400 units will target middle income New Yorkers in recently rezoned areas of West Chelsea and Hudson Yards
New York, Sept. 26 — New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Shaun Donovan and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Chairman Tino Hernandez announced today the designation of teams to develop 400 units of affordable housing on NYCHA properties in West Chelsea and the Hudson Yards. Artimus Construction was announced as the lead developer of new affordable apartments at two sites within the NYCHA-owned Fulton Houses and Elliot-Chelsea Houses, and a joint venture composed of the Atlantic Development Group and the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty was designated as the developer of new mixed-income apartments near NYCHA’s Harborview Terrace on the West Side of Manhattan. These sites will bring in an estimated $20 million in revenue to the Housing Authority, a critical component in preserving public housing in a time of diminishing Federal spending.
In selecting the development teams for the West Side sites, preference was given to developers who proposed the greatest amount of affordability with competitive acquisition prices and the least amount of City subsidies, while maintaining the highest standards in sustainable design and quality of construction.
The construction of these affordable units is part of a commitment to create 4,000 affordable homes through the Hudson Yards and West Chelsea rezonings. The construction will take place on NYCHA-owned property within the complexes of the Fulton Houses on 18th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues, the Elliot-Chelsea Houses on West 25th Street and 9th Avenue in West Chelsea and Harborview Terrace on West 55th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues in Hudson Yards. Two of the three sites are currently parking lots for the Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea complexes. The third site serves as a parking lot and basketball court for the Harborview Terrace. Replacement parking will be provided to serve current residents of the complexes.
“As the City’s population grows, and the need for affordable housing increases, one thing that remains fixed is the supply of available land,” said HPD Commissioner Shaun Donovan. “This is why we have adopted strategies to find new opportunities for development, including underutilized sites owned by city and state agencies. These new properties will provide affordable units for hard working low, moderate, and middle income families in the heart of Manhattan. Teachers, nurses, firefighters, artists and others who make our City prosper and grow will now be able to stay in the City and raise their families.”
“By making underutilized property available, the Housing Authority is continuing to contribute to this unprecedented period of affordable housing development initiated by Mayor Bloomberg,” said NYCHA Chairman Tino Hernandez. “The construction of these affordable units will enhance this vibrant community while also creatively bringing NYCHA much-needed revenue, vital to the preservation of public housing in New York City.”
“In an era where more New Yorkers are struggling to meet the rising cost of housing, we need to take every opportunity we have to make housing more affordable,” said Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “With the majority of these units remaining permanently affordable, we will help more people climb the economic ladder for decades to come. I want to thank the Mayor and Commissioner Donovan for their commitment to keeping New York a middle class city and to Chairman Hernandez for his ongoing dedication to the modernization and preservation of public housing.”
All of the units at the Fulton Houses and Elliott-Chelsea complex will be permanently affordable to families of four earning between $56,700 and $117,000 or to single households earning between $39,700 and $81,900.
“We at Artimus Construction are very pleased to be awarded the Elliot-Chelsea and Fulton Houses sites. We congratulate Mayor Bloomberg, Commissioner Donovan and Chairman Hernandez for having the vision and creativity to find new sites and resources to provide affordable housing for New Yorkers,” said Artimus Construction Vice President Robert Ezrapour.
The winning proposal from Atlantic Development Group, LLC (Atlantic) and Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty (Met Council) will provide a total of 259 units in two buildings for the Harborview Terrace site, including a 113-unit building for seniors with income up to 80% AMI ($39,700 for one person and $45,350 for a two person household); and a 146-unit mixed-income building containing 48 units for households with income between 80% and 165% of AMI ($56,700 to $117,000 for a family of four) and 98 units to be rented at market rates. Met Council will be involved in marketing and managing of the senior building as well as providing supportive services for senior residents.
“We are proud to have been selected to develop the Harborview site,” said Atlantic Development Group co-founder Peter Fine. “Building on our success in creating quality mixed income housing for New Yorkers of various economic levels, Atlantic looks forward to working with HPD and NYCHA to help implement Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan.”
“Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty is privileged and honored to work with City and Atlantic Development to provide affordable senior housing. We feel driven by the great need to provide a safe home for New York City’s elderly. We applaud Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn, Commissioner Donovan and Chairman Hernandez,” said Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty Executive Director and CEO William Rapfogel.
The new rental apartments will contribute to Mayor Bloomberg’s Middle Income Housing Initiative to create up to 22,000 residential units for middle-income New Yorkers. The West Side developments are the product of an ongoing collaboration between HPD and NYCHA, where underutilized NYCHA sites are being identified for the expansion of affordable housing in the City. This initiative plays a key role in the Mayor’s $7.5 billion New Housing Marketplace Plan which will provide housing for 500,000 New Yorkers over ten years and is the largest municipal housing plan in the nation’s history. The City has funded almost 65,000 of the 165,000 affordable units to be built and preserved through the Mayor’s housing initiative.
