news

Partnership Breaks Ground on $254M Affordable Housing Project Near Downtown Brooklyn

Partnership Breaks Ground on $254M Affordable Housing Project Near Downtown Brooklyn

Published by France Media Inc.

NEW YORK CITY — A partnership between Gilbane Development, Blue Sea Development and Artspace Projects Inc. has broken ground on the Brownsville Arts Center & Apartments, a $254 million affordable housing project that will be located on a city-owned tract at 366 Rockaway Ave. near downtown Brooklyn. The property will offer 283 units in studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units that will be reserved for renters earning between 30 and 70 percent of the area median income. The Brownsville Arts Center & Apartments will also feature a 28,000-square-foot cultural arts center with a 3,440-square-foot, multi-purpose performance, rehearsal and studio space for community arts groups. Various city housing agencies and authorities have committed nearly $100 million in subsidized financing for the project, construction of which is expected to be complete in 2027.

Link to Orignal Article:
Partnership Breaks Ground on $254M Affordable Housing Project Near Downtown Brooklyn

Aufgang Architects Reports Nearly 9,000 Multifamily Units in New York City in Its Design Pipeline

Aufgang Architects Reports Nearly 9,000 Multifamily Units in New York City in Its Design Pipeline

Aufgang, a leading New York architectural firm, has nearly 9,000 multifamily units in its design
pipeline throughout the City in various stages of development.

“Our substantial multifamily design pipeline includes affordable, supportive, senior and market rate projects for leading commercial real estate developers. We are committed to addressing New York’s housing crisis through thoughtful, environmentally sustainable designs for diverse communities.,” said Ariel Aufgang, AIA, Principal of Aufgang Architects.

“They are in a range of development from permit filings through nearly completed construction, providing much-needed homes for New Yorkers,” said Ariel Aufgang.

Aufgang is the second busiest architectural firm in NYC measured by new Department of Building permit applications, which totaled over 3.3 million square feet for the firm in 2024.

Ariel Aufgang identified some of his firm’s notable affordable residential design projects:

North Cove Apartments on the Harlem River waterfront in Inwood, upper Manhattan, with 611 100% affordable units developed by MADDD Equities and Joy Construction
Edgemere Commons in Rockaway, Queens, with 2,050 100% affordable units, many with ocean views, along with urban planning on a 9-acre site developed in multiple phases by Tishman Speyer. The first two Aufgang designed buildings are completed
DWTN on Tillary Street in Brooklyn, with 473 units, developed by MADDD Equities and Joy Construction
450 affordable units in a residential building adjacent to the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx under an RFP approved by NYC EDC
Kay’s Place nearing completion at 487 4th Avenue in Brooklyn is an 11-story, 44-unit building with affordable and supportive housing, along with ground-floor commercial space and an outdoor recreation area. This project is developed by Mercy Home and Procida Construction
Corp.

“We have approximately 45 multifamily design projects in four of the City’s boroughs, including about 3,000 units in each Queens and the Bronx, over 1,800 in Brooklyn and more than 800 units in Manhattan,” said Aufgang.

In the past decade alone, Aufgang has designed more than 13 million square feet of built space, comprising more than 13,000 residential units across more than 100 multifamily development projects, both market rate and affordable. These new construction and preservation projects were
capitalized at a total of approximately $3 billion.

Aufgang is known for its thoughtful, creative approach that also recognizes the importance of environmental sustainability in all aspects of design and engineering. Technology, including innovative proprietary artificial intelligence applications, enhances the firm’s ability to design comfortable, safe and sustainable multifamily buildings that meet its clients’ objectives.

Aufgang is a certified Minority Business Enterprise.

Link to Orignal Article:
Aufgang Architects Reports Nearly 9,000 Multifamily Units in New York City in Its Design Pipeline

‘We Cracked The Code’: First Hotel-to-Housing Conversion Using State Program To Open in Queens

‘We Cracked The Code’: First Hotel-to-Housing Conversion Using State Program To Open in Queens

A pandemic-era program aimed to facilitate hotel and office to affordable housing conversions. After a slow start, and numerous financing and design challenges, its first project is opening in Queens.
By Patrick Spauster

356 hotel rooms, double-loaded corridors, precast plank and concrete walls, a glass-enclosed pool, sheetrock walls, ribbon glass windows. These were the building blocks of the JFK Hilton Hotel, built in 1987, that operated for 35 years until it closed in 2023.

