NEW YORK | Wyckoff Gardens AND Holmes Expansion | FT | FLOORS (3 Towers)

[chris08876]

NYCHA Plans New Affordable Units in Boerum Hill and Upper East Side

A proposal from the New York City Housing Authority could bring more than 1,000 market-rate and affordable units to two housing projects in Manhattan and Brooklyn, officials said.

NYCHA seeks to construct new developments on underutilized land in Boerum Hill's Wyckoff Gardens and the Upper East Side's Holmes Towers under its NextGen Neighborhoods program, a 10-year strategic plan that seeks to boost the city agency's operating deficit and provide funds for capital needs.

The new units would be 50 percent market-rate and 50 percent affordable with a portion of the revenue used for repairs and improvement projects within the NYCHA developments.

The remaining funds would be used for other operating costs within the system. NYCHA could not immediately provide a cost or revenue estimate for the proposals.

For Wyckoff Gardens, NYCHA is proposing to replace two unused parking lots with two buildings that would host 550 to 650 units.

The Boerum Hill low-income housing development, bound by Third Avenue, Wyckoff, Baltic and Nevins streets, currently has three buildings with almost 530 units.

For Holmes Towers in the Upper East Side, NYCHA is seeking to replace and move a playground and construct a building with 350 to 400 units.

The Towers, which already include two buildings with nearly 540 units, is located on First Avenue between 92nd and 96th streets.

The income for affordable housing would be capped at a minimum of 60 percent of the area media income but there may be scope for deeper affordability as the process continues, spokeswoman Jackie Primeau said.

But most of the details of the proposals, including the percentage of revenue that will be used for capital needs in Wyckoff and Holmes, will be dependent upon community input from residents.

Wyckoff and Holmes were selected because of the space for new buildings, the need for repairs in existing units as well as for affordable housing in the areas.

Extra article:



Hundreds of market-rate apartments to be built at NYCHA developments in Brooklyn, Manhattan under plan by Mayor de Blasio

The de Blasio administration plans to put up hundreds of market-rate apartments on public land at NYCHA developments in two hot real estate neighborhoods, officials said Wednesday.

The plan targets two developments — Wyckoff Gardens in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, and Holmes Towers on the Upper East Side — both in neighborhoods where land is considered “high value.” NYCHA would either sell to or enter into 99-year leases with developers to build more than 1,000 units, half to be affordable and half to rent at market rates.

The plan would allow the cash-strapped housing authority to build more affordable housing and also generate revenue, officials said.

De Blasio’s mixed-use project is a slightly revamped version of a failed plan by his predecessor, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who suggested the developments be 80% market rate apartments.

The Bloomberg plan — which specifically targeted eight Manhattan developments — was attacked by tenants who felt they hadn’t been consulted. Many were also concerned it would further exacerbate gentrification in their rapidly changing neighborhoods.

Wyckoff Gardens is located in a downtown Brooklyn neighborhood that’s been gentrifying over the last decade, sending land values through the roof.

Under the NYCHA plan, a developer would be asked to build up to 550 to 650 apartments there, nearly doubling the size of the development. Of that, up to 300 units would be affordable, and the project would go up on two “underutilized” parking lots.

At Holmes Tower on the Upper East Side, NYCHA suggests building one tower of 350 to 400 units, of which 175 to 200 would be affordable. The development would go up on a playground, which NYCHA would relocate.

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http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150910...rdable-units-boerum-hill-upper-east-side
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/market-rate-apartments-built-public-land-article-1.2354500

[chris08876]

No surprise here.
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NYCHA tenants blast plan for UES tower on playground site

Like Michael Bloomberg before him, Mayor Bill de Blasio is facing a public backlash against plans to privately develop mixed-income housing on New York City Housing Authority land. Residents of Holmes Towers, at 403 East 93rd street on the Upper East Side, cited construction noise, a lack of space at the complex and the fact that the new building will replace well-trafficked playgrounds at the site. “What they’re doing is taking from the kids,” Holmes Towers resident Unique Walker told DNAinfo. “Where will our kids play? It’s not fair that the poor suffer so the rich can have a place to live.” The proposal, part of the city’s “NextGen Neighborhoods” initiative, took a step forward last week when Holmes Towers and Wyckoff Gardens, located at 130 Third Avenue in Boerum Hill, were selected as the first two sites for the program, which aims to create affordable housing while mending NYCHA’s budget. The city said it will build on “underutilized” areas of the two complexes, but residents expressed skepticism. “That ain’t gonna work. Why would it work?” one resident told DNAinfo. “We live right here and you’re going to build a house right here?” De Blasio’s plan calls for 50 percent affordable units at the new complex. The Bloomberg administration had to shelve its similar plan, requiring only 20 percent affordable units, in the face of public pressure.

