New York City Department Of Housing Preservation & Development

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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NYC releases rules for legalizing basement and cellar apartments

Heavy rains caused flooding in Sept. 2023. Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

November 12, 2025

NYC releases rules for legalizing basement and cellar apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has released proposed rules to legalize the thousands of illegal basement and cellar apartments found across the five boroughs. The Department of Buildings and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development on Monday published draft guidelines to launch a basement apartment legalization pilot program for qualifying one- and two-family homes citywide. The initiative would allow eligible tenants to remain in their basement or cellar units while landlords bring the spaces up to code, helping small homeowners convert illegal dwellings into legal accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
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Policy

City unveils ‘Fordham Landing South’ Bronx development with 900+ homes on the Harlem River

Credit: Perkins Eastman

August 11, 2025

City unveils ‘Fordham Landing South’ Bronx development with 900+ homes on the Harlem River

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has unveiled plans for a vibrant mixed-use community with nearly 1,000 affordable homes along the Bronx waterfront. On Friday, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city will move forward with "Fordham Landing South," a major affordable housing project that will bring roughly 927 homes to an underutilized stretch of the Harlem River just south of the University Heights Bridge. The 100 percent affordable development would reserve 15 percent of its units for formerly homeless households and span two mixed-use buildings, with public waterfront space, parking, and convenient access to the Metro-North Railroad.
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Affordable Housing

Upper West Side public library to be redeveloped with new branch and 850 apartments

Bloomingdale branch. Photo by Jim.henderson on Wikimedia

July 30, 2025

Upper West Side public library to be redeveloped with new branch and 850 apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

As New York City explores every option to ease its housing crisis, officials are looking to build mixed-income housing atop a new library branch on the Upper West Side. As first reported by West Side Rag, the city plans to raze and replace the Bloomingdale Library at 150 West 100th Street with a new library, health services facility, and 850 units of housing. The project follows the model of other co-located housing developments at public libraries in Sunset Park and Inwood.
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NYC announces $3M design study to make 14th Street a ‘people-first’ corridor

The West 14th Street Promenade debuted in the Meatpacking District in June. The space repurposed the curb lane between 9th and 10th Avenues as new gathering spaces. Courtesy Meatpacking BID, Credit: BreakThrough Media

July 30, 2025

NYC announces $3M design study to make 14th Street a ‘people-first’ corridor

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is looking to improve another iconic Manhattan corridor. Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday announced $3 million in public and private funding for a design study that will evaluate ways to enhance 14th Street for pedestrians, commuters, and businesses. Taking about two years to complete and involving collaboration among several groups, the study will consider upgrades to landscaping, pedestrian space, greenery, safety, and the existing 14th Street busway.
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Policy

Bronx landlord fined $10M for hazardous conditions

Streetview of 2410 Washington Avenue. © 2025 Google

July 24, 2025

Bronx landlord fined $10M for hazardous conditions

By Aaron Ginsburg

A Bronx landlord has been fined $10.14 million over hazardous conditions in a Belmont apartment building, one of the largest housing court judgments in city history. The order, issued Wednesday by Judge Diane Lutwak, resolves a case brought by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) against Karan Singh, owner of the 15-story Fordham Towers at 2410 Washington Avenue. According to Gothamist, Singh failed to provide heat on 10 days and hot water on 17 days between 2023 and 2024. The building currently has 540 open violations, 145 of which are classified as “immediately hazardous.”
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Policy

NYC releases proposed rules for basement and backyard apartments

Image courtesy of the NYC Department of City Planning

July 18, 2025

NYC releases proposed rules for basement and backyard apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City this week released proposed guidelines for building small homes in basements, backyards, garages, and other parts of existing properties. The Department of Buildings and the Department of Housing and Preservation on Tuesday released its proposed rules for constructing accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—a key element of Mayor Eric Adams' “City of Yes” housing plan aimed at expanding the city’s housing supply. The proposed rules focus largely on safety standards for basement and cellar apartments, including requirements for two exits, a ban on ADUs in high-risk flood zones, and water sensors in every room to alert residents of flooding.
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Policy

Final phase of affordable La Central complex breaks ground in the South Bronx

Rendering courtesy of FXCollaborative

June 25, 2025

Final phase of affordable La Central complex breaks ground in the South Bronx

By Devin Gannon

Work began last week on the second, and final, phase of La Central, a five-building affordable housing development in the South Bronx. The $343 million second phase includes two mixed-use buildings with 420 affordable apartments, with more than 60 units set aside for formerly homeless New Yorkers. The development, near Third Avenue and 149th Street in Melrose, a shopping district known as the Hub, has been in the works for years, with a request for proposals for the city-owned vacant lot issued in 2013 and a plan approved by the City Council three years later. Upon its completion in 2028, La Central will include nearly 1,000 affordable homes, retail, community space, and public green space.
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72-story tower with 1,200 apartments proposed to replace Downtown Brooklyn ‘eyesore’

