300 affordable apartments available in Hunts Point, from $465/month
Credit: WXY Studios
A former juvenile jail in the Bronx that is being transformed into a mixed-use development opened a housing lottery last week for 303 low-income apartments. Phase two of The Peninsula, located at 1221 and 1225 Spofford Avenue in Hunts Point, brings deeply affordable homes to the site of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, which closed in 2011 following reports of abuse and poor conditions. The development is also getting New York City’s first city-owned grocery store. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Monday that a 20,000-square-foot supermarket will open next year as one of five city-owned grocery stores opening in every borough. New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $465/month studios to $2,936/month three-bedrooms.
Known for reports of harsh conditions and cruelty to children, the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, or the Bridges Juvenile Center, closed in 2011 after more than 50 years in operation, following years of advocacy from criminal justice reform groups and nonprofit organizations.
In 2016, the city’s Economic Development Corporation issued a request for expressions of interest from developers interested in transforming the site into a mixed-use community with affordable housing.
Ultimately, the EDC selected Gilbane Development Company, Hudson Companies, and the Mutual Housing Association of New York to develop the five-acre, multi-phase project. WXY Architecture + Urban Design and Body Lawson Associates are collaborating on the design, as 6sqft previously reported.
The complex includes several community facilities, including a black-box theater, art studio, and spaces for The Point CDC and Urban Health Plan to operate. These residential and community programs are connected by a 54,000-square-foot plaza linking the complex and are open to the entire Hunts Point community.
As part of phase two, which topped out last year, buildings 2A and 2B include 359 affordable apartments, from studios to four-bedrooms. About 15 percent of the units are set aside for formerly homeless New Yorkers.
Amenities include a 40,000-square-foot landscaped public pedestrian plaza, a garage with 155 parking spaces, and 20,000 square feet of community facility space. Construction completion is projected for July 2026.
Phase one of the project included 56,000 square feet of industrial space for small or medium-sized manufacturing businesses and 183 apartments for tenants with incomes considered extremely low, very low, and low. Work on the $121.5 million first phase was completed in November 2021.
Upon completion, The Peninsula will include four mixed-use buildings with 740 affordable apartments.
Nearby public transit options include the 2, 5, and 6 subway lines, as well as the Bx5, Bx6, Bx19, and Bx46 bus routes.
Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the apartments until July 7, 2026. Complete details on how to apply are available here.
Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.
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