Former Chelsea prison to become 124 affordable and supportive apartments

A former state prison in Chelsea will become 124 permanently affordable apartments. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday unveiled Liberty Landing, the proposal selected to redevelop Bayview Correctional Facility at 550 West 20th Street into a housing project with apartments for low-income New Yorkers and formerly incarcerated individuals. The women’s prison closed in 2012 after damage from Hurricane Sandy and has sat vacant ever since.

Developed as a joint venture between Camber Property Group and Osborne Association, Liberty Landing will adaptively reuse the facility, keeping the prison’s main and annex buildings and constructing an interior courtyard.

The $108 million project will also include a 15-unit short-term transitional residence to support individuals with mental health needs in need of temporary housing and a 9,300-square-foot community facility devoted to youth programming.

“Short-Term Transitional Residences provide a home-like environment where individuals living with mental illness can get the support and develop the skills they can rely on to succeed and thrive in independent settings,” Dr. Ann Sullivan, commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health, said.

“By including these residences in an adaptive reuse of a historic property, Governor Hochul continues to demonstrate her commitment toward ensuring all New Yorkers have a safe, stable place to call home.”

Designed in 1931 by Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon Architects, the team behind the Empire State Building, the Art Deco building was built as the Seamen’s House YMCA, which hosted “seafaring merchants” in single occupancy rooms, according to the New York Times.

The building served as a drug treatment center from 1967 until 1974 when the operation was transferred to the state’s Department of Correctional Services. The Bayview Correctional Facility was in operation until flooding from Hurricane Sandy forced it to close in 2012.

Last September, Hochul announced a request for proposals (RFP) to redevelop the prison into a residential development with affordable and supportive housing. The RFP required a minimum of 60 supportive housing units and 15 short-term transitional residences.

New York State previously issued RFPs to redevelop the site in 2013 and 2014 but both ended up being canceled due to respondents being unable to deliver on their proposals and withdrawing from the projects.

The prison was selected for redevelopment after the governor issued a series of executive orders last July that mandated state agencies to identify vacant properties across the city that were fit for being redeveloped into affordable housing.

In late 2022, Hochul released a report analyzing 12 closed prisons across the state and the possibility of repurposing them for other uses. Besides Bayview, Hochul released RFPs for the Lincoln Correctional Facility in Harlem and the Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill.

“Every New Yorker deserves access to safe, stable, and affordable housing. Liberty Landing represents a significant step forward in our efforts to provide inclusive housing opportunities and support to vulnerable New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “This innovative project will transform a former symbol of incarceration into a beacon of hope, healing, and opportunity.”

The project will be sponsored by Empire State Development under a General Project Plan and will undergo an environmental review under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. Following this, the project will be presented for public review and comment before final consideration and approval.

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