Affordable Housing

May 19, 2017

White Castle-replacing Williamsburg rental launches lotto, affordable units from $867/month

Back in late 2014, East Williamsburg's much-loved White Castle outpost shuttered suddenly after the site sold the year before to an investment group for $6.72 million. Burgeoning Brooklyn developer Adam America then stepped in to create, in his own words, "the next hottest development in the area" thanks to its location "just minutes away from an endless amount of cool hangouts." Architects Issac & Stern designed his vision as a six-story brick and metal rental that makes a nod to the area's industrial past. Now that the building at 781 Metropolitan Avenue is nearing completion, twenty percent of its 58 units have come online through the city's affordable housing lottery. These 16 units are reserved for those earning 60 percent of the area median income and range from $867/month studios to $1,123/month two-bedrooms.
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May 17, 2017

87 mixed-income apartments up for grabs at new Mott Haven rental The Graham, from $386/month

Applications are currently being accepted for 87 affordable apartments in The Graham, a new sustainable building located in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx. The eight-story building at 255 East 138th Street has a full floor of retail at the street level, bike room, outdoor terrace and underground parking garage. New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60 and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the mixed-income units, ranging from $368/month studios to $1,683/month three-bedrooms.
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May 16, 2017

Nine affordable units in the Bronx’s West Farms up for grabs, from $1,348/month

Applications are currently being accepted for nine newly constructed affordable units at 866 East 178th Street in the West Farms section of the Bronx. West Farms, which underwent the largest private rezoning in the Bronx ever a few years ago, is located in the southwest of the borough. Residents here can enjoy plenty of green space with access to the Bronx Park, Zoo and the Bronx River. New Yorkers earning 80 percent of the area median income can apply to rent four one-bedrooms for $1,348 per month and five two-bedrooms for $1,521 per month.
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May 15, 2017

Apply for 14 affordable apartments in Bed-Stuy’s luxury Atrium rental, from $833/month

Located in the hub of Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, 14 newly constructed affordable units are available to rent at The Atrium at 785 Dekalb Avenue. The six-story lavish rental contains 70 units and features a six-story brick atrium in the lobby, fitness center, lounge, wet room, game room and a spacious open roof deck. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from $833/month studios to $1,043/month two-bedrooms.
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May 15, 2017

Rosario Dawson’s family wants to buy low-income housing units in the East Village

Actress Rosario Dawson’s family hopes to buy low-income apartments in a newly renovated building as part of a city program that converts abandoned homes into affordable units. Rosario grew up in an East Village squatter’s den and her family continues to live in the East 13th Street co-op, even after the actress became famous and amassed a net worth of more than $16 million. According to the New York Post, long-time tenants of the building say the Dawson family bullied their way into controlling a third of the 14-unit residence over the last 20 years.
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May 12, 2017

Score an affordable apartment in Harlem’s Sugar Hill from $747/ month

Located in the historic Sugar Hill district in Hamilton Heights, 16 newly renovated affordable units are available to rent at 369 Edgecombe Avenue and 801 St. Nicholas Avenue. The neighborhood is chock full of Queen Anne- and Romanesque Revival-style homes, and it has easy access to Jackie Robinson park, which includes a recreation center, baseball fields, and a swimming pool. The buildings featured in the city's housing lottery are open to New Yorkers earning 50 and 60 percent of the area median income, with units ranging from $747/month one-bedrooms to $1,196/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
May 12, 2017

Apply for 34 affordable units in Long Island City’s new Watermark tower, from $908/month

While all of Long Island City seems to be undergoing development, one block in particular, Purves Street, remains the neighborhood’s most concentrated construction hub. Applications open Monday for 34 affordable units in one of these new builds, Watermark LIC (formerly Watermark Court Square) located at 27-19 44th Drive and 44-16 Purves Street. The 27-story building designed by Handel Architects offers 168 apartments and has 2,500 square feet of retail space. New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the below-market rate apartments that range from $908/month studios to $1,176/month two-bedrooms.
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May 10, 2017

Apply for eight affordable units in the Bronx’s bustling Melrose, from $1,348/month

Located in the evolving Melrose neighborhood of the South Bronx, eight newly constructed units are available to rent at 407 East 160th Street. As the Bronx continues to undergo major residential and commercial development, Melrose sits as the epicenter of these changes. It has a bustling district known as the Hub, or the Times Square of the Bronx, which features many retail stores, restaurants and entertainment options. New Yorkers earning 80 percent of the area median income can apply to rent four $1,348/month one-bedrooms and four $1,521/month two-bedrooms.
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May 10, 2017

Lottery opens for affordable senior housing building at East Harlem’s Metropolitan Hospital site