Rendering courtesy of Binyan Studio and TenBerke Architects

May 7, 2025

72-story tower with 1,200 apartments proposed to replace Downtown Brooklyn ‘eyesore’

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City wants to redevelop an outdated office building in Downtown Brooklyn to make way for a 72-story mixed-use tower with over 1,000 units. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is looking to rezone the commercial building at 395 Flatbush Avenue Extension to allow for a new skyscraper with 1,263 apartments, as first reported by The Real Deal. The existing 350,000-square-foot building—a Verizon call center—was called "one of the biggest eyesores in Downtown Brooklyn" by Brownstoner for its homely architecture. The proposed tower will be the second-tallest in the borough, after The Brooklyn Tower.
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Policy

NYC makes applying for affordable housing lotteries easier

Society Brooklyn in Gowanus has 45 apartments available through the housing lottery. Credit: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

April 29, 2025

NYC makes applying for affordable housing lotteries easier

By Aaron Ginsburg

While the odds of winning an affordable housing lottery in New York City are generally low, now, at least, the paperwork will be easier. On Monday, the Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (HPD) announced it will require fewer documents from applicants to streamline the process for both renters and agents. And starting May 1, the city will allow landlords and brokers to advertise empty affordable housing units publicly, allowing applicants to directly apply for the apartments, instead of going through the city's Housing Connect system.
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Popular Articles

NYC seizes building from negligent landlord for first time in seven years

Streetview of 2205 Davidson Avenue, Map data © 2024 Google

April 10, 2025

NYC seizes building from negligent landlord for first time in seven years

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has taken ownership of a building from a negligent landlord for the first time in over seven years. After a decade of organizing by tenants against landlord David Kornitzer, the city has foreclosed on the 49-unit building at 2201–2205 Davidson Avenue in the University Heights section of the Bronx, as first reported by Gothamist. Kornitzer had racked up numerous housing violations and financial penalties, owing the city $28 million in back taxes, emergency repairs, and other fees as of February.
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Policy

93 affordable and supportive homes open at Bed-Stuy’s Woodhull Hospital

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

March 14, 2025

93 affordable and supportive homes open at Bed-Stuy’s Woodhull Hospital

By Aaron Ginsburg

Nearly 100 new affordable and supportive homes for homeless and low-income New Yorkers opened at Woodhull Hospital in Bed-Stuy. City officials on Thursday celebrated the opening of the second phase of Woodhull Residences, a $41.5 million, 93-unit building providing affordable and supportive housing for NYC Health + Hospitals patients experiencing homelessness, as well as low-income seniors and other New Yorkers. Located at 171 Throop Avenue, the project is part of the agency’s "Housing for Health" initiative, which aims to create 650 affordable homes over the next five years.
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Affordable Housing

NYC unveils rules for 485-x tax break, office-to-residential incentive

Credit: Bex Walton on Flickr

October 8, 2024

NYC unveils rules for 485-x tax break, office-to-residential incentive

By Aaron Ginsburg

The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) on Monday released proposed rules for 485-x, the tax exemption that replaced 421-a, and the new 467-m incentive for converting offices into housing. The proposals must be finalized before HPD can approve applications for both programs, The Real Deal reported.
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Heat season in NYC: Everything you need to know

Credit: Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash

October 7, 2024

Heat season in NYC: Everything you need to know

By Aaron Ginsburg

CLANK, CLANK, CLANK—your radiator's noisy signal that heat season has arrived in New York City. From October 1 to May 31, landlords across NYC are legally required to maintain safe temperatures for tenants. Ahead, here's everything you need to know about your rights to keep warm this winter.
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Adams announces more funding to help NYC homeowners build accessory dwelling units

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

August 6, 2024

Adams announces more funding to help NYC homeowners build accessory dwelling units

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City will expand a pilot program that helps homeowners build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on their properties. Mayor Eric Adams this week announced an additional $4 million in state funding for the pilot program "Plus One ADU," launched last November. With the additional funds, the program will provide $395,000 to up to 35 homeowners to build or convert an ADU on their property.
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NYC financed the most new affordable homes on record this fiscal year

Photo courtesy of Joshua Armstrong on Unsplash

July 30, 2024

NYC financed the most new affordable homes on record this fiscal year

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has produced a record-breaking number of affordable housing units for back-to-back years, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday. In the fiscal year 2024, the city financed 28,944 affordable and public housing units through new construction and preservation efforts, the highest for any fiscal year. The mayor also touted his administration's effort to move a record number of homeless New Yorkers into permanent housing, streamline the housing lottery system, and build the most supportive homes and homes for homeless New Yorkers in the city's history.
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Affordable Housing

New bill would require NYC landlords to provide air conditioning during the summer

Photo courtesy of Joe Shlabotnik on Flickr

July 23, 2024

New bill would require NYC landlords to provide air conditioning during the summer

By Aaron Ginsburg

After multiple heat waves this summer, a Brooklyn elected official has proposed legislation mandating landlords provide air conditioning to tenants. Last week City Council Member Lincoln Restler introduced a bill to update the existing housing code and require landlords to provide tenants with air conditioning in the warmer months, just as they are required to provide adequate heat during the winter. If the legislation is enacted, property owners would have four years to comply with the rule or face up to $1,250 in fines per day for noncompliance.
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Policy

