Construction begins on Bedford Green House II in Fordham Heights. Image Credit: HPD.
On December 9, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul announced the start of construction on a new affordable housing development in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx. The project, Bedford Green House II, will be located at 2880 Jerome Avenue.
The development will be a 17-story building with 116 units. There will be 80 studios, 24 one-bedrooms and 12 two-bedroom units. All apartments will be affordable at or below 60 percent area median income.
Seventy units will be supportive housing, and residents will have access to rental subsidies and on-site services administered by the New York State Office of Mental Health. These services will be funded by the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative. Additional supportive services provided by Project Renewal include crisis management, occupational therapy, assistance with accessing public benefits, and coordination of medical services.
Fifty-five apartments will be for seniors aged 62 and older. Fourteen of these senior units will also receive supportive services through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative.
The building will also offer a library and learning center, free Wi-fi in each apartment, and will share a backyard with Bedford Green House I, which opened earlier this past summer. Residents will also have access to the playground and rooftop greenhouse garden in Bedford Green House I.
The development will also have a medical clinic which will offer primary care, gynecology, podiatry, and substance abuse treatment services. The clinic will be operated by Project Renewal and will serve clients with and without insurance.
Funding for the building includes $9.77 million from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development through the Supportive Housing Loan Program, $6 million from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Homeless Housing and Prevention Program, a $1.2 million grant from City Council, and a $300,000 grant from the Bronx Borough President’s Office. Additional state funding includes $5.7 million in permanent tax-exempt bonds, a $9.77 million subsidy from New York State Homes and Community Renewal, and federal low-income housing tax credits that generate $34.6 million in equity. Additional funding will come from private partners.
Governor Hochul stated, “With this milestone, we are one step closer to delivering hundreds of units of affordable and supportive housing to Bronx families, seniors, and individuals experiencing homelessness. As our state faces a severe housing shortage, essential projects, like this Bedford Green development, are critical to ensuring that all New Yorkers have a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home. My administration remains laser-focused on addressing New York’s housing crisis, and I look forward to working with Mayor Adams and other local and state partners to make affordable housing available to all.”
Mayor Adams stated, “Our administration has never wavered in our commitment to creating new housing, and that’s why we are working every day to build 15,000 units of supportive housing with onsite social services to help families who are struggling. The combination of supportive homes and a medical clinic here will deliver residents and the entire community access to care they may not otherwise be able to access. I was proud to be there to celebrate the opening of 118 new homes at Bedford Green House I, and I’m excited to celebrate the kickoff of construction on the next 116 at Bedford Green House II.”
State Senator Gustavo Rivera stated, “The Bedford Green House II in Fordham Heights is an exemplary supportive housing development that will offer affordable housing to the Bronx and amenities to benefit the surrounding neighborhood. This 116-unit development will give low-income families, seniors, and unhoused New Yorkers a place to call home, support residents with serious mental illness or substance use disorder, and offer beautiful community spaces for Bronxites to enjoy. I commend the state and Project Renewal for working together to invest in critical housing projects for the Bronx.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)