Archinect - News

Michael Kimmelman checks in on a case study for affordable housing in NYC

2024-02-13T17:49:00-05:00

It wasn’t a visual spectacle, but it was handsome and dignified, standing out with its prefab metal facade not just in a neighborhood of empty lots, aging apartment blocks and derelict rail tracks but also against a backdrop of dreary, bare-bones affordable housing developments all across the city. Most important, its goal was larger than itself: to reimagine subsidized housing for a new century. I promised in that column to report back on whether it succeeded. Did it?

The Via Verde redux is an interesting return to Kimmelman's very first Times column. He wrote the housing scheme’s developer Phipps “knows what it’s doing.”

Whatever is working has got to be scaled up and replicated rather quickly. As he points out, both the city and New York State failed to adequately fund and approve new housing starts to enter the construction pipeline in 2023 despite a present need for approximately 50,000 new units annually.

Kimmelman, whose personal mission to raise housing standards for New Yorkers is well known, is occasionally charged with promotionalism for writing such pieces. (It's worth noting that this is now the critic's second review of a completed Dattner project in as many years.)

PAU founder Vishaan Chakrabarti unveils a housing plan for 1.3 million New Yorkers

2024-01-05T16:59:00-05:00

Vishaan Chakrabarti, founder of PAU, has unveiled his firm's analysis, courtesy of The New York Times, which suggests that enough housing could be created for one million New Yorkers.

The PAU founder says there is space for up to 520,245 homes in the city on roughly 1,700 acres of unused land. Most of it would be enacted above existing single-story commercial spaces. The idea of adding density has been debated, though he points out correctly that it does present a viable alternative to the mass-scale conversion of office buildings that have been proven costly and largely unfeasible in structures built before 1980.

His team's analysis follows previous streetscape and rail infrastructure proposals and was conducted using available data on vacant lots, flood-prone areas, and the location of subway stations and other mass transit options. Current estimates have placed the need for over 500,000 new homes, a figure Mayor Eric Adams's official plan put forth in December 2022 used as a ben...

NYC will convert JFK Hilton hotel into supportive housing

2023-12-28T13:44:00-05:00

A plan to transform the former Hilton Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City into supportive housing has been announced as the inaugural effort of the important new Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act (HONDA) program by Mayor Eric Adams.

Aufgang Architects will be in charge of overhauling the 350-room hotel into the renamed Baisley Pond Park Residences, a 318-unit residential development aimed at low-income and formerly homeless individuals with rents ranging between $784 per month for studios to $1,493 for two-bedroom apartments. They say their work will be completed in just 21 months thanks to the hotel’s compatible layout, which allows for a minimally invasive slate of amendments to its internal wall structures.

The result will be a life-changing space for residents, complete with all-electric heating and cooling systems, multiple community/computer rooms, space for the RiseBoro Community Partnership’s on-site support staff, a kitchen serviced by the ...

New York City unveils major zoning overhaul to boost housing stock

2023-09-25T15:41:00-04:00

Mayor Eric Adams proposed on Thursday a major overhaul of New York City’s approach to development that his administration says could make way for as many as 100,000 additional homes in the coming years and ease the city’s severe housing crisis. [...] The proposals could bring new housing development to nearly every corner of New York City and reflect a growing political consensus that the city must do everything it can to build.

In last week's announcement of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan, several measures designed to achieve the declared goal of adding 100,000 new residential units were listed, including the end of parking mandates for new housing, the legalization of ADUs, encouraging shared living and office conversion, a Universal Affordability Preference policy, updated town center "main streets" zoning along commercial corridors, and a push to utilize available space on campuses across the city.

The proposed town center “main streets” zoning updates could spur new residential development along commercial corridors. Credit: New York City Department of City Planning

“Our goal is to create ‘a little more housing in every neighborhood’ to finally tackle New York’s housing shortage head-on,” said New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Dan Garodnick. “By addressing the root cause of New York’s high housing costs, displacement, homelessness, and the imbalance of power between...

