November 20, 2020

Press Office: hpdmedia@Hpd.nyc.gov

The community-driven plan fights displacement and builds new affordable housing that promotes health and local wealth-building

Bed-Stuy to host first pair of projects featuring the city’s new equitable ownership requirement for M/WBE or non-profit ownership stake in city projects on public land

NEW YORK, NY – Today, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) released the Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing Plan to advance a health-centered vision for new affordable housing and protect local homeowners and tenants against displacement. As part of the plan, the City is issuing the new Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Wealth and Wellness Request for Proposals (RFPs)​ for two local projects that will propel approximately 280 affordable homes and pair new affordable housing with community health and wellness facilities.  

Additionally, the two Bed-Stuy projects will introduce the City’s new equitable ownership requirement to strengthen the role of Minority-and-Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) and non-profits on affordable housing projects developed on City-owned sites. Under this new requirement, at least 25 percent of the project’s managing ownership interests must be held by a M/WBE or non-profit development partner, entitling it to at least 25 percent of the total economic benefits of the project, net of any tax credit limited partner interests.  

“This housing plan builds on Bed-Stuy’s rich history at the forefront of the community development movement with local leaders and residents working together to protect their neighborhood from the forces of racism and economic instability,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll. “Developed through an inclusive, community-driven process, the plan reflects priorities of the Bed-Stuy community, including creating affordable housing, protecting residents from displacement, and promoting equitable ownership among M/WBE and nonprofit developers.” 

“The Bed-Stuy Housing Plan memorializes the work of local organizers that has been happening in this neighborhood for decades. I am thrilled to see a plan that directly supports tenants with resources to keep them stably housed, reduces housing speculation, and enhances education and outreach. The health centered vision of this plan could not have come at a better time,” said Ricardo Martínez Campos Deputy Director, Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. 

“We are more conscious than ever of the relationship between stable housing and the health of New Yorkers, and I commend Commissioner Carroll and the staff at HPD for developing this new initiative to fight displacement, while promoting the wellbeing of residents of the Bedford-Stuyvesant community,” said Brian Kavanagh, Chair of the State Senate Housing Committee. “The addition of 280 affordable homes, combined with access to local health and wellness facilities, should serve as a model comprehensive approach to the affordable housing and public health crises that disproportionately impact communities of color. Of course, there is much more that needs to be done; I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues at all levels of government toward the goal of ensuring that all New Yorkers have a stable, affordable, safe, and healthy place to live.” 

“It is no secret that successful affordable housing development provides stability for homeowners and tenants and enhances the community overall in terms of economic growth and neighborhood pride,” said Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, Chair of the Assembly’s Housing Committee. “The Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing Plan will take things a step further by also providing wellness resources to help homeowners and tenants live long and healthy lives — not simply a community, but a caring community.”

"The focus of the Bedford Stuyvesant Housing Plan is necessary for the residents of New York city. We as a body of policy and law makers must address the cyclical inequalties that continue to plague our residents. Affordable housing is the beginning. Home ownership that leads to generational wealth is the end goal" said Assembly Member Latrice Walker.

“If you don’t plan for success, you plan for failure. The Bed-Stuy Housing Initiative is an example of successful planning. Bed-Stuy faces a deluge of displacement, with longtime renters and owners being forced out by new economic forces,” said NYC Council Housing Chair Robert Cornegy. Fighting housing speculation and related illegal activities takes a combined effort of local residents and leadership by City Hall. That is exactly what the Bed-Stuy Housing Initiative does, creating new affordable rental opportunities and supporting owners in financial distress. I am proud to join these efforts, and will continue to find ways for residents to have a say in the future of our neighborhood."

“At a time when budgets are uncertain, yet need is highest, I am very happy to see HPD moving forward with a holistic approach to housing in my district. These proposals go beyond just affordable apartments and speak to the need for wellness, home ownership and M/WBE contracting opportunities in our communities,” said State Senator Velmanette Montgomery. 

“I am very happy for the long-awaited release of the Bedford Stuyvesant Plan. Housing strengthens the capacity and wider sustainability of communities,” said NYC Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel. “Ensuring that there is a supply of affordable housing accessible to low- and median-income households is key. I applaud the administration for prioritizing our families and ensuring their legacy and ability to build in the communities that they live in and love.” 

The Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing Plan 

The Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing Plan builds on the pioneering neighborhood preservation success of local organizers in the 1960s and advances a series of strategies focused on homeowner and tenant displacement. The plan will also help ensure City programs, public services, and community resources are coordinated and aligned with the neighborhood's unique challenges. The goals of the plan are to: 

• Support tenants and owners struggling with rising housing costs and financial hardship. In partnership with other city agencies and CBOs, HPD will support homeowners' and tenants' financial well-being with financial assistance and direct support around foreclosure prevention. Through initiatives like a new Homeowner Help Desk and Owner Resource Center, the City will connect residents to wealth-building tools, capacity-building training, and other foreclosure prevention assistance.  
• Reduce housing speculation and illegal housing-related activities. Bed-Stuy is a hotspot for illegal Airbnb activity and deed theft that targets seniors, and local homeowners also report repeat harassment and solicitation to sell properties below market value. The City will counter harmful real-estate practices by connecting more homeowners to resources and counseling around estate planning, educating the community about illegal short-term rentals, and supporting community efforts to implement a neighborhood "cease-and-desist zone." 
• Improve housing conditions and promote better housing quality. Safe and secure housing is fundamental to a healthy life and poor housing conditions can lead to the underlying health conditions that disproportionately affect communities of color. Nearly two-thirds of all homes in Bed-Stuy are more than 70 years old. In this plan, both HPD and NYCHA will implement service improvements for hundreds of public housing residents and provide new financing resources, technical assistance, and enforcement tools to improve housing management and housing quality for both homeowners and tenants.  Through the PACT program, NYCHA has made steady progress making comprehensive repairs and upgrades, including new windows, heating systems, kitchens, and bathrooms, to approximately 700 apartments across 10 developments.  
• Enhance education outreach and information-sharing with homeowners and tenants. Working closely with homeowner and tenant associations, housing nonprofits, local businesses and community organizations, the City will develop better public engagement and information sharing around various community partners’ housing support services and educate residents about their legal rights, property requirements, violations, and fines. To start, HPD plans to host tenant resource clinics and develop a Bed-Stuy homeowner’s guide. For residents, education and outreach will center on the recent expansion of tenant's rights. 
• Create new affordable rental and homeownership opportunities on vacant land. The City is advancing community-driven strategies for new affordable housing opportunities on local City-owned sites. The first two projects developed through the Community Wealth and Wellness Request for Proposals (RFPs) will reflect the community’s desire for housing investments to enhance affordability, promote community wealth and financial well-being, foster opportunities for minority- and women-owned business enterprise (M/WBEs) and other emerging developers while uplifting the neighborhood’s cultural history.  

Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Wealth and Wellness RFP  

In addition to featuring the new equitable ownership requirement, the Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Wealth and Wellness RFP will propel the creation of 280 new affordable apartments on two neighborhood sites on Fulton Street and include homeownership opportunities and homes for seniors. In developing the plan, local residents also highlighted the relationship between the city’s built environment and health outcomes. They expressed that educational facilities and more places to buy healthy food and exercise can improve neighborhood health. The first two sites' development plans must encourage a hub of uses, programming, and building design that promote community wellness through healthy eating, living, physical exercise, and holistic healing. Sites may incorporate but are not limited to multi-purpose community centers.

The Bed-Stuy plan also prioritizes the creation of 825 new affordable homes in the next few years. Of which, 400 apartments are currently being constructed on projects at 1618 Fulton Street, 645 Gates Avenue, and 1921 Atlantic Avenue, bringing a new grocery store, medical services and other neighborhood amenities. In addition to serving low-income and formerly homeless households, 1921 Atlantic Avenue is the first City-owned site to be developed through an exclusive M/WBE RFP. The two M/WBE firms, Dabar Development Partners and Thorobird Companies, were brought together through HPD’s M/WBE Building Opportunity Initiative. 

The plan also reflects the vision of the City’s Where We Live NYC fair housing plan to build more integrated, equitable, and inclusive neighborhoods. Where We Live NYC calls for city investments to address neighborhood disparities and break down barriers to opportunities. Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, has a widening racial wealth gap driven by rising housing costs, rapid demographic changes, real estate speculation and fraud. Black homebuyers in Bed-Stuy continue to be targeted disproportionately by illegal and predatory housing activities. The Bed-Stuy Housing Plan seeks to foster critical access to estate planning, housing, financial counseling and assistance, legal services, and raise awareness about abusive housing practices. 

History of Bedford-Stuyvesant 

Bed-Stuy is home to one of the largest historically Black communities in the U.S and is a beacon of African American history and culture. As the birthplace of the first Community Development Corporation, Bed-Stuy led a national movement for housing justice, social welfare and urban revitalization. For generations, neighborhood stability has been challenged by harmful real estate practices, capital flight, disinvestment and discrimination that have driven economic and social disparities. 

To read more about the housing plan and RFP, please visit nyc.gov/bedstuy.