Architects cut, molded, and reconfigured those pieces to turn that behemoth structure into 318 affordable homes. Hundreds of formerly homeless residents will move in this fall.

The completion of construction earlier this month makes the development, called Baisley Pond Park, the first project

“I believe that everyone should have an amply sized apartment for their family size. There’s a crisis and people are on the street, right? If, in order to solve that problem, we first have to make buildings with 274 studio apartments that are the size of a hotel room, I think that’s a way to house our neighbors with dignity.”

-Ariel Aufgang, project architect

to open using the Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act (HONDA), a 2021 New York State law that financed the conversion of underutilized office and hotel space for affordable and supportive housing.

The incentives proved complicated to use, given the financial, architectural, and policy challenges involved with conversion projects. The Baisley Pond Park Project, built by a nonprofit and a developer in collaboration with multiple city agencies, cobbled together an innovative financing package from public and private sources.

More than half of residents—60 percent—will be formerly homeless families moving out of shelter, leveraging a development incentive from the Department of Social Services that helps pay rent in new affordable units by leasing up city voucher holders.

“We cracked the code on how to convert a hotel into a low income apartment building. It’s just a matter of getting the building at the right price,” said project architect Ariel Aufgang.

Baisley Pond Park Residences, in its infancy when the pandemic-era development incentives were made law, has emerged into a radically different market for hotels. But developers and architects hope that it demonstrates the potential of conversions at a time of a severe housing shortage, particularly for homes affordable to the lowest income New Yorkers.

An architectural jigsaw

There are a lot of rules when building housing. An affordable development like this needed legal amounts of light and air, larger bathrooms accessible to someone in a wheelchair, four burner stoves, full size refrigerators, and sinks.

Those necessities meant trading off living space in already-small hotel rooms. But the building had just enough natural advantages to make all those pieces work.

Hotels tend to be better suited than offices when converting to housing: they meet the legal requirements for light and windows in every room and hallways with rooms on each side—floor plans thin enough for so-called “double-loaded” corridors.

The bathrooms were already in the right place. While developers replaced aging parts of the plumbing, the shafts

carrying water up to the rooms would be usable for a bigger bathroom. And crucially, the bathrooms were in the right orientation: flat against the wall abutting the hallway.

A four foot corridor into the common space, opposed to three and a half, could change all the math.

“If you have a hotel that has the bathrooms oriented parallel to the hallway and you’re really tight between one bathroom and the next room’s bathroom, you might not get the space you need for an acceptable door,” described Aufgang.

It lent the room just enough width to convert into an apartment. A skinnier hotel room would have made the project impossible; the walls separating rooms were structural—they couldn’t be taken down to combine rooms.

The majority of the 318 rooms are studios—practical for converting from one and two bed hotel rooms—but also symmetrical with the building’s future tenants, formerly homeless individuals who are often single adults.

The building also has 33 one-bedroom and 10 two-bedroom units that wrap the corners and stitch together multiple single hotel rooms. With razor-thin margins to make affordable housing projects pencil out, some of the design is meticulous cost control, with each room slightly different.

“It’s just going space by space, room by room,” Aufgang said. “How do I make the doors big enough? How to make the bathrooms big enough? How do we try

to reuse the shafts to save money, reusing the windows to save money?”

After putting in full kitchenettes and ventilation, squeezed tight behind expanded bathrooms, there wasn’t a ton of living space left, especially in the studios, but enough for a bed and some furniture.

“The living spaces are small. There’s no question,” said Aufgang. He said that small apartments were the product of the building’s existing design, accessibility and habitability requirements.

But cost also drives design, especially in a city where building affordable housing is often prohibitively expensive.

“The answer seems to have been for the past few years to that, to try to solve the housing crisis, to keep making units smaller,” said Aufgang.

