Affordable Housing

A brand new East Harlem mixed-use development, known as Acacia Gardens, now has 124 middle- income apartments up for grabs. The 12-story brick building at 411 East 120th Street, the site of a former parking lot, includes over 180,000 square feet of residential space. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from an $822/month studio to a $1,706/month three-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

‘Atlantic Chestnut’ development will bring over 1,100 fully-affordable units to East New York

Rendering via Dattner Architects

March 29, 2018

‘Atlantic Chestnut’ development will bring over 1,100 fully-affordable units to East New York

A mixed-use development will bring 1,165 fully-affordable units to the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York, an evolving community in need of new and preserved housing. Dattner Architects released this week new renderings of the development, dubbed Atlantic Chestnut after the two streets it will face (h/t CityRealty). The complex, which will include three 14-story buildings, sits on 4.5 acres and measures over a million square feet. The three buildings will be completed in successive phases, with the first scheduled to wrap up in 2020, the second in 2021 and the third in 2022.
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Daniel Libeskind’s first New York City building may be affordable senior housing in Bed-Stuy

Rendering of the Sumner Houses Senior Building, courtesy of the Architect, Studio Libeskind (via NYC Housing Authority)

March 29, 2018

Daniel Libeskind’s first New York City building may be affordable senior housing in Bed-Stuy

Though he has called New York home for decades, noted Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind has yet to see a NYC building to completion. But it appears that may soon change, as CityRealty reports that his first ground-up building will be a 197-unit affordable housing project on Site 2 of the Sumner Houses in Bed-Stuy. A January press release announcing the selection of the project’s developers credits Studio Daniel Libeskind as the designer of the 10-story building-to-be, and a rendering shows an angular white-colored building done in the firm’s signature un-orthogonal style.
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Live across from the historic Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, from $519/month

Photo © Woodlawn Cemetery

March 28, 2018

Live across from the historic Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, from $519/month

Applications are now being accepted for 122 newly constructed, mixed-income apartments at Webster Commons D, one out of five buildings located at 3620 Webster Avenue. The development, which sits across from the sprawling Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, was designed by Aufgang Architects and was chosen as the 2016 Project of the Year by the New York Association for Affordable Housing. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 50, 100, and 110 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $519/month studio to a $1,965/month three-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

Lottery launches for 38 affordable units at an amenity-rich Clinton Hill building, from $735/month

Rendering via HTO Architect

March 26, 2018

Lottery launches for 38 affordable units at an amenity-rich Clinton Hill building, from $735/month

Located within walking distance to the Barclays Center and Prospect Park, a newly constructed building at 555 Waverly Avenue in Clinton Hill has 38 affordable apartments up for grabs. The eight-story building, situated between bustling Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue, features amenities like on-site parking, a landscaped roof deck, indoor lounges and a 1,500-square-foot fitness center. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units ranging from $735/month studios to $888/month two-bedroom apartments.
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Affordable Housing

March 26, 2018

Nearly 250,000 NYC rental apartments sit vacant

Early numbers from the Census Bureau’s Housing and Vacancy Survey show that the number of unoccupied apartments throughout New York City has grown significantly over the past three years--a whopping 35 percent to 65,406 apartments since 2014, when the last survey was taken. As the Daily News puts it, "Today, 247,977 units — more than 11% of all rental apartments in New York City — sit either empty or scarcely occupied, even as many New Yorkers struggle to find an apartment they can afford." One reason for the growing vacancy rates, as the article states, is the city's high rent, which has risen twice as fast as inflation.
Here's a breakdown of vacancy rates

March 23, 2018

21 chances to buy an affordable condo at Extell’s chic Upper East Side tower, from $357K

Rendering of The Kent via Beyer Blinder Belle; Photo via CityRealty Applications are now being accepted for 21 brand new, affordable condominiums at Extell Development's Upper East Side tower, The Kent. Designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, the 30-story building, located at 200 East 95th Street, has a facade covered in red brick with accents of dark metal. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between $79,333 and $119,250 annually can apply for the studio, one- and two-bedroom condo units, which range in price from $356,700 to $427,000.
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March 23, 2018

Jerome Avenue rezoning and Peninsula complex to bring thousands of affordable units to the Bronx

Rendering of the Peninsula by BLA + WXY The New York City Council on Thursday unanimously approved the rezoning of 92-blocks along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, bounded by East 165th Street to the south and 184th Street to the north. As the fourth neighborhood rezoning of Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, the city plans to construct about 4,600 new apartments, adding to the mayor's goal of bringing 300,000 units of housing to the city by 2026. The council has set aside $189 million in capital investment for workforce development, open space, parks and two new schools (h/t City Limits). A plan to bring even more affordable housing to the Bronx got the green light on Thursday after the Council approved The Peninsula, a $300 million plan to redevelop the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center as a mixed-use development.
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Lottery launches for seven affordable apartments in Park Slope, from $642/month