In March of 2015, East Harlem's Metropolitan Hospital Center filed plans to horizontally expand and add a new facade to their former nurses' dormitory known as Draper Hall. Located at 1918 First Avenue, the 14-story building had been vacant since Hurricane Sandy, and after Dattner Architects' renovation, it's been reborn as affordable senior housing, containing 203 subsidized units. Those age 62 and older who earn between $0 and $38,200 annually are now eligible to apply for 51 of these one-bedroom residences, for which they will pay 30 percent of their income.
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May 9, 2017

Apply for a middle-income apartment in East Harlem’s amenity-rich Tapestry building, from $1,927/month

Applications are currently being accepted for middle-income units at the Tapestry in East Harlem. Located at 245 East 124th Street, the 12-story, 185-unit rental building sits near the base of the Triborough Bridge. It was built in 2010 to the designs of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and MHG Architects and features amenities like a concierge, garage, spacious green roofs and landscaped terraces, bike storage, fitness center, and a media and entertainment lounge. The middle-income homes available range from $1,927/month studios to $2,611/month two-bedrooms set aside for New Yorkers making between $67,406-$158,500 annually.
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May 8, 2017

City backs away from Yankee Stadium parkland promise in favor of residential high rise

The city’s Economic Development Corp. has announced its support for plans to build up to 1,045 units of market-rate and affordable housing and commercial space on a vacant four-acre stretch of East 149th Street in The Bronx, the New York Post reports. The city had promised a decade ago to replace the more than 25 acres of parkland that was lost when the new Yankee Stadium was greenlighted in 2005; the vacant space was to be the last leg of the Mill Pond Park, off the Harlem River. Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates, a watchdog group, said the "sleazy switcheroo" “screams of Brooklyn Bridge Park all over again," referring to promised waterfront parkland that that became high-rise housing instead.
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May 5, 2017

Score a middle-income apartment in Harlem, from $1,900/month

Applications are now being accepted for middle-income units at Beacon Mews, an affordable housing building located in Harlem, just a block away from the Harlem River and the Madison Avenue Bridge into the Bronx. Amenities at 34 West 139th Street include a doorman, fitness center and spacious community courtyard, and the building is currently offering $1,900/month one-bedrooms, $2,350/month two-bedroom, and $2,600/month two-bedrooms with a terrace. These units, however, are reserved for households earning between $67,098 to $238,500 annually.
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May 3, 2017

City to develop 2,400 new affordable housing units in East Harlem

Mayor de Blasio and his administration have made progress in meeting their goal of building 200,000 affordable units over the span of a decade, as 21,963 new units were added in 2016, the most in 27 years. However, there continues to be a shortage in East Harlem. Out of the nearly 20,000 affordable units, the city brought to all five boroughs, just 249 units have been built in East Harlem, according to a new report by the Department of Housing and Preservation Development (HPD). To better accommodate these residents, the city plans on expediting the construction of 2,400 units of affordable housing over the next few years, as DNA Info reported.
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May 2, 2017

Apply for 50 affordable units in the Bronx’s Mt. Eden, from $558/month

Located in the Mount Eden neighborhood of the South Bronx, this affordable housing building at 1561 Walton Avenue sits just off the Grand Concourse and a block south of the Cross-Bronx Expressway. The 11-story residence contains 60 units total and includes an on-site manager, rear patio, laundry, and storage space for bikes, as well as on-site college application assistance and work-readiness training. Applications are currently being accepted for 50 of the units, ranging from $558/month one-bedrooms to $1,740/month three-bedrooms for those earning 40, 50, 60, or 80 percent of the area median income.
Find out if you qualify
May 2, 2017

Live around the corner from Penn Station for $833/month

That might not sound like the most enticing location, but with Chelsea's galleries nearby, Nomad's booming restaurant and fitness scene just a five- or 10-minute walk away, and Hudson Yards shaping up to the northwest, this newly constructed building at 221 West 29th Street might have more to offer than you'd think. And as of tomorrow, those earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for 19 units here through the city's affordable housing lottery, ranging from $833/month studios to $1,082/month two-bedrooms.
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April 28, 2017

Nearly 900 affordable housing apartments are currently empty

An investigation by Public Advocate Letitia James’ office found that nearly 40 percent, or 884, of the 2,322 apartments in the Tenant Interim Lease (TIL) program sit unoccupied. After hearing multiple complaints from constituents at town halls, the public advocate’s office launched a full review of the program and discovered it does not meet its goal of providing New Yorkers with self-sufficient, low-income rentals (h/t NY Post). Even more shocking, at one TIL building on 615 West 150th Street, tenants had to move out in 1996 for what was supposed to be a two-year renovation. Per a policy briefing by the public advocate, they still have not been able to return to the units, and their possessions are locked up without access.
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April 28, 2017

Waitlist reopens for affordable apartments at two rentals near Lincoln Center, from $613/month

