The Northeastern Tower Annex. Image Credit: HPD
The building provides much needed affordable housing for seniors. On July 21, 2021, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), other City and elected officials, community leaders and others participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Northeastern Towers Annex at 161-11 132nd Avenue in Jamaica, Queens. Northeastern Towers Annex is a 159 affordable-unit development for seniors. (more…)
Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image credit: CityLand
$466 million moved back into the 2021 Fiscal Year’s capital budget. On October 22, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the acceleration of capital funding within the City’s affordable housing plan by shifting $466 million to the current fiscal year’s capital budget to address urgent affordable housing needs. In March, the City moved $466 million from the Department of Housing Preservation and Developments Fiscal Year 2021 budget to the Fiscal Years 2022 through 2024. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to support the ongoing recovery efforts, the Department moved these funds back to Fiscal Year 2021. After this shift, the City would have invested $1.4 billion in affordable housing this year. This funding acceleration keeps the Housing New York project on track to create and preserve 300,000 affordable homes by 2026. (more…)
Renderings of the new co-op buildings that will be part of the Soundview campus. Image Credit: NYCHA
Seventy-two co-op units will be available for purchase. On October 2, 2020, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced that Lemle & Wolff Companies and Avante Contracting Corp will develop a 100 percent affordable homeownership housing development at NYCHA’s Soundview campus in the Bronx. The buildings will be located across the street to the north of Soundview Park along Lacombe Avenue at the cross street of Lacombe and Rosedale Avenue. (more…)
Mayor Bill de Blasio at his August 5 Press Conference Image Credit: Mayor’s Press Office
Mayor’s affordable housing announcement appears more retrospective than optimistic. On August 5, 2020, The Mayor’s Press Office released a statement touting the amount of affordable housing created in fiscal year 2020. The announcement states that the City preserved 23,520 homes and constructed 6,503 new units, totaling 30,023 affordable City financed homes. More than 50 percent of these homes serve families earning less than $52,000 and 3,600 people received voucher increases to ameliorate income lost from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rendering of Kreischer House with the proposed buildings in the background. Under the modified plan, the Kreischer House is the prominent structure on the knoll./Image Credit: Victorio Associates Architect and LPC
The modified design increased the visibility of the Kreischer Mansion on the site. On May 8, 2020, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for three actions to facilitate the development of a new senior housing complex, comprising of eleven buildings, surrounding the Kreischer House. The Kreischer House, a two and a half story Victorian-era mansion, and a portion of the land it sits on is a landmarked site in Charleston, Staten Island. The site of the new senior housing development includes the landmarked site. The approval followed a modification to the original proposed design.