Via Justin Kiner’s Flickr

March 22, 2018

Lottery launches for seven affordable apartments in Park Slope, from $642/month

Ever fantasize about living in the gem of Brooklyn's brownstone belt? A new lottery for seven affordable housing units in Park Slope just might turn that dream into reality. The newly renovated apartments are located in various buildings in the historic neighborhood: 643 President Street, 579 Warren Street and 677 and 680 Union Street. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 50 or 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the studio and one-bedroom apartments, which start at $787/month and $642/month respectively.
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Affordable Housing

65 chances to live in a new South Bronx complex, from $860/month

A South Bronx mixed-use development, dubbed the Thomas and Lilly Keller Manor, launched a housing lottery this week for 65 affordable units. Designed by Heritage Architecture, TLK Manor features two six-story buildings in Morrisania: 917 Westchester Avenue and 944 Rogers Place. The two buildings boast a unified design, seamlessly blending into one another. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $860/month studio to a $1,281/month three-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

Live in a new mixed-use building in the Bronx’s Mount Hope neighborhood from $368/month

Rendering via Aufgang Architects/ Schur Management Company

March 21, 2018

Live in a new mixed-use building in the Bronx’s Mount Hope neighborhood from $368/month

A housing lottery launched this week for 105 mixed-income units at a newly constructed building in the Mount Hope neighborhood of the Bronx. Designed by Aufgang Architects, the more than 110,000-square-foot complex at 2028 Creston Avenue features 114 residential units and space for retail and community activities. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60, 90 and 120 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a studio for $368/month to a three-bedroom for $1,965/month.
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Affordable Housing

Shipping containers will bring affordable housing to the Bronx

Shipping container construction, courtesy SG Blocks

March 21, 2018

Shipping containers will bring affordable housing to the Bronx

A developer is getting creative in his latest affordable housing project in the Bronx. Gold Key Group, which typically develops market-rate housing, teamed up with SG Blocks, a shipping container company, to build 65 to 75 apartments above a retail store and a church. SG Blocks will use shipping containers due to the affordability and quick construction time--the method cuts the building timeline by 40 percent and is 10 to 20 percent less expensive than typical construction, according to Paul Galvin, CEO of SG Blocks. And as amNew York reports, Galvin "hopes this type of construction will become a solution to the housing crisis."
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Affordable Housing

13 affordable units up for grabs at new Bushwick rental Lyceum Square, from $856/month

Marketing photo of Lyceum Square

March 20, 2018

13 affordable units up for grabs at new Bushwick rental Lyceum Square, from $856/month

Bushwick's latest rental Lyceum Square, at 961 Willoughby Avenue, just commenced move-ins at the beginning of the year for its market-rate units, which start at $2,295/month for one-bedrooms and go up to $2,970/month for three-bedrooms. But there are now 13 chances to live in the 63-unit building, complete with a large, furnished roof deck, for much less. New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the affordable apartments, which range from $856/month studios to $1,114/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Kushner Companies filed false documents about their rent-regulated tenants in NYC

170-174 East Second Street, where Kushner filed false permits, photo via Google Maps

March 19, 2018

Kushner Companies filed false documents about their rent-regulated tenants in NYC

Update 3/22/18: The Daily News reports that the Department of Buildings is investigating more than 12 properties where Kushner Companies is said to have filed false paperwork in relation to rent-regulated tenants. Kushner Cos. has denied the allegations and said yesterday they are the victims of "politically motivated attacks." Controversies continue to pile up for Kushner Companies, the Manhattan development firm led by Jared Kushner until he left last year for the White House. Besides the major financial troubles of their office tower 666 Fifth Avenue, the firm was caught routinely filing false paperwork with the city, "declaring it had zero rent-regulated tenants in dozens of buildings it owned across the city when, in fact, it had hundreds," according to the AP. Housing Rights Initiative, a New York tenants’ rights watchdog, compiled the work permit application documents. Aaron Carr, the founder, called the act "bare-faced greed," adding that "the fact that the company was falsifying all these applications with the government shows a sordid attempt to avert accountability and get a rapid return on its investment."
It happened at least 80 times

Six chances to live in the heart of Bushwick, from $1,039/month

246 Johnson Avenue as of late July 2017, via CityRealty

March 12, 2018

Six chances to live in the heart of Bushwick, from $1,039/month

If there's one establishment that gets the credit for hipster-fying Bushwick, it's Roberta's. And here are six chances to live just a few blocks away from the pizza paradise for less than market rate. As of today, the affordable housing lottery is open at the new rental building 246 Johnson Avenue for three $1,039/month one-bedrooms and three $1,175/month two-bedrooms, available to households earning 60 percent of the area median income. Considering that the market-rate units start at $3,100 a month, this is quite the deal.
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Affordable Housing

March 9, 2018

Waiting list opens for 840 more affordable units in Hudson Yards rental complex

Adding to yesterday's announcement of the waitlist launch for affordable apartments at TF Cornerstone's 455 West 37th Street, a waiting list is now open for 840 more units in the Hudson Yards/Midtown West development just across the avenue at 505 West 37th Street. Similarly, the affordable units are available for households earning 40 percent of the area median income or between $22,903 and $38,160, and range from $613/month studios to $801/month two-bedrooms. Residents can enjoy amenities like a 24-hour attended lobby, an on-site resident manager, a sun terrace, a fitness center, party rooms and a laundry room (additional fees may apply in some cases).
Find out whether you qualify

