New York City Department of Housing Preservation and
Development (HPD) has issued an RFP for 280 affordable housing units in Bed-Stuy.
The development will part of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing
Plan that aims to advance a health-centered vision for new affordable housing
and protect local homeowners and tenants against displacement.
The Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Wealth and Wellness Request
for Proposals (RFPs) is for two local projects with 280 affordable homes and community
health and wellness facilities.
It will be the first project to employ the City’s new
equitable ownership requirement to strengthen the role of
Minority-and-Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) and non-profits on
affordable housing projects developed on City-owned sites.
Under this new requirement, at least 25 percent of the
project’s managing ownership interests must be held by a M/WBE or non-profit
development partner, entitling it to at least 25 percent of the total economic
benefits of the project, net of any tax credit limited partner interests.
“This housing plan builds on Bed-Stuy’s rich history at the forefront of the community development movement with local leaders and residents working together to protect their neighborhood from the forces of racism and economic instability,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll.
“Developed through an inclusive, community-driven process,
the plan reflects priorities of the Bed-Stuy community, including creating
affordable housing, protecting residents from displacement, and promoting
equitable ownership among M/WBE and nonprofit developers.”
The Bedford-Stuyvesant Housing Plan aims to support tenants
and owners struggling with rising housing costs and financial hardship and reduce
housing speculation and illegal housing-related activities in a neighborhood
considered a hotspot for illegal Airbnb activity and deed theft that targets
seniors.
Local homeowners also report repeat harassment and
solicitation to sell properties below market value.
Under the plan, the City will try to connect more homeowners
to resources and counseling around estate planning, educating the community
about illegal short-term rentals, and supporting community efforts to implement
a neighborhood “cease-and-desist zone.”
Nearly two-thirds of all homes in Bed-Stuy are more than 70
years old. Under the new housing plan, both HPD and NYCHA will implement service
improvements for hundreds of public housing residents and provide new financing
resources, technical assistance, and enforcement tools to improve housing
management and housing quality for both homeowners and tenants.
Through the PACT program, NYCHA has been making
comprehensive repairs and upgrades, including new windows, heating systems,
kitchens, and bathrooms, to approximately 700 apartments across 10
developments.
The first two projects developed through the Community Wealth and Wellness Request for Proposals (RFPs) will reflect the community’s desire for housing investments to enhance affordability, promote community wealth and financial well-being, foster opportunities for minority- and women-owned business enterprise (M/WBEs) and other emerging developers while uplifting the neighborhood’s cultural history.
In addition to featuring the new equitable ownership
requirement, the Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Wealth and Wellness RFP will
propel the creation of 280 new affordable apartments on two neighborhood sites
on Fulton Street and include homeownership opportunities and homes for seniors.
The first two sites’ development plans must encourage a hub
of uses, programming, and building design that promote community wellness
through healthy eating, living, physical exercise, and holistic healing. Sites
may incorporate but are not limited to multi-purpose community centers.
The Bed-Stuy plan also prioritizes the creation of 825 new
affordable homes in the next few years. Of which, 400 apartments are currently
being constructed on projects at 1618 Fulton Street, 645 Gates Avenue, and 1921
Atlantic Avenue, bringing a new grocery store, medical services and other
neighborhood amenities.
In addition to serving low-income and formerly homeless
households, 1921 Atlantic Avenue is the first City-owned site to be developed
through an exclusive M/WBE RFP. The two M/WBE firms, Dabar Development Partners
and Thorobird Companies, were brought together through HPD’s M/WBE Building
Opportunity Initiative.
The plan also reflects the vision to build more integrated,
equitable, and inclusive neighborhoods.
Bed-Stuy has a widening racial wealth gap driven by rising
housing costs, rapid demographic changes, real estate speculation and fraud.
Black homebuyers in Bed-Stuy continue to be targeted disproportionately by
illegal and predatory housing activities.
Bed-Stuy is home to one of the largest historically Black
communities in the U.S and is a beacon of African American history and culture.
As the birthplace of the first Community Development
Corporation, Bed-Stuy led a national movement for housing justice, social
welfare and urban revitalization. For generations, neighborhood stability has
been challenged by harmful real estate practices, capital flight, disinvestment
and discrimination that have driven economic and social disparities.