NYC announces Midtown South office conversion rezoning to combat housing shortfall

2023-08-18T09:00:00-04:00

New York City officials announced plans on Thursday to ease the conversion of office buildings to housing and to open manufacturing areas south of Times Square to new residential development, as part of a broader push to reinvent the struggling business district in Midtown Manhattan and address the city’s housing crisis.

The news comes after the revelation last week that a total of zero new housing starts were approved in Manhattan in the month of July. The Adams administration previously announced its desire to create 40,000 new residential units through the adaptive reuse of office buildings. The rezoned area south of 40th Street to 23rd Street will be bordered by Fifth and Eighth Avenues, respectively, and includes the historic Garment District, Penn Station area, and parts of Chelsea.

They are part of a larger spate of zoning changes that coincide with the development plan, including the addition of structures built as recently as 1990 to the list of those now permittable for conversion schemes.

“The world has changed,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said at the announcement press conference. “We have to be willing to change with it.” He's not kidding. Median monthly rents in the borough are now estimated at $4,400, according to the New York Times.

NYC approved zero new housing starts for Manhattan last month despite glaring crisis

2023-08-14T18:18:00-04:00

The borough of Manhattan, home to 1.7 million people, approved no new units of housing last month and just 10 buildings with 279 units in total were approved last month in the other four boroughs combined. City leaders are raising the alarm about the anemic pace of development.

The lack of new housing starts mirrors a nationwide dip that was recorded at 24% for the month of June, according to the latest Dodge Construction Network report. Manhattan has seen ruinous housing cost increases since the pandemic abated, irking those in power who feel the need to end a citywide crisis is being blocked by a lack of tax incentive support and prohibitive zoning measures. By way of comparison,1,208 new units were approved in the Borough in July of 2013.

In May, the city's chief Housing Officer, Jessica Katz, resigned in frustration over the ineptitude. Some 560,000 units are needed to meet demands by the end of the decade, a scant 14% of which is currently under development according to statistics released by the city in December along with its "moonshot" plan for 500,000 new affordable units within the same timeframe. One now has to question what happened to the "quantum leap in the creation of new homes" called for at the time by Department of City Planning Director...

NYC’s housing chief resigns amid concurrent homelessness and affordability crises

2023-05-24T17:50:00-04:00

New York City’s Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz is set to leave her post in the Adams administration by early July, she told Gothamist, leaving open a critical role tasked with overseeing the city’s response to its growing housing and homelessness crises.

Katz told Gothamist the job was both “frustrating” and a “real sprint.” She is credited with overseeing the beginnings of New York Mayor Eric Adams’ first housing plan as well as streamlining several key projects involving supportive and transitional housing during her 16-month tenure.

The city’s shelter system swelled considerably in 2022 while an influx of newly arrived migrants complicated efforts to provide beds for those most in need. This came at a time when rents across the city have soared past pre-pandemic record highs in nearly every borough. New Yorkers are currently experiencing homelessness at a rate of 1 per every 120 persons, according to The Bowery Mission.

The Mayor's office has yet to name a replacement for the position.

New York Mayor Eric Adams pitches a case for windowless apartment units in the city

2023-03-24T11:58:00-04:00

Mayor Eric Adams opened a new window into his vision for building New York City out of the current housing crisis, with a riff on “dormitory” style accommodations [...] During a conversation on Monday at the Greene Space, New York Public Radio's live events venue, Adams said he wants to 'do a real examination' of the laws that require windows in bedrooms — a major tweak that could make it easier for developers to convert empty offices into apartments.

The Mayor’s comments in favor of window features found in Dormzilla-like residential design caught the ire of critics, who were quick to illustrate its potential fire hazards and physiological impacts. Adams’ suggestion seems a bit at odds with the city’s push to deliver better affordable housing with 40,000 office conversions and other measures, but are nevertheless in line with several of the recommendations for “flexible regulations“ attributed to the Adaptive Reuse Task Force proposed in December 2022.