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http://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/09/14/n...redevelopment-plan/#sthash.g7j0XNKa.dpuf

[a very long weekend]

so simple - move the play area/park to the surface lots, then build out at some responsible balance or market/non-market, and funnel what profits there are back into nycha for repairs to the older stock. i don't think it'll be possible for the residents to block it this time, it's a slam dunk for any politician to support this plan.

[yankeesfan1000]

I'd be interested to know if you hypothetically were to completely demolish one of these housing projects, reintegrate it into the street grid, and build brand new buildings from the ground up, how many more or less apartments would be created vs what currently occupies this hypothetical project.

[scalziand]

Housing projects were generally (intentionally) built less dense than the neighborhoods they replaced.

[chris08876]

Politicians are now getting involved. I suspect the same a-holes who feel that Midtown is building to tall. The ones who want height caps for midtown, which is blasphemy.
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UES Pols Blast Plan to Build High-Rise on Top of Public Playground

Upper East Side politicians are hoping to put the brakes on the city's plan to build a mixed-income high-rise on top of a playground at Holmes Tower — saying the city shouldn't be able to use its land to build market-rate apartments.

Both Senator Jose Serrano and City Councilman Ben Kallos promised to fight to keep the new high-rise slated to rise at the East 93rd Street public housing complex affordable and to give residents a stake in the decision-making process going forward.

"I want you all to know whatever the situation is or plans going forward, I will demand that the community have a strong voice in the development and that affordability in perpetuity be the ultimate goal so we can have a city that is affordable, not just for the very wealthy, but for working class folks that make this community what it is," Serrano said at a Community Board 8 meeting on Wednesday.

"We are losing affordable housing at an alarming rate," he added.

Last week the New York City Housing Authority unveiled plans to develop a new building with 350 to 400 apartments, roughly half of them market-rate, where a playground currently stands in the 403 E. 93rd St. complex.

The new tower would be built next to two already existing towers, which have a total of 540 units. The project, part of the city's NextGen Neighborhoods program, would use revenue from the new building toward NYCHA's capital projects and to make repairs and improvements at other existing developments, officials said.

"NextGen Neighborhoods will allow NYCHA to make revenue to repair our aging infrastructure, with residents having a direct say in what capital repairs are addressed," said Aja Worthy-Davis, a spokeswoman for the agency.

NYCHA said it plans to hold meetings with residents over the next few weeks.

But residents were steamed to learn last week that market-rate apartments were going to move in next door.

On Wednesday, Kallos opposed the plan, saying NYCHA shouldn't be using its land for luxury development — a stance he took in August when the city held a hearing regarding the plan.

"Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and I both said we should not be using NYCHA, which is designated as affordable land for affordable housing to build luxury development," he said. "She said it must be 100 percent affordable, I said it needs to be approved by the tenants, needs to give preference, if possible a 100 percent preference so tenants get to move into new housing and it needs to be 100 percent affordable."

Community Board 8 Chairman James Clynes agreed, saying that current residents should have the right to move into the new building and it should be 100 percent affordable housing. He added that the tenants must support the project for it to move forward.

The board's housing committee will be asked to come up with a resolution in October, he said.

Earlier this year, Serrano introduced a law that would require a ULURP for any type of development on NYCHA land, making sure there is a "strong layer of community input to make sure these deals with developers don't happen in the dead of night," he said.

The legislation would also pertain to property owned by the city's Department of Education, Education Construction Fund and the School Construction Authority.

The bill has not passed the Senate yet, according to Serrano's spokesman George Damalas.

