In January, Mayor Eric Adams announced plans to redevelop a parking lot in Inwood. But the project has been years in the making.
The proposal was part of his administration’s pledge to advance 24 affordable housing projects in 2024.
On Wednesday, without the mayor, officials gathered in the parking lot at 4095 Ninth Avenue to announce the release of a request for proposals to build 570 affordable housing units on the site.
“We’re facing an important moment in our history where we will either continue to be a competitive global city, or we will regress if we don’t increase the housing supply, the affordable housing supply,” Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrión said during a press conference at the site.
A podium reading “Affordable Housing for all New Yorkers in every neighborhood” was set up on asphalt overrun with grass and goldenrod flowers. I was asked to sign a waiver before entering, in case, I guess, I decided to break out my roller skates. But the possibilities for the site are apparent: It is an empty, city-owned waterfront lot in Manhattan, a six-minute walk from No. 1 train stations at 215th and 225th streets.
“This is a perfect spot for housing,” Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said, noting that the path to Wednesday’s announcement has been challenging. “It’s been a fight. This was complicated.”
The city has been working to redevelop this site for more than eight years. The one-acre plot was once home to a City Ice and Fuel warehouse, then was a parking lot for Spectrum. It has sat unused for the past six years. The city initially only owned the waterfront portion of the site, but reached a deal with Spectrum’s parent, Charter Communications, to acquire the portion of the lot that has street access.
The city pledged to invest in the site as part of the 2018 Inwood rezoning that paved the way for more residential construction in a largely manufacturing area north of Thayer Street. Levine said he hopes more housing can be built in areas that are largely zoned for manufacturing, including 12th Avenue in West Harlem and the Garment District.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat and Council member Carmen De La Rosa also spoke at the event. Maria Torres-Springer, on her first full day as first deputy mayor, was supposed to attend, but got stuck in traffic.
Torres-Springer will still oversee housing and economic development. When I asked about this dual role and what it would mean for projects like this one, as well as for the staff at HPD (in terms of extra workload), Carrión did not really answer my question but sang his boss’ praises.
“She is a person of incredible integrity and tremendous experience, a history of having worked with three mayoral administrations, in almost every capacity, including my job today,” he said. “I think it is a win for us and all our projects to have a first deputy mayor, to be in her portfolio.
Housing will continue to be in her portfolio, so we’re very excited about that.”
The RFP is due Jan. 8. Proposals can be multiple buildings, so long as all housing is affordable (it can include homeownership options). The development must also include a STEM-focused community facility and publicly accessible waterfront with open space. It can also include commercial space.
What we’re thinking about: Will state Attorney General Letitia James run for mayor? Send a note to kathryn@therealdeal.com.
A thing we’ve learned: Cambridge University is expected to publish eight volumes of the complete works of gothic writer Ann Radcliffe.
Elsewhere in New York…
— The city is considering turning areas beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway into public spaces, Gothamist reports. A 154-page report by the Department of Transportation lays out options for various intersections, and floats building parks and public spaces above the roadway by capping the trenched sections of the highway in Carroll Gardens, Williamsburg and Bay Ridge.
— Voters may not be keen to elect another mayor who was brought down by scandal, as Andrew Cuomo was as governor. That’s according to a memo by an adviser to former Comptroller Scott Stringer, who is vying for the job, Politico New York reports. Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said the memo was “premature.” Stringer, incidentally, crashed and burned in the 2021 mayoral race because of a scandal. He is now suing his accuser.
— The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation on Tuesday released the “Great Trees of New York City,” a list of 120 of the city’s “most significant trees that stand out as unique symbols of our diverse urban forest.” This is the first such list released since 1985.
Closing Time
Residential: Wednesday’s priciest residential sale was $4.5 million for a 2,778-square-foot condominium at 224 West 18th Street in Chelsea. Daren Herzberg of Compass had the listing.
Commercial: The largest commercial sale of the day was $50.5 million for three multifamily properties totaling 101 residential units and 67,594 square feet. The properties include 300 West 12th Street, 240 West 15th Street, and 5 Jones Street. Page Management sold the properties to Abraham Sanieoff.
New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market was $15.3 million for a 4,614-square-foot condominium at 180 East 88th Street in Carnegie Hill. Michael Gordon of the Corcoran Group has the listing. — Matthew Elo