According to Gothamist, Adams then also commended WeWork’s flawed housing development model and the widespread adaptation of single-room occupancy (or SROs) constructions that typically have windows but have been dwindling since being made illegal under New York City law in 1955.

Supportive housing advocate and pioneer Roseanne Haggerty told Gothamist they would “...

New York City announces new 40,000-unit adaptive reuse office conversion plan

2023-01-13T11:50:00-05:00

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has unveiled an ambitious plan to help convert the city’s unused office spaces into apartment dwellings in an effort to bring online 40,000 new units of housing in the next decade.

The plan, which includes a new study and 11 “concrete recommendations” made by the new Adaptive Reuse Task Force announced by Adams over the summer, will target a total of 136 million square feet of office space for conversions using updates to state laws and local zoning codes under the leadership of Department of City Planning Director Dan Garodnick.

Adams said the effort offers a “roadmap to deliver on a vision for a more vibrant, resilient, prosperous, and affordable city.” Its effectiveness in combating the city's dual housing crisis and expected economic downturn is vital to Adams' success in office and can potentially be seen as a bellwether for other cities as they attempt to find their own answers to the changes made to the urban environment following COVID.

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Dattner debuts a record-setting new 26-story passive house high-rise in the Bronx

2022-11-14T12:35:00-05:00

Dattner Architects recently celebrated the opening of a new 26-story affordable housing project in New York City it says sets a new standard for the application of one of the building industry’s most sustainable techniques in the design of high-rise apartment structures.

Located in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, it has 277 total units with a host of on-site community services and is considered the largest passive house building in North America.

According to a city press release, the $178 million new structure at 425 Grand Concourse is meant specifically for the formerly homeless and those earning between less than 30% and 130% of the median income in an area in which 22% of all residents are considered food insecure.

Image courtesy Dattner Architects

“Our administration is focused on creating affordable housing for New Yorkers that doesn’t just help those who move in but enhances the entire community, and 425 Grand Concourse does exactly that,” NYC Mayor Eric Adams said dur...

Alexander Gorlin Architects completes 10-story affordable housing development in the Bronx

2022-11-02T16:06:00-04:00

A new $62 million affordable housing project from Alexander Gorlin Architects has been completed in the Bronx for developers Comunilife, a local nonprofit aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable communities through a combination of housing justice and culturally-sensitive supportive services.

The firm’s El Borinquen Residence at 3401 Third Avenue features a total of 148 “deeply affordable” units, with 29 being reserved for seniors and an additional 90 set aside for those experiencing homelessness and youths who have recently aged out of the foster care system. It is a follow-up to their highly-praised Boston Road development two blocks north and was framed by Governor Kathy Hochul as the lynchpin for a larger five-year and $25 billion housing plan that is desperately needed as the city grapples with a protracted emergency corresponding to its high cost of living.

Image courtesy Alexander Gorlin Architects

"With the completion of the El Borinquen Residence, more of our neighbors e...

Spending on NYC construction reaches new record heights despite housing lags

2022-10-25T12:28:00-04:00

Construction spending in New York City will reach an all-time high of $86 billion this year, up $38 billion from 2021, according to a new report from the New York Building Congress. The report finds that despite numerous obstacles from the pandemic and economic uncertainty, construction spending and infrastructure investment in New York City remain positive.

The influx of capital, unfortunately, has not impacted the city’s most critical area of need as it was recently reported to have fallen short of its planned goals to construct 25,000 units of affordable housing by 36%. The New York Building Congress says the shortfall will only get worse as a result of the absence of the 421a tax incentive program. Without it, the 560,000 units needed before 2030 seem unlikely. Current projections only have 90,000 units coming into the market in the next three years.

Image source: 2022-2024 New York City Construction Outlook

“The city’s population has increased by more than 625,000 in the previous decade, while we have added only 206,000 units,” the group's CEO Carlo Scissura explains in the report. “That is not only unsustainable, it’s alarming — and justifies a swift and decisive response.”