Daniel Libeskind’s affordable Bed-Stuy rental opens lottery for 99 senior apartments

Applications are now being accepted for 99 apartments at a unique senior housing development in Brooklyn designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. Located at 57 Marcus Garvey Boulevard, the Atrium at Sumner is an 11-story, Passive House-certified building with 190 affordable units and 7,500 square feet of community space. Applicants must have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older, qualifies for Section 8 benefits, and earns no more than $60,050 annually. Eligible New Yorkers will pay 30 percent of their income for the available studio and one-bedroom apartments.

The Atrium at Sumner sits within the Sumner Houses, a 22-acre NYCHA development spanning 22 blocks with 13 mid-rise buildings that are home to approximately 2,400 residents. The Atrium lies on Site 2 of the Sumner Houses, replacing what was formerly a lawn and patch of trees facing Marcus Garvey Boulevard.

Amenities at the building include a community garden, a year-round indoor garden, a social services suite, a fitness center, a media room, a community center, classrooms, conference rooms, and a large multi-purpose room that will be used for educational and art classes for seniors. Thanks to the building’s Passive House design, it will consume 60 to 70 percent less energy than the average apartment building in the five boroughs.

The building has a “crisp” white angular facade with a pattern of open and solid elements, according to Studio Libeskind. The design team’s goal was to create a “dynamic interaction with the street and surrounding context.” The building is organized around a central atrium with corridors overlooking a year-round indoor garden.

Libeskind’s partnership with the New York City Housing Authority was first announced in March 2018, with the city selecting Selfhelp Community Services, RiseBoro Community Partnership, and Urban Builders Collaborative as the developers of the site. The creation of the new affordable senior units is part of the Housing New York 2.0 “Seniors First” program, a pledge by the city to build senior housing on NYCHA-owned properties.

As part of the program, the apartments at the Sumner Houses will remain affordable to low, very low, and low-income individuals for the duration of its 99-year ground lease, according to the project’s page.

In July 2021, it was announced that the NYCHA had secured financing for the Atrium, permitting construction on the $132 million project to begin.

The Atrium is Libeskind’s first ground-up building in NYC, despite having called the five boroughs home for many years. Besides his work on the Atrium, the Polish-American architect is known for his work on the World Trade Center masterplan and his design of the new Swarovski Crystal star topper on the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

The nearest public transit options include the J, M, Z, and G subway lines, as well as the B15, B43, and B54 buses.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until June 1, 2023. 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.

If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty.com’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

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