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HPD seeks proposals to build affordable housing and community spaces at two publicly owned Boerum Hill sites on Nevins Street and Third Avenue.

April 15, 2024

Nevins and Third is the 14th project to move forward under Mayor Adam’s ‘24 in 24’ effort to create and preserve affordable housing 

NEW YORK – This morning, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) called for developers, property managers, and service providers to submit proposals with their strongest ideas for affordable housing and community amenities on two sites in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. The sites are currently used as small parking lots on opposite ends of a single block. With support from the City, ingenuity of the housing community, as well as input and support from the Boerum Hill neighborhood, the sites will soon serve as permanent homes for New Yorkers.  

 

"We don’t need more parking lots for a handful of private cars on city owned land, but we certainly do need more affordable homes in Boerum Hill. We want to get more people, especially seniors, out of instability and into affordable, safe homes. HPD’s Nevins and Third project will change lives and make an already wonderful neighborhood even better -- it’s a prime example of the power and promise of affordable housing development,” said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrion Jr.   

 

This project isn’t just about the homes built on this specific lot, it’s part of the Administration’s aggressive push to tackle the housing crisis. HPD Commissioner Carrion continued, “We’re going to solve the housing crisis through determination, aggressive building and focus on strengthening neighborhoods in every corner of every borough.”  

 

More specifically, the city's housing agency is seeking distinct proposals for each site: 153 Nevins Street (the “Nevins Site”) for rental housing and 108-114 Third Avenue (the “Third Avenue Site”) for affordable senior housing tailored to the needs of aging New Yorkers. Anticipating approximately 60 homes per site, HPD will select the most promising proposal for each site by 2025. Submissions are now open on the HPD website. 

 

Nevins and Third: The Site Details 

 

The 11,500 square foot Nevins Site is located at the corner of Nevins Street and Wyckoff Street across from the Wyckoff Gardens NYCHA campus. It also borders the Boerum Hill Historic District to the west.

 

The 7,200 square foot Third Avenue Site is an “L”-shaped lot that fronts both Third Avenue and Wyckoff Street. Both sites were rezoned from a manufacturing district to a medium-density residential district in 2022.   

 

The two sites were originally under a long-term lease with a private entity for off-street parking. Under the 280 Bergen Rezoning, passed by the City Council in 2022, the leases were negotiated to end early, and the sites released back to the City to be redeveloped for future affordable housing opportunities.   

 

“There’s an affordability crisis in our City, and I was clear from day one that the rezoning at 280 Bergen must generate the deeply affordable housing our communities desperately need,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler. “Thanks to the engagement and advocacy of our community, we secured control of two nearby parking lots that will be transformed into truly affordable housing that families and seniors can actually afford, as well as a grocery store that brings high quality, low cost produce to our community.”  

 

Following redistricting, the sites are now represented by Council Member Shahana Hanif, who said, “At a time when vacancy rates are at the lowest they have been in decades, we need to turn to creative solutions to address our affordable housing crisis. I’m thrilled to support HPD’s innovative effort to transform city-owned, underutilized land into much-needed affordable housing. Sites like 153 Nevins Street and 108-114 Third Avenue, earmarked for rental and senior housing respectively, are poised to make an impact on our community and contribute meaningfully to the City’s 24 in 24 plan, a collective commitment to creating and preserving over 12,000 units of housing on city-owned land. I’m proud to support this initiative to invest in critical affordable housing that ensures all New Yorkers have access to dignified, affordable homes and can live in vibrant, inclusive communities."  

 

The sites are in Brooklyn Community District 2 but are across the street from Community District 6. As a result, both community boards were engaged equally during the community visioning process. After a proposal or proposals are selected, HPD and the development team(s) will continue to provide regular updates to both community boards as the selected plans make their way through the city’s public approvals process. Once the plans receive final approval through the New York City Council, they will move forward to financing and construction. Near the end of construction, many of the new homes will be available to income qualifying households through the city’s Housing Connect lotteries portal in addition to those set aside for households exiting the city’s shelter system. New Yorkers may continue to stay up to date and engaged with the process by following the progress of the site on the HPD website and on social media @NYCHousing across platforms.    

 

“Brooklyn and all of New York State are in the thick of a housing crisis that we need to build our way out of urgently and intentionally,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I’m grateful to HPD for continuing to pursue affordable housing and community amenities in Boerum Hill, especially for our older adults seeking to age in place and continue to enjoy our borough to the fullest. City-owned land should always be dedicated to the public good, and converting a parking lot for private cars into stable, accessible housing for neighbors is precisely the work we need to do as we work to end the housing crisis rapidly destabilizing our communities.” 

  

The deadline for submissions to the RFP is July 19th, 2024. For more information on the Nevins and Third RFP, visit the HPD website.      

 

Before the RFP: Community Engagement  

 

The competitive process to select new plans for the sites follows months of community engagement in Boerum Hill led by HPD’s Office of Neighborhood Strategies. Through a public open house, community board meetings, tabling events, and a public questionnaire, and in partnership with Community Board 2, Community Board 6, the Boerum Hill Association, and the Wyckoff Gardens, Warren Street and Gowanus Houses NYCHA tenant associations, HPD staff produced the Nevins and Third Community Visioning Report summarizing the community’s input. The report is attached to the Nevins and Third RFP and development teams are strongly encouraged to consult the report in preparing their submissions. Respondents may submit a submission for one site, or two separate submissions for each of the Nevins and Third Avenue sites. RFP submissions will be evaluated based on the quality and feasibility of the proposals in addition to how well they respond to the community vision.   

 

Over 200 members of the public responded to the questionnaire, answering questions about housing issues in the area, what types of housing should be built on these sites, and potential ground floor usage for broader community needs. While participants shared many different visions for the sites, certain themes emerged as priorities.    

 

Respondents identified housing costs as a barrier to enter and stay in the neighborhood for low- and moderate-income households, from single people, to families, to seniors. They expressed great interest in deeply affordable housing for people with disabilities and those facing housing insecurity including seniors. There was support to maximize the number of people housed on these sites.  

 

Respondents expressed interest in a variety of preferred ground-floor uses of the two future buildings. Affordable childcare was the most popular use, followed by pharmacy or general store, and community center. Respondents felt that ground floor uses should serve the needs of the broader community, including neighboring NYCHA residents, and be an opportunity to build community in the neighborhood.  

Residents participate in a public open house at the Wyckoff Gardens Community Center and give input reflected in the Community Visioning Report for developer reference. (Credit: NYC Housing Preservation and Development)   

24 in 24: Creating Homes Across the Boroughs   
The Nevins and Third project is one of 24 public site projects that make up 24 in 24, an initiative of Mayor Adams. Through the 24 in 24 plan, the Adams administration aims to create and preserve over 12,000 units of housing through partnerships across HPD, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).     

In recent weeks, HPD has unveiled the following initiatives aimed at expanding affordable housing for New Yorkers:   

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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. 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.