One Columbus Place via Brodsky Qualifying New Yorkers aching to be in the thick of the city's performing arts scene now have an opportunity to join the waitlist for two Midtown West rental towers: One Columbus Place and 55-75 West End Avenue. The NYCHDC is currently accepting applications for studio and one-bedrooms priced at $613 and $659, respectively. The towers, both developed by the Brodsky Organization in the mid-90s, boast not only a fantastic location close to Columbus Circle, Central Park, and Lincoln Center, but also come with great perks like roof decks, swimming pools, laundry facilities, gyms, and concierge and doorman service.
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April 26, 2017

Apply for eight affordable units in the Bronx’s Crotona Park East, from $1,348/month

Adding to the development boom in the South Bronx, eight newly constructed units are available to rent at 1417 Longfellow Avenue. Located in the Crotona Park East neighborhood, which was rezoned six years ago to allow more residential buildings in the former industrial area, the building contains 38 apartments that each are about 636-square units. New Yorkers who qualify can apply for four $1,348 one-bedrooms and four $1,521 two-bedrooms.
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April 25, 2017

Score an affordable apartment near Yankee Stadium from $963/month

Located just a few blocks from Yankee Stadium, this affordable housing project with a beautiful shared courtyard is truly unique, as it was developed on one of the last vacant city-owned lots. Applications are now being accepted for one- and two-bedroom rentals at 12 East Clarke Place and 27 East 169 Street in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, including $963/month one-bedrooms and $1,166/month two-bedrooms. 
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April 24, 2017

7 chances to buy an affordable condo in the West Village’s posh 100 Barrow Street, from $90K

Beginning today, qualifying New Yorkers can apply to buy seven affordable condominiums at 100 Barrow Street in the West Village. The luxury residential building, developed by Toll Brothers City Living and designed by Barry Rice Architects, has 26 units total and sits at the corner of Barrow and Greenwich Streets. Market-rate apartments start at $4 million, but those available through the lottery range from a $90,000 studio to $170,000 two-bedrooms for individuals earning no more than 125 percent of the area median income.
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April 20, 2017

Affordable housing lotteries fail low-income residents and favor middle-income earners, says new report

In every state and major city in the country, extremely low-income renters face a shortage of affordable housing. Although low-income applicants in New York City display a higher need for affordable housing, policies created by Mayor de Blasio and his administration continue to set aside more units for middle-income applicants. In a detailed report, City Limits analyzed affordable housing in Brooklyn and compared the need for affordable housing to the actual number of allotted low-income and middle-income units. For just one building, the tower at 535 Carlton, nearly 95,000 households entered the lottery for its “100 percent affordable” units. However, only 2,203 applicants were eligible for the 148 middle-income units, and over 67,000 households applied for the 90 low-income units. The data shows low-income households in search of affordable housing face much tougher odds than middle-income applicants.
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April 20, 2017

Enter the waitlist for $2,611/month middle-income apartments at creative Greenpoint rental Eleven33

The waitlist is open for $2,611/month two-bedroom apartments at Greenpoint's super-trendy rental Eleven33, which goes out of its way to check all the boxes in terms of "Brooklyn living" -- from a cyber café with an espresso bar to a landscaped rooftop terrace to a fitness center complete with CrossFit equipment. The affordable housing lottery is open to middle-income households of two, three, and four people earning between $106,080 and $158,550 annually.
Find out if you qualify here
April 19, 2017

10 chances to live in hip East Williamsburg from $833/month

This rental building at 66 Ainslie Street may look like your quintessential warehouse conversion, but it was actually built from the ground up last year, designed by Aufgang Architects to blend in with East Williamsburg's trendy industrial vibe. Of its 50 apartments, 10 are reserved for those earning 60 percent of the area median income. These units include two $833/month studios and eight $895/month one-bedrooms and, as of tomorrow, are up for grabs through the city's affordable housing lottery.
Find out if you qualify
April 18, 2017

Apply for an affordable apartment at Chelsea Centro, two-bedrooms priced at $1,574/month

TF Cornerstone is once again accepting applications for affordable studio, one- and two-bedroom units at their very well located Chelsea Centro rental at 200-220 West 26th Street. The full-time doorman building was erected in 2001 and boasts an 80/20 mix of low-income and market-rate units. As noted by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, TF will be accepting applications from qualifying individuals and families until all the building's affordable vacancies have been filled and its waiting list replenished. The current units up for grabs range from $1,215 per month for a studio up to $1,574 per month for a comfortable two-bedroom spread.
find out if you qualify here
April 17, 2017

Apply for 20 affordable units near the Queensboro Bridge, starting at $1,254/month

The price is right, but the location may not be the most desirable for this new affordable housing building, as it's situated directly alongside the off-ramp to the Queensboro Bridge. Traffic views aside (we're hoping they installed sound-proof windows), these 20 apartments at 321 East 60th Street include $1,254/month one-bedrooms and $1,511/month two-bedrooms for those earning 80 percent of the area median income.
More on the project here