Lottery opens for 17 co-ops on the Upper West Side, available for purchase from $174K

Streetview of 165 West 80th Street © 2024 Google

July 9, 2024

Lottery opens for 17 co-ops on the Upper West Side, available for purchase from $174K

By Aaron Ginsburg

A housing lottery has opened for 17 apartments on the Upper West Side. Located at 165 West 80th Street, about two blocks from Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History, the five-story walk-up has 10 studios and seven one-bedroom apartments available to New Yorkers earning 120 percent of the area median income, or between $73,319 for a single person and $167,760 for a family of three. The homes are priced at $173,801 for a studio and $184,990 for a one-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

Inwood development with public library and 100% affordable housing opens

Image courtesy of NYPL/Jonathan Blanc

June 27, 2024

Inwood development with public library and 100% affordable housing opens

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City this week celebrated the opening of a unique new development in Inwood that combines a public library with affordable housing. City officials on Wednesday opened The Eliza, a 14-story rental with 174 deeply affordable apartments atop a two-level New York Public Library branch. In addition to 100 percent affordable homes and a public library, the project at 4790 Broadway also includes a pre-K space, STEM learning center, and community facility.
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35-acre nature preserve opens in the Rockaways at NYC’s first net-zero community

Photo courtesy of Francine Fleischer

April 26, 2024

35-acre nature preserve opens in the Rockaways at NYC’s first net-zero community

By Devin Gannon

New York City this week opened a public nature preserve in Far Rockaway that serves as the centerpiece of a new sustainable mixed-use project. The 35-acre natural area marks the first phase of Arverne East, a development transforming a vacant 116-acre oceanfront site into a community with 1,650 homes, retail, and open space. The nearly $1 billion project will produce more energy than it consumes, through passive house construction and a district geothermal system, making it the city's first net-zero community.
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Architecture And Design

NYC secures arrest warrant for city’s ‘worst landlord’

Streetview of 709 170th Street © 2024 Google Map

March 12, 2024

NYC secures arrest warrant for city’s ‘worst landlord’

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City’s most negligent landlord may soon find himself behind bars. The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) on Monday secured a warrant of arrest and commitment to civil jail for Daniel Ohebshalom, a notorious landlord whose track record of 3,293 open violations earned him the number one spot on the 2023 “Worst Landlord List.” The warrant orders Ohebshalom to be detained in civil jail for up to 60 days unless he complies with a court order to fix nearly 700 violations at his properties at 705 and 709 170th Street in Washington Heights.
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Policy

NYC officials seek $2 billion for permanent affordable housing

Image courtesy of Nelson Ndongala on Unsplash

March 11, 2024

NYC officials seek $2 billion for permanent affordable housing

By Aaron Ginsburg

A group of progressive New York City officials on Monday launched a campaign advocating for permanent affordable housing. Members of the City Council's Progressive Caucus announced the "Homes Now, Homes for Generations" campaign, calling for $2 billion in capital funding over four years to support two Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) programs that expand multi-family homeownership and preserve rent-stabilized apartments, as first reported by Politico.
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Lottery opens for 83 mixed-income luxury apartments near Times Square, from $934/month

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

February 21, 2024

Lottery opens for 83 mixed-income luxury apartments near Times Square, from $934/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A housing lottery opened this week for 83 mixed-income apartments at a new rental in Midtown West. Located at 312 West 43rd Street on the border of Times Square and Hell's Kitchen, the 33-story building offers 330 luxury apartments with high-end finishes, state-of-the-art amenities, and a central location. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 120 percent of the area median income, or between $32,023 for a single person and $183,000 for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, which range from $934/month studios to $3,813/month two bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

All-electric affordable housing project planned for Mott Haven parking lot

Renderings courtesy of STAT Architecture PC

February 20, 2024

All-electric affordable housing project planned for Mott Haven parking lot

By Aaron Ginsburg

A project that will bring an all-electric affordable housing development and a new community theater to Mott Haven is moving forward. The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) last week selected the team that will convert a city-owned parking lot at 351 Powers Avenue into a 90-unit, fully-electric affordable housing development dubbed the Powerhouse Apartments. The South Bronx development is part of Mayor Eric Adams' "24 in 24" plan, which calls for two dozen affordable housing developments on public land to advance this year.
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Affordable Housing

21 middle-income luxury apartments available in the South Bronx, from $1,800/month

All renderings courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

February 16, 2024

21 middle-income luxury apartments available in the South Bronx, from $1,800/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are now being accepted for 21 middle-income apartments at a new rental development in the South Bronx. Located at 2976 Third Avenue in Melrose, the 15-story building offers residents newly constructed luxury units with spacious open layouts. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $61,715 for a single person and $198,250 for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, priced at $1,800/month for studios, $2,250/month for one-bedrooms, and $2,600/month two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

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