Affordable Housing

Sunset Park Library and Apartments. Credit: Brooklyn Public Library

June 11, 2026

City Council unveils proposal to build affordable housing on top of libraries

The New York City Council wants to build affordable housing on top of public libraries to ease the current housing crisis. Council Speaker Julie Menin on Thursday called on the Mamdani administration to invest $60 million to support the redevelopment of three initial library sites, one in each of the city’s three public library systems. The plan builds on the city's existing model of co-locating affordable housing and libraries, including Bensonhurst’s New Utrecht Library, which the city issued a request for proposals for just this week, as well as ongoing projects at Grand Concourse and on the Upper West Side. Similar projects in Sunset Park and Inwood opened in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
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Nearly 195,000 people slept in NYC shelters in 2025, the most ever

Credit: Felton Davis on Flickr

June 10, 2026

Nearly 195,000 people slept in NYC shelters in 2025, the most ever

By Aaron Ginsburg

The number of New Yorkers sleeping in homeless shelters rose 27 percent under Mayor Eric Adams' four years in office, driven by overcrowded housing conditions and evictions, according to a new report. The Coalition for the Homeless released its annual "State of the Homeless" report, which found that the number of non-migrant New York City residents needing shelter grew by more than 12,000 between January 2022 and December 2025. Plus, last year, 194,531 individuals used the city's shelter system over the course of the year, the most in its history. The increase excludes asylum seekers and other new arrivals who entered the shelter system during that period.
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Plan to restore 1820s Lower East Side church and add 130 affordable homes advances

Credit: City Planning Commission

June 1, 2026

Plan to restore 1820s Lower East Side church and add 130 affordable homes advances

By Aaron Ginsburg

A project to restore an 1820s-era Lower East Side church and build a mixed-use development with 130 affordable apartments next to it is moving ahead. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal on Friday recommended approval of a proposal to renovate St. Augustine's Chapel at 290 Henry Street and replace an existing two-story classroom annex with a 21-story mixed-use housing development. Now headed to the City Planning Commission for review, the development would include income-restricted apartments for families earning 50, 80, and 110 percent of the area median income, as well as some units for formerly homeless New Yorkers.
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Hochul signs reforms to New York’s environmental law to accelerate new housing development

“Let Them Build” rally in February. Photo credit: Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr

May 27, 2026

Hochul signs reforms to New York’s environmental law to accelerate new housing development

By Aaron Ginsburg

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed legislation to reform the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), cutting red tape that critics say has long delayed housing development. The "common-sense" reforms, the most significant changes to SEQRA since its passage in 1975, are expected to accelerate the construction of new housing by up to two years. Hochul first unveiled the changes in February alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani and included it in her fiscal year 2027 budget.
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Mamdani releases blueprint to build 200,000 new affordable homes, target bad landlords

Photo by Michael Appleton/ Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

May 26, 2026

Mamdani releases blueprint to build 200,000 new affordable homes, target bad landlords

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday released a comprehensive plan to address the city's current housing crisis, detailing a goal to build 200,000 new affordable homes over the next decade, the most ambitious target by a New York City mayor ever. The housing plan, dubbed "Block by Block," says $22 billion in capital investments over five years will fund new affordable housing and help preserve another 200,000 existing homes. The report also details the expansion of tenant protections and homeownership opportunities, as well as the largest capital investment in NYCHA in recent history.
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Mott Haven affordable development approved after just 90 days, thanks to new expedited review

Renderings courtesy of STAT Architecture PC

May 21, 2026

Mott Haven affordable development approved after just 90 days, thanks to new expedited review

By Aaron Ginsburg

An affordable housing project that would have taken seven months of review before being approved got the green light from the New York City Council this week after just 90 days. Thanks to the new Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP), a ballot measure approved by voters last November, 351 Powers Avenue in Mott Haven received the fastest land-use approval in decades. The project, which entered review in February, will transform a vacant city-owned lot into more than 80 apartments, a community theater, and public outdoor space, as 6sqft previously reported.
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NYC looks to rezone neighborhoods south of Prospect Park for new housing

McDonald Avenue and Church Avenue in Kensington. Photo by Nick Gulotta on Flickr

May 20, 2026

NYC looks to rezone neighborhoods south of Prospect Park for new housing

By Devin Gannon

The first rezoning proposal under Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration will target Brooklyn neighborhoods south of Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery. As first reported by Gothamist, the Department of City Planning on Wednesday kicked off the community planning process for updating zoning rules on commercial stretches of Coney Island Avenue and McDonald Avenue in Kensington and surrounding areas, to allow new housing to be built.
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First city-owned grocery store to open next year at mixed-use development in Hunts Point

Credit: WXY Studios

May 18, 2026

First city-owned grocery store to open next year at mixed-use development in Hunts Point

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday announced that New York City’s first city-owned grocery store will open next year at a new affordable housing development in the South Bronx. The store will be located at The Peninsula, a Bronx project transforming the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in Hunts Point into a mixed-use development with 740 affordable apartments. The announcement builds on Mamdani’s campaign pledge to open five city-owned grocery stores, one in each borough, and follows a plan announced last month for a store in East Harlem.
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300 affordable apartments available in Hunts Point, from $465/month

