For Immediate Release: July 24, 2017

HPD ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR OVER 400 UNITS OF HOMEOWNERSHIP AND RENTAL OPPORTUNITIES ON 67 SMALL VACANT CITY-OWNED LOTS IN BROOKLYN, MANHATTAN, AND THE BRONX

Delivering on promises to put small underused lots of land throughout New York City to productive use as affordable housing

New York, NY - New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer today announced the selection of development teams to build 100 percent affordable housing on seven clusters of vacant City-owned land. The teams will lead the construction of over 400 affordable housing units, with a mix of rental apartments and homeownership opportunities. The developments will be financed through HPD’s New Infill Homeownership Opportunities Program (NIHOP) and the Neighborhood Construction Program (NCP).

“We are putting City land to use as we continue to focus on affordability and equal access for all New Yorkers,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “These 400 homes, for homeowners and tenants alike, will bring stability to working families, these communities and the city as a whole.”

“One of the key drivers of the housing plan is the creative use of public land, which is in increasingly short supply,” said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “Through new programs, HPD is looking to unlock the development of its remaining small sites scattered across the city’s neighborhoods. Today, we are thrilled to announce the designation of seven development teams, including six non-profit developers and two M/WBEs to create more than 400 affordable rental and homeownership opportunities in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan. I congratulate MHANY, Bronx Pro, East Brooklyn Congregations, Lemor Realty and Iris Development, JMR and Alembic Community Development, Fifth Avenue Committee and Habitat for Humanity, and Shelter Rock Builders on their designation and thank them for their commitment to developing quality affordable housing that will strengthen our neighborhoods.”

This announcement delivers on the commitments of the Mayor’s Housing New York plan to maximize resources and encourage neighborhood focused development, including commitments made to the Brownsville and East New York communities to increase city investment and improve the quality of life for residents.

These programs were designed to encourage the capacity development among smaller developers with a particular focus on local non-profits. Development teams in the first two rounds of designations include eight non-profit community based organizations. The third and final round of designations for the NIHOP and NCP RFQ will be announced in Fall 2017.

The sites in this second round are located in the Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and East New York sections of Brooklyn; the Fordham and Melrose sections of the Bronx; and the Central Harlem section of Manhattan.

Planned developments:

Bedford-Stuyvesant Central & North Cluster: These 21 vacant lots will be developed into three two-family homes, 10 three-family homes, and four condominium buildings with a combined total of 74 affordable housing units in Brooklyn Community Districts 8 and 3. The buildings will be constructed by a development team led by Shelter Rock Builders, LLC.

Brownsville North & South Cluster: These 13 vacant lots will be developed into three rental buildings and seven co-operative buildings with a combined total of 59 affordable housing units in Brooklyn Community Districts 16 and 17. The buildings will be constructed by a development team lead by the Fifth Avenue Committee and Habitat for Humanity.

Brownsville South Cluster: These four vacant lots will be developed into three rental buildings with a total of 40 affordable rental units in Brooklyn Community District 16. The buildings will be constructed by a development team led by JMR Residential Development and Alembic Community Development.

Central Harlem 1 & 2 Cluster: These 11 vacant lots will be developed into four rental buildings and seven co-operative buildings with a combined total of 108 affordable housing units in Manhattan Community District 10. The development team will be led by Lemor Realty and Iris Development.

East New York North Cluster: These six vacant lots will be developed into three rental buildings with a total of 41 affordable apartments in Brooklyn Community District 5. The development team will be led by East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC).

Fordham-Belmont Cluster: This vacant site will be developed into a 44-unit affordable rental building in Bronx Community District 6. The development team will be led by Bronx Pro Group, LLC.

Melrose Cluster: These 11 lots will be developed into 11 condominium buildings with a total of 68 affordable homeownership units in Bronx Community Districts 1, 2 and 3. The development team will be led by MHANY Management.

“The lots being developed in the 36th District through the City’s NIHOP/NCP program are small and difficult to develop,” said Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. “Many lots in my district were subject to consideration for this kind of development, and striking a balance between preserving open and green space for my constituents and creating more affordable housing was a delicate process. I am glad we were able to preserve community gardens for my constituents and, at the same time, HPD was able to find a way to make workable projects of these particular lots. I commend the Mayor, Commissioner Torres-Springer, and the entire team at HPD for figuring out how to utilize these sites and bring much-needed affordable housing to my district.”

“We must continue to preserve and build precious affordable housing; especially at affordability levels that will keep people in their communities,” said NYC Council Member Rafael Espinal. “Each day families are feeling squeezed by NYC's economic pressures and are having to make tough decisions. Since the East New York rezoning, I am happy to see that no market rate development has come into our community and I applaud the de Blasio administration on this new announcement, as well as, its consistent focus on building affordable housing.”

“I’m pleased to see HPD partner with MHANY to build 11 condo buildings that will create a total of 68 affordable homes for working class families in our community,” said Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Jr. “The creation of opportunities for working families to purchase homes is another example of how we’re building a better South Bronx that reflects the needs of the its people, many who have been here for decades – good and bad – and want to invest in their community. It’s a great thing.”

