Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image Credit: New York City Mayoral Photography Office

New laws focusing on vacant land throughout the City aims at identifying and reporting lots and buildings that could be used for affordable housing. On January 8, 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed two bills into laws that focus on how vacant land, both public and private, across the city could be used to further accelerate the production of affordable housing. The new laws will advance the Mayor’s Housing New York 2.0 plan to build 300,000 affordable homes in the City. The new laws will require the City and Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) to conduct a census-like report on vacant property throughout the City. (more…)

Project Rendering. Image Credit: CPC.

Two mixed-use buildings, containing 425 affordable residential units for families and seniors, will be developed in Soundview, Bronx. On October 18, 2017, the City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on an application for a zoning map and text amendment by the Park Lane Residence Company. This application will facilitate the development of two mixed-use buildings with 425 affordable housing units in Soundview, Bronx. The project area is bounded by Turnbull Avenue to the north, Lafayette Avenue to the south, Pugsley Avenue to the east, and White Plains Road to the west. (more…)

Current View of 1675 Westchester Avenue. Image Credit: Google Maps

The City Planning Commission approved the development of a new 13-story building in Bronx River with 220 affordable housing units and retail space. On August 23, 2017, the New York City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on an application from the 1675 JV Associates, LLC for a zoning map and text amendment. The zoning map amendment will change the current residential district (R6) into a mixed-use district (R8A/C2-4), and the text amendment will establish a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area on the project site.

The site is currently home to a vacant one-story building, which the borough president described as a “community liability.” The rezoning will permit the development of a new, 13-story building with 220 housing units, 7,570 square feet of retail space, and 6,845 square feet of community facility space. The new building’s residents will enjoy a fitness center, a community room, a computer room, a children’s play room adjacent to a laundry room, an exterior terrace, a garden, and a 24-hour doorman and cameras for security. All 220 units will be affordable—available to households with an Average Median Income ranging from 30% to 100%. While the applicant intends to maintain all units as affordable, the proposed zoning text amendment would ensure that at least 30% of the units (66 units) will be permanently affordable under Option 2 for Mandatory Inclusionary Housing.
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Mayor and non-profit community development financial institution announce new program to help religious non-profits build affordable housing. On August 23, 2017, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation NYC, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Mayor’s Office announced the launch of a new initiative to aid non-profits in the construction of new affordable housing. The initiative, called the New York Land Opportunity Program, is a joint venture with the goal of helping faith-based institutions with limited real estate experience based in Manhattan, Bronx and Queens. (more…)

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer. Image credit: Office of the New York City Comptroller

Comptroller audit finds that HPD’s controls to ensure that housing incentives were rewarded to qualified applicants were largely effective. On June 27, 2017, the Office of the city Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of an audit of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The audit sought to evaluate whether HPD had adequate controls to ensure that its housing incentive projects were properly awarded to property owners and developers that qualified for the program, had the ability to create or preserve the required affordable units and had a satisfactory record of performance to assure the business’ integrity.   (more…)