Credit: WXY Studios

May 18, 2026

300 affordable apartments available in Hunts Point, from $465/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

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.
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Affordable Housing

Lottery opens for 51 low-income units at Midtown East supportive housing project, from $1,122/month

Credit: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

May 5, 2026

Lottery opens for 51 low-income units at Midtown East supportive housing project, from $1,122/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new 21-story Midtown East building combining affordable and supportive housing for unhoused women launched a lottery this week for 51 low-income apartments. Located at 225 East 45th Street, in between Grand Central and the United Nations headquarters, Willow Tree Residences has 130 residential apartments and shares the building with the New Providence Women’s Shelter, a 170-bed facility that offers on-site services. New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the studio apartments, priced at $1,122/month.
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Affordable Housing

Council proposes construction code updates to build 35,000 new homes on thousands of small lots across NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

The New York City Council is advancing reforms that could unlock up to 35,000 new homes on small and oddly-shaped lots across the five boroughs. During an American Institute of Architects (AIA) luncheon on Friday, Council Speaker Julie Menin proposed changes to the city’s construction codes that would allow for new housing on roughly 3,000 tiny, underutilized lots without requiring lengthy zoning approvals. Menin also announced the creation of a new panel, the Council Advisory Group on Housing Affordability, to help guide the Council's policies addressing the city’s housing crisis.
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April 22, 2026

Lottery opens for 24 affordable co-ops in Hamilton Heights, starting at $100K

By Devin Gannon

In Hamilton Heights, a co-op building opened a lottery this week for affordable apartments available for purchase. On the corner of West 142nd Street and Riverside Drive, the pre-war building was acquired by the city in 2003 and sold to a nonprofit group to rehabilitate and turn it into affordable housing as part of the city's currently-paused Third Party Transfer (TPT) program. Earlier this month, a lottery opened for 24 units at 644 Riverside Drive, priced from $100,794 for a one-bedroom to $156,331 for a five-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

NYC plans to invest $4B from pension funds for affordable housing

New rental building The Ellery at 312 West 43rd Street was financed by the A.F.L-C.I.O Housing Investment Trust, which finances middle-income housing built by union employees. Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

April 20, 2026

NYC plans to invest $4B from pension funds for affordable housing

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City Comptroller Mark Levine plans to invest $4 billion from the city's public pension funds for affordable housing development. Levine on Thursday unveiled the "NYC Housing Investment Initiative," which will more than double the funds' current real estate portfolio and help finance thousands of new homes through mixed-income projects, office-to-residential conversions, and renovations, as first reported by the New York Times. The plan calls for roughly $1 billion in annual pension investments over the next four years.
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Lottery opens for 75 apartments at 38-story FiDi tower, from $1,819/month

All images courtesy of The Moinian Group

April 10, 2026

Lottery opens for 75 apartments at 38-story FiDi tower, from $1,819/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

An affordable housing lottery launched this week for 75 mixed-income apartments at a 38-story residential tower in the Financial District. Developed by the Moinian Group, Aria 7 Platt at 7 Platt Street offers light-filled luxury residences and a range of indoor and outdoor amenities. New Yorkers earning 70 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $1,819/month studios to $4,484/month two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Even amid NYC’s housing crisis, new affordable units sit vacant for over 14 months

Credit: Martin Robac on Unsplash

April 10, 2026

Even amid NYC’s housing crisis, new affordable units sit vacant for over 14 months

By Aaron Ginsburg

A report released Thursday is calling for reforms to New York City’s leasing process, finding that some affordable housing buildings can take up to 14 months to reach full occupancy due to delays. Published by Enterprise, the report highlights how even amid the city’s housing crisis, newly built affordable units can sit vacant for months as tenants and owners navigate the “lease-up process,” the period between when a building is ready for move-ins and when it reaches capacity. As first reported by The City, the report outlines a series of recommendations, including reforms to CityFHEPS, the city’s Housing Connect lottery system, and streamlining of the homeless placement process.
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Upper West Side affordable senior housing project breaks ground

Images courtesy of WSFSSH

March 31, 2026

Upper West Side affordable senior housing project breaks ground

By Aaron Ginsburg

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.
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Affordable Housing

First phase of major East New York development opens lottery for 291 apartments, from $561/month

Credit: PAU

March 30, 2026

First phase of major East New York development opens lottery for 291 apartments, from $561/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

East New York's sprawling 10-building Innovative Urban Village complex launched a housing lottery last week for 291 mixed-income apartments. Located at 30 Inspiration Lane (formerly known as 12096 Flatlands Avenue), the building falls under the 10.5-acre project’s first phase, which will include 386 affordable homes, a fresh food grocery store, and covered parking upon completion this summer. New Yorkers earning between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $561/month for studios to $2,691/month for three-bedrooms.
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NYC to fast-track affordable housing on city-owned land

The city-owned vacant lot at 784-800 Myrtle Avenue in Bed-Stuy will be fast-tracked for affordable housing. Streetview © Google

