NYCHA files plans for 160-unit building in Chelsea

New building to sit on 6.27-acre Robert Fulton Houses

From left: NYCHA Chair Shola Olatoye and Mayor Bill de Blasio
From left: NYCHA Chair Shola Olatoye and Mayor Bill de Blasio

As it looks to draw private development to city-owned land, the New York City Housing Authority has filed plans to construct a new 160-unit apartment building in Chelsea.

It’s unclear if a private developer will be involved in the construction, or if the 18-story building at 401 West 18th Street will be part of the Robert Fulton Houses, an 11-building public housing complex.

Located between Ninth and 10th avenues, the new building will measure 122,955 square feet and will house a 4,500-square-foot community facility, according to building permits filed with the city’s Department of Buildings on Thursday. Along with 92 bicycle spots, the building’s roof will have a tenant recreation area, filings show.

The Robert Fulton Houses sit on 6.27 acres between West 16th and 19th streets, and the complex currently has 11 buildings with a total of 945 apartments. Built in the 1960s, about 2,200 residents live there, according to reports.

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Amid financial shortfalls, NYCHA is pushing for “infill development,” partnering with private developers to build on land within public housing complexes. Earlier this year, NYCHA CEO Shola Olatoye said the “NextGen” plan is expected to bring in $300 million to $600 million in additional revenue to the beleaguered, debt-ridden agency.

So far, the city has disclosed plans for developments at Wyckoff Gardens in Boerum Hill, Holmes Towers on the Upper West Side, Ingersoll in Fort Greene, Van Dyke in Brownsville and Mill Brook in Mott Haven.

No such plans have been announced at the Robert Fulton Houses, but its one of the earliest complexes to welcome private development: A decade ago, Taconic and the Related Companies built the Caledonia, a 24-story condo-rental building at 450 West 17th Street.