Phase II
Dec. 5, 2013 By Christian Murray
Two residential towers are going to be constructed as part of phase II of the Hunters Point South development.
TF Cornerstone and Selfhelp will be the development team and they will construct 1,193 apartments—of which about 800 will be affordable and the remainder market rate, according to the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development
TF Cornerstone was one of the three finalists vying for the project, said Kate Gilmore, a housing fellow at HPD, last month. Gilmore, at the time, said that HPD was interested in the TF Cornerstone’s proposal since it provided affordable housing for seniors.
Out of the nearly 800-odd affordable units, 100 will be reserved for low-income seniors, leaving roughly 700 for middle-income residents, making anywhere from 105% to 155% of median income in the area. Those income brackets translate into a family of four making between $111,670 and $141,735 annually.
“We are excited to be working with TF Cornerstone and Selfhelp to build this next phase of the largest affordable housing development undertaken since the 1970s,” said HPD Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas in a statement. “From our most vulnerable populations to those in our middle-class, the challenges of finding an affordable home and the cost of living with rent burden are experiences that many New Yorkers share.”
Out of the 1,193 units, there will be 80 3-bedroom apartments.
State Sen. Mike Gianaris said that he pushed hard to get the developer to increase the number of 3 brm units following feedback from the Long Island City community.
“The community has been telling us that they need more 3 bedroom apartments, since young families often find their one or two bedroom apartments too small when they have children,” Gianaris said. “Many end up moving.”
He said that the initial proposal called for 66 3-bedroom units, which he helped increase to 80.
Phase II is part of the overall Hunter’s Point South development, which will eventually contain 5,000 units, with a minimum of 60% of them reserved for affordable housing, according to the city.
The first phase of the project is already 33% complete, which is comprised of two towers containing a total of 925 affordable units . The developer, the Related Companies, will be soliciting applications for these affordable units some time during the first-quarter of 2014.
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6 Comments
And just what do they consider affordable for seniors …………..
I am all for middle-income housing.
My only challenge is why aren’t the income levels reviewed (maybe every 5 years or so), so if your family is making a lot more money, say you change professions, why should you still get subsidized housing?
Hopefully they honer their promise and stay within this income range so that it is housing for the middle class. These income thresholds are easily met by a family with two working adults.
Either way, you’re too poor to be rich and too rich to be poor or qualify for this affordable housing.
By your definition, perhaps.
So by definition, 400 units will be unaffordable.