Affordable Housing

NYC sees 23 percent more new homes in first year of City of Yes

Credit: Daniel Lee on Unsplash

December 5, 2025

NYC sees 23 percent more new homes in first year of City of Yes

By Aaron Ginsburg

Housing production in New York City rose 23 percent in the first 10 months of 2025, since the passage of Mayor Eric Adams’ "City of Yes" housing plan, according to city data. Coinciding with the first anniversary of the plan's passage on Friday, Mayor Eric Adams and Department of City Planning Commissioner Dan Garodnick released new statistics showing that the city has permitted roughly 17,600 new homes through late October, a 22.8 percent increase from the same period in 2024. Key reforms under the plan include the legalization of accessory dwelling units, affordable housing bonuses, new zoning districts, reduced parking mandates, and more.
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Queens’ tallest building opens lottery for 248 apartments, from $2,912/month

Renderings courtesy of Binyan

December 5, 2025

Queens’ tallest building opens lottery for 248 apartments, from $2,912/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Here’s a chance to live in elevated style: the tallest building in Queens has launched a housing lottery for 248 middle-income apartments. Located at Orchard Street and Jackson Avenue in Long Island City, the Orchard is a 70-story rental tower boasting over 100,000 square feet of amenities, including a sprawling backyard with a swimming pool, three pickleball courts, a sky lounge, and more. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $2,912/month studios to $4,925/month three bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

500 affordable homes coming to East Harlem 125th Street development

Streetview of 2319 Third Avenue © 2024 Google

December 3, 2025

500 affordable homes coming to East Harlem 125th Street development

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new addition to East Harlem's East 125th Street Development will bring nearly 500 affordable homes to the neighborhood. New York City Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala announced on Monday the details for 2319 Third Avenue, a mixed-use project with more than 400 affordable rental units and roughly 80 affordable homeownership units. The new building completes a three-phase development, which included the adjacent One East Harlem, a 19-story tower with 400 apartments, more than half of which were designated as affordable, and the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute.
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Lottery opens for 21 co-op apartments in Chelsea, from $385K

Photo © Ondel Hylton

December 1, 2025

Lottery opens for 21 co-op apartments in Chelsea, from $385K

By Devin Gannon

In 1976, the city seized four neglected buildings in Chelsea through a tax lien foreclosure with plans to renovate and turn the rentals into affordable co-ops. Fifty years later, the tenements at 201-207 7th Avenue have been demolished, and a new nine-story residential building (with the address 170 West 22nd Street) has risen in their place. The city on Monday opened a housing lottery at the site for 21 middle-income co-ops for purchase, priced from $385,865 studios to $451,600 two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

New bill would revive single-room occupancy apartments in NYC

An SRO in the famous Chelsea Hotel, featured in a 2018 6sqft story. Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft.

November 26, 2025

New bill would revive single-room occupancy apartments in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

Looking for new ways to tackle the city’s housing shortage, a New York City Council member is calling for the return of single-room occupancy units (SROs). Council Member Erik Bottcher on Tuesday introduced legislation backed by the Department of Buildings that would allow the construction of SROs as small as 100 square feet for the first time in decades. The city once had as many as 100,000 SROs, but their numbers began declining in the 1950s as new laws restricted their construction and encouraged conversions, driven by stigma that linked the housing type to poverty and crime, according to the New York Times.
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See plan to redevelop Bronx public library with 100+ affordable homes

Images courtesy of Secchi Smith, unless noted otherwise

November 21, 2025

See plan to redevelop Bronx public library with 100+ affordable homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

A plan to transform a New York Public Library branch in the Bronx has been unveiled, bringing more than 100 affordable apartments atop a new, state-of-the-art library. The city on Thursday announced the selection of Settlement Housing Fund and Kalel Companies to redevelop the Grand Concourse library at 155 East 173rd Street into a mixed-use tower with 113 affordable homes and a new 17,500-square-foot library facility. Designed to be environmentally friendly, the development, dubbed The Heartwood, is expected to meet Passive House standards, the first NYPL branch to do so.
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Plan for 2,000+ homes at vacant Creedmoor campus in Queens approved