“This project is a win for my District, turning vacant land into affordable homes for residents with a range of incomes,” said Council Member Ritchie Torres. “HPD’s efforts to build affordable homes on vacant land both revitalizes neighborhoods with empty lots and increases the local stock of affordable housing. I am looking forward to the construction on these lots and the new homes they will provide.”

“Shelter Rock Builders is proud to be awarded the recipient of the HPD Bed Stuy Central and North NIHOP initiative,” said Benjamin Shavolian, Shelter Rock Builders. “We are honored to participate in the continuing revitalization of the Bed Stuy neighborhood by providing for sale affordable homes for hardworking NYC residents who are first time home buyers. We will be working with Gerald Caliendo Architects. I want to thank HPD for their leadership and assistance in helping us meet the affordable housing needs of Bed Stuy and the City of New York.”

“Fifth Avenue Committee looks forward to working with Habitat for Humanity, HPD, Brooklyn Community Boards 16 and 17, Big Dreams Foundation and Brownsville based nonprofit agencies to build these much needed Cooperative and rental apartments. Given the challenges of a very low homeownership rate (16% in 2015), a high foreclosure rate (3rd highest rate of foreclosure notices in the city), and the highest mortgage to home value rate in the city, we are particularly excited to work with Habitat to create much needed homeownership opportunities that will be affordable to neighborhood residents. We are also excited to create new much needed community facility spaces that will build on the strength of the nonprofit community in Brownsville. These apartments and community facility spaces will be located in 10 4-story buildings – replacing currently vacant lots and designed to include elements consistent with the other buildings on the block. We believe, with our partners, this can be an important effort to bring much needed additional investment into this long-neglected community and be part of a neighborhood-based redevelopment effort that can improve the housing without promoting gentrification,” said Jay Marcus, Director of Housing Development, Fifth Avenue Committee.

“We are thrilled to have the chance to collaborate with New York City and HPD,” said Richard Greenspan, JMR Residential Development. “The Brownsville South Project, made possible with HPD’s Neighborhood Construction Program (NCP), is an important investment in local and neighborhood focused development.”

Wendy Hoffman at Iris Development said, “As a Harlem-based partnership, we are thrilled to partner with HPD to provide creative, high quality and sustainable housing to the local community. Through the Central Harlem NCP-NIHOP sites we are proud to continue our commitment to deliver affordable home ownership and rental housing opportunities where they are needed most.”

“For 38 years, we’ve been building and re-building neighborhoods throughout New York City. East Brooklyn Congregations and Metro IAF leaders have regenerated -- not gentrified -- Brownsville, East New York, Bed Stuy and the South Bronx through 5,471 Nehemiah homes and apartments, 6 new schools and safer streets. Today we are proud to partner with The Marcal Group, MLappin & Associates and the City to continue this regeneration of East New York," said Reverend Brawley, co-chair of East Brooklyn Congregations and lead pastor of St. Paul Community Baptist Church.

Mark Caller, principal of the Marcal Group said, “We're pleased to be working with the City and our partners, EBC and MLappin & Associates to revitalize East New York.”

“We’re thrilled to once again work with HPD, East Brooklyn Churches and the Marcal Group to build another 42 units of much needed affordable housing in East New York,” commented Mike Lappin of MLappin & Associates LLC.

“Bronx Pro is excited for the opportunity to keep developing beautiful affordable housing in the Bronx,” said Peter Magistro, founder of Bronx Pro Group. “The Cyrus House is reflective of our core values to build inclusive and green homes that create opportunity and transform communities.”

“MHANY Management Inc. is looking forward to creating affordable homeownership opportunities in the Melrose neighborhood of the Bronx. MHANY’s ability to develop the housing with HPD as a partner, identify and prepare moderate income families for homeownership and connect these prospective homebuyers to safe mortgage products with partner banks is a real opportunity to support inclusive and mixed income redevelopment of the Bronx,” said Ismene Speliotis, executive director of MHANY Management Inc.

In December 2014, HPD released the NIHOP and NCP RFQ for the development of homeownership and rental opportunities through small homes and coops/condos (NIHOP) and mid-sized rental buildings (NCP) on city-owned infill parcels. HPD received a significant number of submissions for 23 clusters of over 170 tax lots in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. In March 2017, HPD announced development plans for the first five clusters, which include nine rental buildings with a combined total of 182 units of affordable housing.

To learn more about NIHOP, NCP, and other development programs, please visit HPD’s Development Programs webpage.
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The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the nation’s largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. Its mission is to promote quality housing and diverse, thriving neighborhoods for New Yorkers through loan and development programs for new affordable housing, preservation of the affordability of the existing housing stock, enforcement of housing quality standards and educational programs for tenants and building owners. HPD is tasked with fulfilling Mayor de Blasio’s Housing New York: A Five-Borough Ten-Year Plan to create and preserve 200,000 affordable units for New Yorkers at the very lowest incomes to those in the middle class. For more information visit www.nyc.gov/hpd and for regular updates on HPD news and services, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @NYCHousing.