“I believe that everyone should have an amply sized apartment for their family size,” he continued. “There’s a crisis and people are on the street, right? If, in order to solve that problem, we first have to make buildings with 274 studio apartments that are the size of a hotel room, I think that’s a way to house our neighbors with dignity.”

Location, location, location

Tucked between two other hotels, the Baisley Pond Park building sits on an odd plot of land. Penned in on two sides by the Belt Parkway and the Van Wyck Expressway, it leans over highway and gazes over blocks and blocks of postage-stamp single family homes in South Jamaica.

The location has its pros and cons. It’s a bit remote. It’s mostly served by just one bus line, the Q40, with the nearest subway and commuter rail line at Jamaica Center, 2.7 miles to the north.

“It’s not a neighborhood where we’ve provided services before,” said Emily Kurtz, chief housing officer at RiseBoro, the nonprofit that will own and operate the site. But the scale of the project was attractive, Kurtz said, and meant they could more efficiently serve clients there.

So they invested in services on site, converting the building’s generous lobby and event space into a place to provide light-touch services to individuals and families living there.

A hotel restaurant became community rooms. The glass enclosed pool became an indoor garden, and the industrial kitchen was leased to Meals on Wheels. Hotel offices became headquarters for RiseBoro’s support services.

RiseBoro says it will add a shuttle service to transport residents from the facility to the Jamaica transit hub.

“It’s challenging because, you know, cost is a problem,” said David Schwartz, founder of Slate Property Group, the project’s developer. “We want to have a lot of affordable housing in transit rich neighborhoods and areas that have lots of infrastructure.”

“We have to take every opportunity to create units of affordable housing,” said Kurtz.

A spot a bit further out meant a lower purchase price that could facilitate the construction and conversion.

“We walked and looked at, you know, probably 100 to 200 hotels,” said Schwartz.

“It had to be large enough, the rooms had to be big enough to plug the [building code], the zoning had to work, the price had to work,” he said.

Those particulars, and complicated financing, were part of the reason the HONDA program got off to a slow start. One year after the program launched, New York Focus reported that it hadn’t dispersed any funds or started any projects.

Then, later in 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law that lifted some of those onerous zoning restrictions, and permitted hotels within 400 feet of a residential district, plus those accessing HONDA funds, to be permanent residences.

Still, a now-booming hotel market in New York means the prospects for converting future sites could be slimming.

“A hotel is a little bit easier to convert than a commercial space into residences because the buildings tend to be double loaded,” said Aufgang, meaning they have rooms on both sides of a central hallway. “Sometimes buildings are just obsolete. So there’s just not enough you can do to make it worth it.”

A financial stack

One advantage of conversion: when the pieces do fit, you can do it faster.

“Our typical projects take 36 months just to do pre-development and then 24 to 36 months development, and this one was much shorter,” said Kurtz.

Part of that pre-development process is assembling the financing. For an affordable project like Baisley Pond Park, that means a complicated assortment of funding sources, factoring in equity from a developer, public subsidy, bonds, and ongoing operations. Developers call that delicate scaffolding of financing the “capital stack.”

Baisley Pond’s “stack” needed to add up to $167 million. They got a $50 million loan from the city’s Housing Development Corporation (HDC). They received another $48 million in HONDA funding. Usually, affordable projects use the go-to tool for building affordable housing in the United States: the Low Income Tax Credit. But that wasn’t going to work for a project and a program meant to serve New Yorkers fast.

“New York’s got a waiting list of five, six or seven years for low income housing tax credits,” said Schwartz.

Instead, since RiseBoro was going to own the project (often, affordable buildings are owned by developers and run and managed by nonprofits), the project was able to access bonds specifically for 501c3 nonprofits from HDC.

The ongoing operations of the site would be funded through the city’s Affordable Housing Services program, which fast tracks contracting and uses the future rent from city housing voucher holders in the building to fund operations.

The project took a perfect balance of the right building, the right program, and the right timing to come to fruition.

But developers, architects, and nonprofit operators hope that both the financing and the design and construction can be an example for future conversions.