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http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150917...ld-high-rise-on-top-of-public-playground

[chris08876]

Private NYCHA developments will move ahead

The city’s controversial plan to build apartments on underutilized New York City Housing Authority land to bolster the agency's bottom line is going ahead whether tenants like it or not, authority Shola Olatoye told residents at a hearing Tuesday.

“This program is moving forward,” Olatoye said in response to a question on whether tenants would be able to refuse infill development. “We believe inaction is unacceptable."

Olatoye’s response was met with jeers from the more than 100 tenants who attended the public hearing on Next Generation NYCHA, which includes plans to lease land on public housing lots to private developers for affordable and market rate housing.

Mayor Bill De Blasio rolled out Next Generation NYCHA last May. The 10-year plan includes shifting some of NYCHA’s costs on to the city and — perhaps most controversially — leasing underutilized NYCHA property to developers, with the ensuing revenue going back to the housing authority.

The de Blasio administration hopes the plan will help close NYCHA’s $17 billion capital funding gap.

The hearing was held in the community center at the Holmes Towers in Yorkville. Holmes is slated to become one of the first NYCHA developments to see new construction, with 50 percent of the apartments going for "affordable" rents and 50 percent renting at market rate.

[...]

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http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/ci...ivate-nycha-developments-will-move-ahead

[chris08876]

City Seeks Developer to Build 500 Mixed-Income Units at Wyckoff Gardens

A plan to build hundreds of mixed-income units at NYCHA's Wyckoff Gardens is moving a step forward as the city looks for a developer for the project.

In a Request for Proposals released Thursday, the city is seeking proposals for the design, financing, construction and operation of the residential units as well as community and commercial space at Wyckoff Gardens, according to an announcement from the New York City Housing Authority and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

The announcement also includes a similar plan for Holmes Towers on the Upper East Side. Developers may submit proposals for one or both projects.

While NYCHA had earlier planned for 550 to 650 new units created at Wyckoff Gardens, that number was reduced to approximately 500 in Thursday's announcement. The units would be 50 percent affordable and 50 percent market-rate rental housing, the agency said.

NYCHA residents will have a preference for 25 percent of affordable units.

Both developments at Wyckoff Gardens and Holmes Towers are part of NYCHA's NextGeneration Neighborhoods program, a 10-year strategic plan to help the city agency's operating deficit and provide funds for capital repairs.

“The NextGen Neighborhoods program enables us to not only create much-needed housing for low-income New Yorkers, but to generate revenue to address NYCHA’s critical repair needs,” NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye said in a statement.

“This Request for Proposals reflects the input we received from residents, advocates and other key stakeholders after an extensive and meaningful engagement process that will continue as the development moves forward.”

The plan is also in line with Mayor Bill de Blasio's push to create more affordable housing through the city.

Tenants have been wary of the plan since it was announced in the fall, fearing the loss of affordability and low-income public housing in the area.

But after multiple community outreach and engagement meetings, NYCHA has outlined the "Wyckoff Gardens Community Principles" to ensure residents' input is heard during the planning process, the agency said.

Among the "principles" outlined, residents said that the new buildings "should be kept in the scope, context, and character of the existing buildings, and should be designed in such a way so as to enhance the existing development and not take away from it."

The city agency said preference will be given to developer's proposals that align with residents' recommendations. Developers must also train and hire low-income and public housing tenants.

Sites for development in the NYCHA campus have been identified at the corner of Third Avenue and Wyckoff Street and the corner of Nevins Street and Wyckoff Street. There should also be at least 10,000 square feet of commercial space and 10,000 square-feet of community facility space.

Proposals must be submitted by Sept. 30.

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https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/2016070...00-mixed-income-units-at-wyckoff-gardens

[antinimby]

But after multiple community outreach and engagement meetings, NYCHA has outlined the "Wyckoff Gardens Community Principles" to ensure residents' input is heard during the planning process, the agency said.

Among the "principles" outlined, residents said that the new buildings "should be kept in the scope, context, and character of the existing buildings, and should be designed in such a way so as to enhance the existing development and not take away from it."

But why?!! The buildings there are depressing eyesores. Why do the new buildings have to like them? They are what not to do, not buildings to be respected and copied.

These "community" people are retarded. Of course NYCHA would listen to them.

