Work begins on East Harlem tower with 340 affordable apartments and new arts center
Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr
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.
Following the East Harlem rezoning, the city issued a request for proposals in 2019, selecting the Lantern Organization and Mega Development to redevelop the site in 2021. The City Council approved the project in 2024.
The apartments will be set aside for low- and very-low-income New Yorkers; 84 units will be for those earning between $30,000 and $50,000, 71 homes for those with incomes between $50,000 and $80,000, and 88 homes for those earning between $80,000 and $130,000.
The remaining 97 units will be set aside for formerly homeless New Yorkers. On-site supportive services, like life skills counseling and employment services, will be available to all tenants. Amenities will include a children’s library and playroom, a fitness center, and three outdoor terraces.
Timbale Terrace, a name that recognizes East Harlem as the birthplace of Afro Latin Jazz, includes Casa Belongo, a 21,000-square-foot community space with a performing arts theater, practice rooms, art gallery spaces, and a cafe/jazz club, and offers music education and dance programs for children and adults.
“When you think about East Harlem, you think about the exceptional art and music that has come out of this community. That did not happen by accident,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday.
“It happened because generations of New Yorkers could afford to live here. Too often we think about art and affordability as if they are two separate concerns, when in fact they are in one and the same,” the mayor added.
This $255 million project is receiving funding through the NYC 15/15 and Extremely Low & Low Income Affordability (ELLA) programs, as well as grants from the Manhattan Borough President, Council Member Yusef Salaam, and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.
The development faced criticism from some local residents who complained about the “over-saturation” of supportive housing in the area, including nearby projects by Lantern Organization.
During Wednesday’s event, Comptroller Mark Levine called the project “one of the two or three most difficult housing fights that we waged” during his tenure as Manhattan Borough President.
“Timbale Terrace is a blueprint for what is possible in addressing our city’s affordability crisis,” Levine said in a later statement.
“From the very beginning, this was a project that centered community voices and aims to deliver a rich cultural and economic boost through the programs it prioritizes, including the Casa Belongó Music and Arts Center. I am proud to see it break ground today, and look forward to its completion in the near future.”
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