March 6, 2020

Press Office: hpdmedia@hpd.nyc.gov

HPD calls for developers to submit plans to build 100 percent affordable housing in Brooklyn and the Bronx

NEW YORK, NY – The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for plans to develop affordable housing for seniors on two NYCHA-owned sites in the Bronx and Brooklyn. This RFP is part of the City’s Seniors First initiative, a three-pronged strategy to serve 30,000 seniors by 2026 by helping seniors age in place, as well as creating and preserving affordable housing.

“No one should be priced out of their community in their retirement years, which is why we’re thrilled to move forward with this opportunity to transform City-owned land into 100 percent affordable housing for seniors,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll.  “I thank my team at HPD for their diligent work to create more affordable homes for our city’s seniors, and I look forward to reviewing these proposals when they come in.”

“We are honored to partner with the Department of Housing and Preservation Development around meeting the affordable housing needs of older New Yorkers,” said NYCHA Chairman & CEO Greg Russ. “A significant number of our residents are people who have lived in public housing for generations, and the opportunity to leverage underutilized NYCHA land to help more senior citizens is an urgent goal we are happy to lend the Authority’s resources to.”   

"With the population of low-income seniors increasing exponentially in our city, we need innovative solutions on all levels of government to address the need for stable, secure, affordable housing for these vulnerable New Yorkers," said Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn), Chair of the Assembly Housing Committee. "Utilizing currently underused NYCHA-owned sites to create affordable housing for seniors is one way to ensure that our older residents have decent housing in communities in which they can remain vital, active and comfortable."  

"With hundreds of thousands of seniors languishing on housing waiting lists upwards of ten years, it's clear our City must take act boldly on its commitment to creating and preserving low-income senior housing. The Seniors First initiative will put us on the right track to address this need, and I am excited to this process move forward," said Council Member Margaret Chin.

“I applaud HPD and the Administration for their commitment to develop affordable housing. Seniors are one of our most vulnerable populations as their incomes are fixed.  Preservation and creation of units for our senior communities is extremely important as we look to tap into NYCHA underutilized space,“ said Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel.

Site 1: Bronx - Morris Houses

The City is seeking proposals for 150-200 affordable senior homes to be built at the 24,000 square foot site located at the corner of St. Paul’s Place and Park Avenue in the Morrisania section of the Bronx.

Site 2: Brooklyn - Kingsborough Houses

The City is seeking proposals for 150-200 affordable homes for seniors on 25,000 square foot site in at Bergen Street between Buffalo and Ralph Avenues in Crown Heights.

Selected proposals are expected to be financed through HPD’s Senior Affordable Rental Apartments (SARA) program and HDC’s Extremely Low and Low-Income Affordability (ELLA) program.

The deadline for submissions to the RFP is June 2, 2020. Respondents may submit proposals for one or both sites. For more information on the Seniors First Kingsborough and Morris Houses RFP, visit the HPD website.

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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 2.0 plan for a total of 300,000 affordable homes by 2026.  For full details visit www.nyc.gov/hpd and for regular updates on HPD news and services, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @NYCHousing.