Upper West Side affordable senior housing project breaks ground
Images courtesy of WSFSSH
Work has begun on the second phase of a long-awaited Upper West Side development offering affordable homes for low-income and formerly homeless seniors. On Friday, the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing (WSFSSH) announced the start of the second phase of its West 108 development, an 84-unit permanently supportive housing project at 105 West 108th Street. The 22 studios and 61 one-bedrooms will be set aside for seniors ages 62 and older earning at or below 50 percent of the area median income, as well as adults ages 55 and older who have experienced homelessness and are living with serious mental health or substance use disorders.
First announced in 2016, the development replaces a city-owned, long-vacant parking garage. Some residents contested the project for removing affordable parking from the neighborhood, but the building received approvals in 2018.
The project’s first phase, the Valley Lodge, opened in October 2022. The 193,000-square-foot complex at 145 West 108th Street includes on-site supportive services, a range of amenities, and 199 homes for low-income families and formerly homeless seniors.
Designed by Dattner Architects to meet Passive House energy standards, the new building will achieve a 30 percent reduction in energy use compared to a typical NYC residential building.
Residents will benefit from on-site social services, property management, a 24/7 staffed front desk, a community room, a landscaped rear yard, and communal laundry facilities. The building is also located near public transit, NYC older adult centers, and the adjacent Aníbal Avilés Park.
Tenants will pay no more than 30 percent of their income in rent through project-based Section 8 vouchers. Of the 83 units, 40 are set aside for formerly unhoused individuals through the city’s Department of Homeless Services and the Human Resources Administration.
The remaining 43 units will be available through NYC Housing Connect, the city’s affordable housing lottery system. The project’s first phase launched a lottery for 79 affordable apartments, which received more than 60,000 applications.
WSFSSH at West 108 addresses the city’s ongoing shortage of affordable senior housing. More than 520,000 applications are currently on file citywide, including about 300,000 people on waitlists for subsidized apartments, according to a 2024 report by LiveOn NY.
“With the average rents in Manhattan hitting $5,000 for the first time, it has never been so important to create deeply affordable, supportive housing for older New Yorkers,” NYC Comptroller Mark Levine said.
“I have long supported this project, because WSFSSH at West 108 will help ensure that seniors—including those who have experienced homelessness—can age with dignity, stability, and access to the care they deserve. WSFSSH continues to lead the way in showing how thoughtful investment can strengthen communities and change lives.”
The project is financed through a subsidy from the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development under the Senior Affordable Rental Apartments program, and a discretionary capital award from Levine and Council Member Shaun Abreu.
Additional funding sources include a construction loan from JPMorgan Chase, a Freddie Mac forward commitment from Bellwether Enterprise, and equity from Enterprise Community Partners and the HPD-NYSERDA Future Housing Initiative.
The project will also receive 9 percent federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and 83 Section 8 project-based vouchers covering all rental units, along with funding from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Homeless Housing Assistance Program.
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