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by antinimby

These "community" people are retarded. Of course NYCHA would listen to them.

The NYCHA, like the NYC DOT, MTA, and PA, are just terrible. City and state organizations are full of morons. How do I know? Because I deal with them at work. Terribly incompetent people that have way to many perks, and do little work. Delays are the name of the game with them. That, and making projects cost way more. Especially for contractor companies. Just milk the hours (especially if its prevailing wage!), and no worries, because those type of jobs are great for job security, even if you have incompetent people working there. Hard to get fired from a government/state job. I mean, you have to really f up. Normal things in the private sector that get people fired are okay there. Honorable mention to DEP and EPA. DEP is worse in terms of the delays and mismanagement. Like anything else, all of the above are subject to bureaucratic lag.

[chris08876]

City taps Fetner Properties to build new UES mixed-income tower

The city has tapped Fetner Properties to build a new 47-story apartment building on the Holmes Towers’ playground site in Yorkville.

The New York City Housing Authority selected Fetner to develop the 330-unit mixed-income building on East 92nd Street between First and York avenues as part of its NextGeneration program, the agency announced on Wednesday. The program was started two years ago to develop “underutilized” public land to help the cash-strapped agency raise money for much-needed repairs and affordable housing.

The building will be constructed on a site adjacent to the Holmes Towers, the only public housing project on the Upper East Side. Late last year, residents and some public officials spoke out against the plan, arguing against the loss of the public space. But Fetner’s plan for the site includes new playgrounds that will span 14,500 square feet.

The new rental building will span 350,000 square feet, with 18,000 square feet set aside for a recreational and community center. Half of the tower’s units will be permanently affordable and rented to residents making up to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI).

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TRD

[NYguy]

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manh...building-floors-income-article-1.3174764

NYCHA plans to allocate new Manhattan building's floors by income

BY GREG B. SMITH
May 18, 2017

We're movin’ on up to the Upper East Side — just not as high as more affluent residents in the same building, a city official said.

NYCHA unveiled on Wednesday the first project in its controversial plan to build market-rate apartments on public land — a 47-story tower where tenants with more money would live on upper floors with amazing views. The lower-income residents would be relegated to lower floors.

[NYguy]

From the article...

[PeterQM]

This upcoming 50-story tower in Yorkville will be the tallest Passive House in the world when complete.
It was announced (PDF) last week that Spain's 'Bolueta' is the tallest Passive House in the world at 288 feet (beating The House at Cornell Tech's 277 feet), but it looks like this new 50-story mixed-use tower in the Upper East Side's Yorkville neighborhood will eventually hold that title. It’s set to be located between two existing Holmes Tower between First & York Avenues and is being developed under the New York City Housing Authority’s NextGeneration strategic plan.

A four-story base will offer 13,000 square feet of recreation and community facility space and above, there will be 340 studio to three-bedroom residences, half of which will be affordable and the other half, market-rate. Other highlights of this forthcoming tower include new open spaces, like a promenade and playgrounds, and all the benefits of a Passive House – thermal comfort, exceptional air quality, reduced noise, low utilities – as well as flood proofing and a rainwater catchment system for the green spaces.



(CityRealty)

[patriotizzy]

Decent design for the area, especially for low-income, market-rate housing.

[yankeesfan1000]

Gale Brewer is a menace.

Unfortunately what's being lost in all of this is, unless NYCHA gets immidiate and large cash infusions, like this one of $25MM plus annual rental payments, to fix these housing projects, they're going to have to just straight up be torn done in the near future and all tenants will have to be evicted.

What a joke.

Manhattan BP sues city over plan for private housing at NYCHA complex

"...Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer has followed through on threats to sue Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration over Fetner Properties’s plans to erect a 50-story building on the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) Holmes Towers development. Instead of going through the typical Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), which gathers input from locals and elected officials before culminating in a City Council vote, the city plans to skirt the lengthy process and acquire mayoral zoning overriders for the project...

...Fetner Properties is set to lease land at East 92nd Street for 99 years and collect rent from the units—169 are slated as affordable housing units while another 169 will be market rate. In exchange, Fetner will pay NYCHA $25 million toward repairs at Holmes Towers..."