“New York is complicated for construction,” added Aufgang. “You need time. 21 months is miraculous.”

The New York State Department of Homes and Community Renewal, which oversees the HONDA program, did not elaborate on how many projects may be in the HONDA pipeline. But it mentioned the completed JFK Hilton conversion and a Quality Inn conversion it funded in Ulster, New York.

“HCR continues to work closely with nonprofit partners throughout the state who are seeking to convert distressed hotels and underutilized commercial buildings to the safe, modern, and affordable housing New Yorkers need,” said a spokesperson for the agency in a statement.

“I think you can use this as a model,” said Schwartz. “Once you do it, I do think that this is a model that can be replicated.”

283-unit affordable housing and cultural arts center moves ahead in Brownsville

283-unit affordable housing and cultural arts center moves ahead in Brownsville

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new all-electric development that will bring affordable homes and a cultural arts center to Brownsville is moving forward. City officials on Thursday announced that financing has closed for the Brownsville Arts Center & Apartments (BACA) at 366 Rockaway Avenue. The project will include 283 affordable rental units for households earning between 30 and 70 percent of the area median income, with a mix of studio to three-bedroom layouts. The project will also feature a 28,000-square-foot cultural arts center with flexible performance, rehearsal, and studio space for community arts organizations. Construction will begin this month, with completion expected by December 2027.

Developed by Gilbane Development, Blue Sea Development, and Artspace Projects, Inc., the project was selected through a competitive request for proposals (RFP) process led by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), paving the way for affordable housing that integrates cultural expression and the arts.

BACA is part of the Brownsville Plan, an effort to address local needs—including the creation of more than 2,500 affordable homes across a seven-building complex and over $1 billion in total housing investment in the area. City officials unveiled plans for BACA in June 2018.

“The Brownsville Arts Center & Apartments project represents what the Adams’ administration stands for — affordable, sustainable housing paired with community spaces that strengthen the fabric of our city,” Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión, Jr. said.

“This project is an investment in Brownsville’s future; we are creating homes, nurturing creativity, and building a stronger, more vibrant neighborhood for generations to come.”

Designed by Aufgang Architects, BACA seeks top-tier environmental and sustainability standards, including Passive House, LEED Platinum, the EPA’s Energy Star Multifamily New Construction program, Indoor airPLUS, and Fitwel certifications.

The city’s HPD and Housing Development Corporation (HDC) are contributing $88.1 million in housing subsidies to support the $254 million project.

An additional $8.2 million comes from the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in capital subsidies, along with grants from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Empire State Development.

The project also received $2 million in Reso A funding from former Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel and $1 million from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Additional financing includes Brownsville tax credit equity, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits acquired by Raymond James, and construction financing from TD Bank.

“Arts and culture are the building blocks of safe, vibrant, and connected communities,” DLCA Commissioner Laurie Cumbo said. “With the Brownsville Arts Center & Apartments, we’re creating affordable housing and planting deep roots for cultural expression and community pride right in the heart of the neighborhood.”

Construction Begins on Massive Tuxedo Reserve Project in Lower Orange County

Construction Begins on Massive Tuxedo Reserve Project in Lower Orange County

TUXEDO—Homebuilder Lennar and Related Companies broke ground earlier this month on the expansive and long anticipated Tuxedo Reserve project here in Orange County.

The expansive more than 1,600-unit community will bring new single-family homes and town homes built by Lennar, alongside a brand-new town center, The Village at Tuxedo Reserve, developed by Related Companies that will serve as a hub with shopping, dining, year-round curated events, and essential conveniences for residents and the surrounding region.

Tuxedo Reserve is nestled between Harriman State Park and Sterling Forest with extensive trail networks and outlooks. The collaboration between Lennar and Related marks a major milestone in shaping one of the region’s most significant new communities, formerly known as Tuxedo Farms, spanning 1,200 acres.

