426/month

An affordable housing lottery launched on Tuesday for 143 units in Spring Creek, a neighborhood in East New York once known only for its landfills and undeveloped marshland. As part of a multi-phase, decades-long project by the city, the area has been slowly transforming into a community of mixed-income and mixed-use developments. The fourth phase of a development called Nehemiah Spring Creek is now accepting applications for studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, set aside for New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60, and 90 percent of the area median income. Apartments up for grabs range from a $426/month one-bedroom to a $1,660/month three-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

200 spots open on waitlist for affordable units near Madison Square Park, from $1,400/month

Photo via Jeffery Zeldman on Flickr

April 15, 2019

200 spots open on waitlist for affordable units near Madison Square Park, from $1,400/month

One of the first luxury residential towers built in Nomad has reopened its affordable housing waitlist. Instrata Nomad, located a few blocks north of Madison Square Park at 10 East 29th Street, was constructed in 1999 during the neighborhood's resurgence. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 80 percent of the area median income can apply to be placed on the waitlist for the units, which include $1,404/month studios and $1,485/month one-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

To avoid rent burden in Manhattan and Brooklyn, you’d have to live in a 300 square foot space

Image via Flickr cc

April 12, 2019

To avoid rent burden in Manhattan and Brooklyn, you’d have to live in a 300 square foot space

Renting remains an increasingly popular choice in cities throughout the country, where on-the-go millennials with mobile jobs and lifestyles prefer to remain untethered to a specific location. But often, making rent doesn’t equate with staying on budget or having the amount of space you really need. A new study by RENTCafe looks into the issue of rent burden, asking how much space a typical income would get you if you limited your rent to no more than 30% of your income. Their findings show that in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Boston spending 30% of your income on rent means you’d have to live in less than 300 square feet of space.
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Bronx Commons via Danois

April 12, 2019

South Bronx development with new music hall opens affordable housing lottery, units from $328/month