Creedmoor campus. Photo by Jim.henderson via WikiCommons

November 20, 2025

Plan for 2,000+ homes at vacant Creedmoor campus in Queens approved

By Aaron Ginsburg

A plan to bring more than 2,000 new homes to the underutilized Creedmoor Psychiatric Center campus in eastern Queens won approval this week. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced that the Public Authorities Control Board approved the general project plan for the Creedmoor Mixed-Use Project, clearing the way to turn nearly 50 acres of vacant state land into a mixed-use community with housing, open space, retail, childcare, and senior services. The project includes a total of 2,022 units, with more than 950 affordable rentals and over 1,000 affordable and market-rate homes for ownership.
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Crown Heights co-op opens waitlist for Mitchell-Lama apartments, for sale from $19K

Street view of Crown Gardens. © 2025 Google Maps

November 19, 2025

Crown Heights co-op opens waitlist for Mitchell-Lama apartments, for sale from $19K

By Devin Gannon

Here's a rare opportunity to own an affordable co-op in New York City. Applications are currently being accepted for waitlist spots for apartments at Crown Gardens, a Mitchell-Lama building in Crown Heights. Containing 240 middle-income homes, the unique 1970s development wraps around Nostrand Avenue and Carroll and President Streets. Qualifying New Yorkers can apply to purchase the apartments, which are priced, depending on household size, from $19,222 for a studio to $48,030 for a three-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

New Chelsea rental opens lottery for 28 apartments, from $978/month

November 18, 2025

New Chelsea rental opens lottery for 28 apartments, from $978/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new 12-story rental building in Chelsea just opened a lottery for 28 mixed-income apartments. Replacing a Rite Aid, The Andrea sits at the corner of 24th Street and 8th Avenue. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $978/month studios to $4,376/month two bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

14,700 homes planned for Long Island City after Council approves largest rezoning in 25 years

Credit: Ruoyu Li on Unsplash

November 13, 2025

14,700 homes planned for Long Island City after Council approves largest rezoning in 25 years

By Aaron Ginsburg

The New York City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved the city’s largest neighborhood rezoning in 25 years. The OneLIC Neighborhood Plan rezones 54 blocks of a largely industrial area of Long Island City to allow for 14,700 new homes, including 4,350 permanently affordable units. The plan will create a continuous public waterfront from Gantry Plaza State Park to Queensbridge Park and includes $2 billion in city commitments, unlocking more than 3.5 million square feet of commercial and industrial space and significant public-realm upgrades.
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Popular Articles

New legislation would pave the way for more affordable artist housing in NYC

Credit: Jeffrey Blum on Unsplash

November 12, 2025

New legislation would pave the way for more affordable artist housing in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

Legislation introduced this week would pave the way for more affordable artist housing in New York City. Announced on Wednesday by Manhattan Council Members Keith Powers and Erik Bottcher, the legislation would amend the city’s administrative code to clarify that housing programs offering preference to artists do not violate human rights laws prohibiting discrimination based on occupation. The legislation aims to create more housing opportunities for artists, many of whom earn well below the city’s average rent thresholds, in the nation's cultural capital, as first reported by Gothamist.
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60 middle-income apartments available at new South Bronx rental, from $1,974/month

Images courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

November 7, 2025

60 middle-income apartments available at new South Bronx rental, from $1,974/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A housing lottery has launched for 60 middle-income apartments at a new residential development in the South Bronx. Located at 586 Gerard Avenue in Concourse Village, the nine-story Inkwell offers brand-new, modern residences and a range of amenities designed for comfort and convenience. New Yorkers earning 80 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $1,974/month one bedrooms to $3,550/month two bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