Affordable Housing

March 8, 2018

Waitlist opens for affordable units at Hudson Yards district rental, from $613/month

The lottery is now open for a waitlist for affordable rental apartments at TF Cornerstone's 455 West 37th Street in the Hudson Yards district in West Midtown. The units are available for households earning 40 percent of the area median income or between $22,903 and $38,160, and range from $613/month studios to $801/month two-bedrooms. Amenities at the 23-story building include a 24-hour attended lobby, an on-site resident manager, a sun terrace, a fitness center, party rooms and a laundry room (additional fees may apply in some cases).
Find out whether you qualify

Affordable Housing

150 more affordable apartments up for grabs in the Bronx’s Compass Residences

1903 West Farms Road via JM Zoning

March 8, 2018

150 more affordable apartments up for grabs in the Bronx’s Compass Residences

Seven years ago, what was then the largest Bronx rezoning ever was passed for a 17-acre, 11-block area in Crotona Park East. Known as the West Farms Redevelopment Plan, a development for the former industrial area by Dattner Architects, the complex will boast 1,325 units of affordable housing when complete, along with retail and community facilities. A year after the second affordable housing lottery at the site's Compass Residences went live, the third is now up and running at 1903 West Farms Road. Designed in a similar basic-brick style by Dattner, this building has 152 units up for grabs for households earning 60 percent of the area median income, ranging from $865/month studios to $1,289/month three-bedrooms.
All the details

Affordable Housing

Is New York City housing getting more affordable?

Image: Wikipedia

March 8, 2018

Is New York City housing getting more affordable?

According to a recent article by the Wall Street Journal, New York City housing may, in fact, be consuming less of our hard-earned dollars. Housing costs are responsible for an increasingly smaller chunk of New Yorkers' monthly budget, a new U.S. Census Bureau survey shows. The survey, conducted every three years, points to a record amount of new housing and a rental vacancy rate that's the third-highest since the survey first began in 1965. The Census Bureau survey found that the number of housing units had increased by 117,000 since 2011, a number that includes over 35,000 more rental apartments and 15,000 condos due to arrive in 2018 and 2019.
Really?

Inwood Library project will have 175 affordable apartments and a new Pre-K

Renderings courtesy of Fogarty Finger Architecture and Andrew Berman Architect

March 7, 2018

Inwood Library project will have 175 affordable apartments and a new Pre-K

The former site of the Inwood Library is undergoing a major upgrade, with the city announcing a shiny new development that will hold the branch, 175 units of deeply affordable apartments, and a brand new pre-k facility. The decision to tear down the old library building is the result of months of community engagement and neighborhood planning exercises through the city's Inwood Affordable Housing and Library Planning Process.
See interior renderings

March 7, 2018

Halletts Point’s first rental tower gets new renderings, launches affordable housing lottery

Less than a month after we got a first look at 10 Halletts Point, the first of seven buildings that will open at the Durst Organization's $1.5 billion Astoria mega-development, the Dattner Architects-designed tower is making headlines on multiple fronts today. Not only did a teaser site go live for the 405-unit rental tower, with even more new renderings, but the affordable housing lottery launched for the project's 81 below-market-rate apartments. These range from $947/month studios to $1,414/month three-bedrooms, all of which are reserved for households earning 60 percent of the area median income.
See the renderings and find out if you qualify for the affordable units

Six middle-income apartments up for grabs in prime Bushwick

Google Street View of 690 Bushwick Avenue

March 6, 2018

Six middle-income apartments up for grabs in prime Bushwick

Just a few short blocks from the J, M, Z trains at Myrtle Avenue, as well as countless cool bars and restaurants, 690 Bushwick Avenue is a recently completed rental building that has just opened up six middle-income units through the city's affordable housing lottery. Households earning 115 percent of the area median income, or between $68,023 and $134,030 annually, can apply for $1,984/month one-bedrooms and $2,394/month two-bedrooms. The small, six-story building offers on-site parking, a laundry room, and a roof deck.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

March 5, 2018

Apply for 117 affordable units at a new mixed-use rental in the Bronx, starting at $865/month

Local Bronx developers Stagg Group filed plans for their second large-scale affordable housing development in the Norwood/Bedford Park neighborhood back in late 2015, and the project is finally complete as its 117 units have just come online via the city's housing lottery. The 11-story building known as Norwood Garden sits at the intersection of Webster Avenue and the dead-end East 203rd Street and was designed by Marin Architects with a large, rear second-story terrace, as well as several rooftop terraces. The units are available to households earning 60, 90, 100, and 130 percent of the area median income and range from $865/month studios to $2,302/month three-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Nearly 200 affordable apartments available at Bushwick’s Rheingold Brewery site from $947/month

Rendering courtesy of ODA Architecture.

March 5, 2018

Nearly 200 affordable apartments available at Bushwick’s Rheingold Brewery site from $947/month