“We’re excited to expand our presence into the New York market. We’re eager to bring Lennar’s design expertise and industry-leading innovation to this exceptional location,” said Dana Romano, Lennar’s New York/New Jersey Division Manager. “It’s been an honor to collaborate with the Town of Tuxedo and Related Companies to create this master-planned community, offering more than just a place to live, but a place to truly thrive. Tuxedo Reserve will be a destination that embodies a vibrant lifestyle.”

“Tuxedo Reserve started with a vision over 40 years ago to transform the area by creating the first new built-from-the-ground-up village in generations inspired by small towns and hamlets across America,” said Greg Gushee, Executive Vice President at Related Companies. “With our partners at Lennar, City officials and local stakeholders, we are able to make that dream a reality by creating a new neighborhood – with renowned restaurants and retail, rental apartments, year-around events, tailored programming, and more at its core – at the intersection of city living and over 70,000 acres of preserved woodlands.”

Tuxedo Reserve, anchored by The Village, will feature premium amenities such as resort-style pools, a state-of-the-art fitness center including indoor basketball, squash and more all set against the backdrop of breathtaking mountain views and a serene, nature-rich atmosphere.

“Tuxedo Reserve is one of the region’s most ambitious developments,” said Ariel Aufgang, AIA, Principal of Aufgang Architects, which is based in Suffern. Aufgang is working in partnership with The Related Companies, the developer of Market Square and The Village.

“Our Aurae luxury division created something truly special here—a charming downtown that captures the essence of Hudson Valley living while providing important amenities and access for young professionals seeking an alternative to city life,” said Aufgang. “This project also showcases our urban planning expertise to create a community that enhances the quality of life for its residents.”

The downtown area, planned as Tuxedo Reserve’s Main Street, includes four mixed-use multifamily buildings totaling 93 upscale apartments.

Market Square and The Village, designed as the town center, will feature shopping, dining and year-round events. Amenities for the entire community include a high-end grocery and a café, a seasonal ice-skating rink that converts to public yoga and event space during warmer months, a pavilion for food trucks, surface parking and a state-of-the-art fitness center with a basketball court, dance and yoga studios. The complex also features a four-lane lap pool, with hot tub and children’s play area.

“Aurae, Aufgang’s luxury division, designed Market Square and the Village as an evolution in suburban living,” said Aufgang. “We’re creating spaces where residents can live and work, in a walkable downtown setting, amidst the natural beauty that makes the Hudson Valley so special.”

The four mixed-use buildings comprising Market Square and The Village feature three floors of one- and two-bedroom rental residential units, ranging from 700 to 1,400 square feet and 38,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The apartments are designed with appealing features, including spacious den areas and mudrooms with large entryway storage spaces for coats and outdoor gear.

The development embraces environmental sustainability with 100% electric buildings and integration with the surrounding Sterling Forest State Park, including connecting walking trails.

Sales for single-family homes and town homes will begin in 2025. Leasing for The Village at Tuxedo Reserve rental units will launch in 2026.

Link to Original Article:

Construction Begins on Massive Tuxedo Reserve Project in Lower Orange County

Construction Begins on Massive Tuxedo Reserve Project in Orange County NY

Construction Begins on Massive Tuxedo Reserve Project in Orange County NY

The downtown area, planned as Tuxedo Reserve's Main Street, includes four mixed-use multifamily buildings totaling 93 upscale apartments.

TUXEDO—Homebuilder Lennar and Related Companies broke ground earlier this month on the expansive and long-anticipated Tuxedo Reserve project here in Orange County.

“Tuxedo Reserve is one of the region’s most ambitious developments,” said Ariel Aufgang, AIA, Principal of Aufgang Architects, which is based in Suffern.

The downtown area, planned as Tuxedo Reserve’s Main Street, includes four mixed-use multifamily buildings totaling 93 upscale apartments.

Aufgang is working in partnership with The Related Companies, the developer of Market Square and The Village.

The development embraces environmental sustainability with 100% electric buildings and integration with the surrounding Sterling Forest State Park, including connecting walking trails.

Sales for single-family homes and town homes will begin in 2025. Leasing for The Village at Tuxedo Reserve rental units will launch in 2026.