March 25, 2026

NYC to fast-track affordable housing on city-owned land

By Devin Gannon

New York City is launching another program aimed at speeding up the development of affordable housing across the five boroughs. Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday launched the Neighborhood Builders Fast Track, which will include a roster of prequalified developers to be selected for projects on city-owned land, shortening the time it takes before construction can begin by eight months. The new initiative joins the Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP), which the city rolled out last month, in helping build more homes more quickly.
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March 16, 2026

19 affordable co-ops in Harlem available, from $220K

By Aaron Ginsburg

Here's a rare opportunity to buy an affordable apartment in Manhattan. City-owned buildings in Harlem, at 357 West 115th Street and 321 West 116th Street, have been redeveloped and converted into affordable two- and three-bedroom co-ops through the Affordable Neighborhood Co-operative Program (ANCP). The city opened a housing lottery for 19 co-ops, priced from $220,000 and available to New Yorkers earning up to 80 percent of the area median income.
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Affordable Housing

Hundreds of NYCHA apartments taken over by squatters as vacancies soar, report finds

Lilian Wald Houses in the East Village. Photo by Tdorante10 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia

March 4, 2026

Hundreds of NYCHA apartments taken over by squatters as vacancies soar, report finds

By Aaron Ginsburg

Squatters have occupied hundreds of New York City public housing apartments in recent years, as the number of empty units continues to rise, a new report shows. According to the report released Tuesday by the city’s Department of Investigation, the number of vacant NYCHA units increased from 2,840 in January 2022 to approximately 6,740 vacancies as of last May, despite 165,000 households waiting for an apartment. According to the DOI, the surge in empty units and the “absence of regular inspections” have fueled unauthorized occupancy, prompting the NYPD, DOI, and NYCHA to recover 548 apartments from illegal squatters over three years.
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Rendering from 2020 Sunnyside Yard master plan courtesy of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)

February 27, 2026

Mamdani pitches 12,000-unit Sunnyside Yard development to Trump

By Devin Gannon

A mammoth plan to bring thousands of affordable homes to one of the largest undeveloped sites in New York City was resurrected this week. In a meeting at the White House on Thursday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani pitched President Donald Trump on the Sunnyside Yard development, a proposal to build a deck over the 180-acre rail yard in Queens and create a new mixed-use community with 12,000 affordable apartments, new schools, and public space above a new regional rail hub. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration released a master plan for the project right before the city shut down during the pandemic in March 2020, and it has been at a standstill since. Mamdani said he asked the president for $21 billion in federal grants to advance the project.
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Bayside affordable housing project moves ahead, thanks to NYC’s new charter reforms

Credit: Department of City Planning

February 25, 2026

Bayside affordable housing project moves ahead, thanks to NYC’s new charter reforms

By Aaron Ginsburg

An anti-development New York City council member voted to approve a project in her district Sunday, citing a new ballot measure, supported by New Yorkers in November's election. Council Member Vickie Paladino, who represents District 19 in northeast Queens, voted to advance a 248-unit, eight-story development at 217-14 24th Avenue in Bayside. While she initially opposed the project, Paladino reversed course because the new measure gives a three-member appeals board, including the mayor, council speaker, and local borough president, to overturn rejections by the council.
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Mott Haven housing development is first to undergo new expedited review process

Rendering courtesy of STAT Architecture PC

February 20, 2026

Mott Haven housing development is first to undergo new expedited review process

By Devin Gannon

In last November's election, New Yorkers voted to approve four housing ballot measures, including one that speeds up construction by reducing the time it takes to review projects. On Friday, the city announced that the first-ever project to go through the new Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP), which shortens the review process from seven months to just 90 days, will be an affordable housing development in Mott Haven. Located at 351 Powers Avenue, the Powerhouse Apartments, first unveiled in 2024, will turn an empty city-owned lot into more than 80 affordable apartments, a community theater, and outdoor green space.
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Work begins on East Harlem tower with 340 affordable apartments and new arts center

Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

February 18, 2026

Work begins on East Harlem tower with 340 affordable apartments and new arts center

By Devin Gannon

An affordable housing project first conceived as part of the East Harlem rezoning 10 years ago has finally kicked off construction. The city on Wednesday broke ground on Timbale Terrace, a 100 percent affordable tower with 341 apartments and a new theater and performing arts center for Belongó, formerly known as the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. Located at East 118th Street and Park Avenue, the site sat vacant for decades before most recently serving as a police department parking lot.
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February 17, 2026

125 affordable apartments to replace long-vacant Clinton Hill building

By Devin Gannon

Gov. Kathy Hochul last week unveiled plans to raze and replace an abandoned building in Clinton Hill with a new mixed-use tower with 125 affordable apartments. Following a request for proposals issued last year, the state has tapped a partnership of nonprofit groups, Fifth Avenue Committee, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, and One Brooklyn Health, to redevelop 1024 Fulton Street. Officials have tried several times to revamp the site between Grand and Classon Avenues since the 1990s.
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Affordable Housing

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