New York Governor Kathy Hochul is allocating $25 billion for a housing project to build 100,000 units of housing. The New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) will kick off the second phase of construction at the Marcus Garvey Apartments in Brownsville, Brooklyn, adding 287 affordable apartments to the area.
Governor Hochul stated, “I am committed to increasing housing so that all New Yorkers have the opportunity to find a safe, stable, and affordable home.”
Over the past five years, HCR has constructed or preserved over 8,500 affordable housing units in Brooklyn. The 287 new apartments in the second phase of Marcus Garvey Apartments will all be designated as affordable housing, offered to households with incomes equal to or below 70% of the area’s median income.
The development includes 88 supportive housing units reserved for individuals reentering society after incarceration. The Osborne Association will provide workforce development, family and relationship counseling, independent living skills training, and healthcare services, with rent and operational subsidies funded through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative.
Based on the plan proposed by former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2015 to build 15,000 supportive housing units over 15 years, the second phase of Marcus Garvey Apartments will also provide 55 supportive housing units for homeless and displaced families.
The three buildings in the second phase development will feature all-electric systems, geothermal systems for heating and cooling, social service offices and community planning spaces, landscaped courtyards, bicycle storage rooms, and resident lounges. The organizations responsible for the development include the Osborne Association, SUS, and L+M Development Partners.
Funding for the second phase of Marcus Garvey Apartments includes $20 million in state-backed permanent tax-exempt bonds, $116 million in federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity, and $36.5 million in subsidies from HCR’s Supportive Housing Opportunity Program. The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) also provided $22.3 million through the Supportive Housing Loan Program.
The first phase of Marcus Garvey Apartments, also funded by HCR, consists of a cluster of three apartment buildings with 348 affordable units, as well as retail and community facilities, which were completed in 2022. The first and second phases combined will ultimately provide 635 affordable housing units in Brownsville.