Map of the area surrounding 4095 Ninth Avenue, a future site of over 500 units of affordable housing. The space is currently an unused city-owned parking lot. Image Credit: HPD.
On January 29, 2024, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development began a month-long effort to advance affordable housing projects on public sites citywide as part of Mayor Eric Adams’ “24 in 24” plan. The plan, announced in his State of the City address, aims to advance 24 affordable housing projects on public sites in 2024 to create or preserve over 12,000 affordable units. The first site is currently an unused city-owned parking lot on the Manhattan waterfront that will be transformed into over 500 units of affordable housing.
The site is located at 4095 9th Avenue between 220th and 218th Streets in Inwood, and located near the Broadway Bridge. On the site, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development plans to develop 570 units of affordable housing, a STEM-focused community facility, and waterfront access for the public.
The agency is seeking community input in a predevelopment engagement process for what the public would like to see as part of the site. Members of the public can visit the Inwood Public Library (4857 Broadway) today, February 1st from 1:30 to 3:30 PM to learn more about the site and submit a community input questionnaire regarding the design, housing types, open space uses, services, and community amenities available on the site. Information about the project will be updated here; the questionnaire will also be available on this site, and more in-person events will be announced in the future.
The project will also be part of the Inwood Action Plan, the city’s proposed investments in infrastructure, services, and land use development in Inwood. The plan was approved in 2018 and set broad goals for housing, economic development, transportation, open space, and other factors in the neighborhood. The projects proposed as part of the Inwood Action Plan aim to reflect these larger goals and continue to incorporate community feedback.
Mayor Adams stated, “Growing up on the edge of homelessness, I know what it is like to live without the security of housing. My siblings and I had to take trash bags full of clothes to school because we didn’t know where we would sleep the next night. That’s no way to live. You cannot plan for the future if you are worried about today. While we advocate for action in Albany this session and advance our historic ‘City of Yes’ proposal, our administration is tacking the housing and affordability crisis with urgency. Our ’24 in 24’ plan to create and preserve affordable housing on 24 publicly-owned sites is another example of how we’re doing everything within our control to deliver housing and relief to New Yorkers when they need it most. Investments like the Inwood Waterfront project, once again, deliver on the vision we laid out to protect public safety, rebuild our economy, and make this city more livable for working-class New Yorkers.”
HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr stated, “A community’s vision is a key driving force behind creating a thriving neighborhood for current and future generations. In an area cut off from the bustle of lower Manhattan and the serenity of the city’s waterfront, Inwood residents can now create a vision for their part of the city that honors rich local history and culture and can benefit from its proximity to the Harlem River. The Inwood 9th Avenue site will bring much needed affordable housing, access to the waterfront, and a brand-new Science Technology Engineering & Math center to this area, giving the host community the respect they deserve in shaping their future.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)