230-unit housing project coming to site of abandoned Astoria megaproject

Streetview of 42-08 35th Avenue © 2022 Google

November 7, 2025

230-unit housing project coming to site of abandoned Astoria megaproject

By Aaron Ginsburg

A site in Astoria once slated for a 3,200-unit development will now be home to a handful of residential buildings with just over 230 apartments. As first reported by Crain's, the Hakimian Organization and CW Realty have filed plans for a 16-story building at 35-17 42nd Street and a 13-story building at 42-08 35th Avenue, on the former site of the $2 billion Innovation QNS megaproject. The ambitious housing project was scrapped in September amid financing challenges following the expiration of the 421-a tax break and uncertainty surrounding its replacement, the 485x program.
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New Yorkers vote to pass housing ballot proposals

Credit: Open Journalism Network by InOldNews on Flickr

November 5, 2025

New Yorkers vote to pass housing ballot proposals

By Aaron Ginsburg

New Yorkers voted to approve several housing ballot questions as part of this year’s general election. After turning out in record numbers on Tuesday, voters elected Zohran Mamdani as the city’s next mayor and voted yes on four proposals aimed at redesigning the process for building more housing across the five boroughs, as the city faces a housing shortage and affordability crisis.
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NYC Council approves Jamaica rezoning, paving the way for 12,000 new homes

All images courtesy of DCP

October 31, 2025

NYC Council approves Jamaica rezoning, paving the way for 12,000 new homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

Nearly 12,000 new homes are coming to Jamaica, Queens, following the City Council’s approval of the neighborhood’s transformative rezoning on Wednesday. The Jamaica Neighborhood Plan updates zoning rules across 230 blocks of the transit-rich area, paving the way for thousands of new homes—roughly 4,000 of which would be permanently affordable. The plan, which includes the largest mapping of Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) in the city, will also add two million square feet of commercial space, create more than 7,000 jobs, and deliver $400 million in infrastructure upgrades.
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City Council committees approve Long Island City neighborhood rezoning

Photo © Ondel Hylton

October 30, 2025

City Council committees approve Long Island City neighborhood rezoning

By Aaron Ginsburg

The proposed rezoning of Long Island City — which could deliver the most homes created by a neighborhood rezoning in 25 years — took another step toward reality this week. On Wednesday, the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and Committee on Land Use approved the OneLIC Neighborhood Plan, expected to bring nearly 15,000 new homes, including 4,350 permanently affordable units, to a 54-block stretch of the Queens neighborhood. The vote followed Council Member Julie Won’s last-minute deal securing nearly $2 billion in city commitments, according to QNS.
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Majority of affordable housing in NYC built in just 10 of 51 NYC Council districts, new report finds

Credit: Nelson Ndongala on Unsplash

October 29, 2025

Majority of affordable housing in NYC built in just 10 of 51 NYC Council districts, new report finds

By Aaron Ginsburg

Just 10 of New York City’s 51 Council districts have produced more than half of all new affordable housing since 2014, according to a new report. Released as a special update to the New York Housing Conference's NYC Housing Tracker Report, the analysis—titled "Why Charter Land Use Reforms Are Needed"—finds that 13 districts have built more than 4,000 affordable homes, while 10 have added fewer than 300, and four have produced under 100. The report comes as New Yorkers are currently voting on four housing-related ballot questions, which would change the city's land use review process and, according to critics, give the mayor more power and remove Council oversight.
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Adams considers stacking Rent Guidelines Board to block Mamdani’s rent freeze pledge

Credit: NYS Tenant Bloc

October 27, 2025

Adams considers stacking Rent Guidelines Board to block Mamdani’s rent freeze pledge

By Aaron Ginsburg

Before leaving office, Mayor Eric Adams is considering stacking the city’s Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) with allies in an effort to block mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani’s rent freeze proposal. As first reported by the New York Post, the mayor could appoint at least six new members to the nine-person board, which determines rent changes for the city's one million rent-stabilized apartments. One of the contenders is reportedly Douglas Elliman real estate agent and reality TV star Eleonora Srugo, who has since told the New York Times she intends to decline the offer to focus on her television career.
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Former Beth Israel hospital building in Gramercy opens lottery for 22 rentals, from $963/month

