As the New York City Housing Authority struggles to develop its underutilized properties across the five boroughs, YIMBY revisited Prospect Plaza in Ocean Hill, Brooklyn, where the city tore down an entire public housing project two years ago. Now, construction is wrapping up on the second phase of affordable rental buildings that replaced the 12- and 15-story towers.
Back in 2013, the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC) and Blumenfeld Development Group signed an agreement to build a 160,000-square-foot retail complex accompanied by a 550-space parking garage across two vacant lots in downtown Jamaica, specifically at 90-01 168th Street and 90-02 168th Street. Then early last year, the developers said they would build an additional 105,000 square feet of retail space and an affordable residential building. DNAinfo now reports the 2013 deal has terminated, effectively halting any plans for the sites. At this point, the GJDC plans to release a new and updated Request for Proposals (RFP), that will more than likely include affordable housing, for both properties later this spring. Both lots are currently being used for surface parking.
Another vacant, city-owned lot in the South Bronx is about to sprout affordable housing. The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development filed plans to build a 12-story rental building at 443 East 162nd Street in Melrose, where activists have spent decades fighting for city services and housing that locals could afford.
In June of 2015, YIMBY revealed renderings of the winning proposal that would bring two mixed-use towers to Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, located in southern Brooklyn Heights. The project consists of a 29-story, 192-unit market-rate condominium building with 3,870 square feet of retail and a shorter, 14-story counterpart with 117 affordable and 30 market-rate rental apartments, a preschool, 930 square feet of retail, and a 1,500 square-foot community facility. Curbed NY now reports the project is on hold following relentless community opposition. The Empire State Development Corporation is not approving the project until the city can come to an agreement with the community on it. The city selected RAL Development and Oliver Realty to develop the two vacant sites, with ODA New York as the design architect. Construction was scheduled to begin this spring.
The West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing is proposing to demolish three city-owned parking garages at 151 West 108th, 143 West 108th, and 103 West 108th Street, and the five-story Valley Lodge 92-bed homeless shelter at 149 West 108th Street, on the Upper West Side. According to DNAinfo, the nonprofit is planning to build a new facility with a 110-bed homeless shelter and at least 280 residential units in two separate buildings. All of the apartments would be rented at below market-rates to a mix of seniors, singles, and families. The plans will be taken through the city’s Urban Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) so larger buildings can be built, possibly generating an additional 90 residential units in the process. The nonprofit will also build a public bathroom at the adjacent Anibal Aviles Playground. Construction is expected to begin in 2017 and be completed in 2019.
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