City Planning Hears Application for Two Affordable Buildings in the Bronx

Rendering of the two buildings at 1099 Webster Avenue in the Bronx. Image Credit: NYC CPC/Aufgang Architects

The buildings will bring 238 affordable units to the area. On February 3, 2021, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing for an application to build two affordable mixed-use buildings at 1099 Webster Avenue in the East Concourse section of the Bronx. The buildings will be on the west side of Webster Avenue between East 166th Street and East 167th Street. The site is currently the location of a parking lot and a former automotive repair shop.

The project includes a nine-story and an eleven-story building built next to each other on the same zoning and tax lot. Both buildings will be 100 percent affordable. The nine-story building, on the corner of Webster Avenue and East 166th Street will have 90 units of affordable housing. The eleven-story building next door will have 148 units of affordable housing, for a total of 238 units between the two buildings.

The buildings will have outdoor space in the rear, with a playground, sitting areas and space for outdoor recreation. The buildings will have laundry and recreation space. Each building will have two 2-bedroom apartments put aside for superintendents.

Between the two buildings, 36 of the units will be reserved for formerly homeless individuals at a rate of 27 percent AMI, which equals approximately $215 for a studio, $283 for a one-bedroom, $425 for a two-bedroom and $512 for a three-bedroom. A quarter of all the units will be at a maximum 77 percent AMI, or $1,559 for a one-bedroom, $1,862 for a two-bedroom, and $2,140 for a three-bedroom. Between those ranges, apartments are offered at 27 percent AMI for non-formerly homeless individuals, and at 37, 47, 57, and 67 percent AMI. Social services will also be provided for the formerly homeless tenants. The project will be part of the Extremely Low & Low-Income Affordability (ELLA) Program, which provides loans to fund the construction of low-income multi-family rental projects.

To facilitate the project, the applicants are requesting a rezoning from a mixed manufacturing and residential district to a residential district with a commercial overlay. Two adjacent lots north of the site but not owned by the applicant are included in the rezoning. The building will contain approximately 190,850 square feet of residential space and almost 30,200 square feet for commercial/retail space. A total of 73 parking spaces would be provided underground, with 30 reserved as accessory parking for the retail space and 43 parking spots provided for residential use. The site was selected with the consultation of the Department of City Planning Bronx Office.

Approximately 75-80 permanent jobs are predicted to be created from this project. The owner of the site is a trustee of 32BJ and committed to union hiring.

Previously, Bronx Community Board 4 voted to approve the project with conditions. CityLand reached out to Bronx Community Board 4 to inquire about the conditions but could not get any information. At the hearing, the applicant referred to discussions with the community board about hiring local, bringing in local businesses, and working with minority/women-owned businesses. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. also approved of the project.

No one from the public testified at the hearing.

The City Planning Commission will vote on this project at a later date.

By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)