313 East 17th Street. Photo © Ondel Hylton

October 23, 2025

Former Beth Israel hospital building in Gramercy opens lottery for 22 rentals, from $963/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Twenty-two mixed-income apartments are available next to the shuttered Mount Sinai Beth Israel campus in Gramercy. The former hospital facility at 313 East 17th Street has been converted into 96 apartments, the first redevelopment project at the campus since Beth Israel shut its doors in April following a disputed closure process. New Yorkers earning 40, 80, and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $963/month studios to $3,323/month two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Adams unveils plan to transform ‘The Hole’ with new drainage system, 5,000 homes

Credit: Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

October 22, 2025

Adams unveils plan to transform ‘The Hole’ with new drainage system, 5,000 homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

A long-neglected, low-lying area on the Brooklyn-Queens border known as “The Hole” may finally be getting attention from the city. On Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams announced a $146 million investment in the area, also known as the Jewel Streets, to install a long-needed sewage system in the neighborhood, which regularly floods even after light rainfall. The plan also calls for a 17-acre city-owned site to become 1,400 housing units, a rezoning to unlock an additional 3,600 homes, and other flood-prevention infrastructure.
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24-story East Village rental opens lottery for 60 apartments, from $1,777/month

Rendering courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

October 20, 2025

24-story East Village rental opens lottery for 60 apartments, from $1,777/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A housing lottery has launched for 60 mixed-income apartments in a new 24-story tower in the East Village. The East, located at 644 East 14th Street, offers 196 studio to two-bedroom apartments and luxury amenities, including a roof deck with East River views. New Yorkers earning 70 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $1,777/month studios to $4,315/month two bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Jamaica rental with sculpture garden opens lottery for 185 apartments, from $1,843/month

Credit: Bezier

October 8, 2025

Jamaica rental with sculpture garden opens lottery for 185 apartments, from $1,843/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are now being accepted for 185 mixed-income apartments at a massive development in Jamaica, Queens. Located at 166-20 90th Avenue, the two-building complex dubbed Ruby Square has over 600 apartments and nearly one acre of lush public and private outdoor spaces, including a tranquil interior courtyard with a sculpture garden. New Yorkers earning 80 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, with rents starting at $2,688/month for studios, $1,843/month for one-bedrooms, and $2,188/month for two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Sunset Park rental with bike storage hub opens lottery for 48 apartments, from $649/month

Credit: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

October 3, 2025

Sunset Park rental with bike storage hub opens lottery for 48 apartments, from $649/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A housing lottery launched this week for 48 mixed-income apartments at a new mixed-use development in Sunset Park. Rising 14 stories at 201 25th Street, One Sunset offers contemporary residences and amenities, including New York City’s first secure indoor bike storage hub. New Yorkers earning 30, 60, and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, with rents ranging from $649 to $3,640/month for one-bedrooms, $762 to $1,715/month for two-bedrooms, and $1,963/month for three-bedroom apartments.
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Affordable Housing

Adams targets city-owned sites in Williamsburg and East Harlem for 1,700 homes

Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

September 25, 2025

Adams targets city-owned sites in Williamsburg and East Harlem for 1,700 homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

Two city-owned sites could be redeveloped into at least 1,700 new homes. Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said the city will issue requests for proposals for 900 homes at 390 Kent Avenue, one of the last underutilized waterfront sites in Williamsburg, and 800 homes at 1880 First Avenue in East Harlem, currently a parking lot for NYC Health + Hospitals. The two properties were identified through an executive order Adams signed in August 2024, directing city agencies to determine if housing could be built on any properties they owned.
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Bensonhurst library to become new modern branch with 100% affordable housing

Photo by QuasyBoy via WikiCommons

September 25, 2025

Bensonhurst library to become new modern branch with 100% affordable housing

By Aaron Ginsburg

A Brooklyn public library will be redeveloped into a new modern branch with affordable housing above it. Mayor Eric Adams announced on Wednesday plans to replace the 70-year-old New Utrecht Library in Bensonhurst with a new state-of-the-art branch alongside housing units, part of the city's "Living Libraries" program, which pairs new libraries with housing. The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) will issue a request for proposals for the redevelopment, which will also include the city-owned parking lot next to the library.
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