Link to Original Article:

Construction Begins on Massive Tuxedo Reserve Project in Orange County NY

Construction Starts on Aufgang Luxury Division Designed Multi-Use Market Square and The Village Town Center at Tuxedo Reserve NY

Construction Starts on Aufgang Luxury Division Designed Multi-Use Market Square and The Village Town Center at Tuxedo Reserve NY

Construction has begun on the Aufgang Architects designed upscale multifamily residences, commercial and community space at Tuxedo Reserve, an innovative 1,200-acre mixed-use development that creates a vibrant community in the Hudson Valley.

“Tuxedo Reserve is one of the region’s most ambitious developments,” said Ariel Aufgang, AIA, Principal of Aufgang Architects in a press release.

The downtown area, planned as Tuxedo Reserve’s Main Street, includes four mixed-use multifamily buildings totaling 93 upscale apartments.

Aufgang is working in partnership with The Related Companies, the developer of Market Square and The Village.

Link to Original Article:

Construction Starts on Aufgang Luxury Division Designed Multi-Use Market Square and The Village Town Center at Tuxedo Reserve NY

Construction begins on Tuxedo Reserve by Aufgang Architects

Construction begins on Tuxedo Reserve by Aufgang Architects

Tuxedo, NY Construction has begun on the Aufgang Architects-designed upscale multifamily residences, commercial and community space at Tuxedo Reserve, a 1,200-acre mixed-use development community in the Hudson Valley.

“Tuxedo Reserve is one of the region’s most ambitious developments,” said Ariel Aufgang, AIA, principal of Aufgang Architects.

“Our Aurae luxury division created something truly special here — a charming downtown that captures the essence of Hudson Valley living while providing important amenities and access for young professionals seeking an alternative to city life,” said Aufgang. “This project also showcases our urban planning expertise to create a community that enhances the quality of life for its residents.”

The downtown area, planned as Tuxedo Reserve’s Main St., includes four mixed-use multifamily buildings totaling 93 upscale apartments.

Market Square and The Village, designed as the town center, will feature shopping, dining and year-round events. Amenities for the entire community include a high-end grocery and a café, a seasonal ice-skating rink that converts to public yoga and event space during warmer months, a pavilion for food trucks, surface parking and a fitness center with a basketball court, dance and yoga studios. The complex also features a four-lane lap pool, with hot tub and children’s play area.

Aufgang is working in partnership with The Related Companies, the developer of Market Square and The Village.

The four mixed-use buildings comprising Market Square and The Village feature three floors of one- and two-bedroom rental residential units, ranging from 700 to 1,400 s/f and 38,000 s/f of ground-floor commercial space. The apartments are designed with appealing features including spacious den areas and mudrooms with large entryway storage spaces for coats and outdoor gear.

The development embraces environmental sustainability with 100% electric buildings and integration with the surrounding Sterling Forest State Park, including connecting walking trails.

Construction is expected to be completed within 18 months.

Located off Orange Tpke. near the Sloatsburg border in Orange County, Tuxedo Reserve offers access to the city.

Link to Original Article:

Construction begins on Tuxedo Reserve by Aufgang Architects

Related Cos. Breaks Ground on Tuxedo Reserve in Hudson Valley

Related Cos. Breaks Ground on Tuxedo Reserve in Hudson Valley

TUXEDO, N.Y. — The Related Cos. has begun construction of Tuxedo Reserve, a 1,200-acre mixed-use project with 92 apartments in Tuxedo, about 40 miles northwest of Manhattan. The project, designed by Aufgang, includes a downtown area called Main Street with four buildings, including the multifamily units, as well as an area called Market Square and The Village that will include retail, restaurant and entertainment space. Completion is slated for approximately early 2027.

Amenities and future tenants at the project include a grocery store, café and a seasonal ice-skating rink that converts to public yoga and event space during warmer months, a pavilion for food trucks, surface parking and a fitness center with a basketball court and dance and yoga studios. The complex also features a four-lane lap pool, a hot tub and a children’s play area. .

Link to Original Article:

Related Cos. Breaks Ground on Tuxedo Reserve in Hudson Valley