Last week, an affordable housing lottery opened for 114 newly constructed units in two separate nine-story buildings. One is located at 909 Atlantic Ave., the other at 1043 Fulton St. Together, according to the lottery listing, they are called the Athena Apartments.
The buildings are part of the controversial redevelopment of the Cadman Plaza Library in Brooklyn Heights, where the developer, Hudson Companies, struck a deal to build affordable housing at two off-site locations in Clinton Hill.
There are 55 studios, 32 one-bedroom units, 22 two-bedroom units and five three-bedroom units. Monthly rents start at $896 and top out at $2,952.
A question we always ask: is this really affordable? Here, the answer is yes, but only for some of the units.
Under the city’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program required for rezoned properties, the lottery is set at an area median income range of 60 percent for 23 of the units, 80 percent for 60 of the units and 130 percent for the remaining 31 units. Eligible incomes range between $32,675 and $172,120 for households of one to seven people.
According to building permits, there are a total of 78 units in the Atlantic Avenue building and 37 units in the Fulton Street building. That leaves one additional unit that could be for a building superintendent.
There will be outdoor recreation spaces at the two buildings, as well as fitness rooms for tenants, construction permits show. The building on Fulton Street will have retail space on the ground floor, while the Atlantic Avenue building will not.
Jonathan Marvel, who designed the under-construction Brooklyn Heights library and condo tower at 1 Clinton St., is listed as the architect of both affordable buildings. His firm, Marvel Architects, is responsible for a number of prominent designs in the borough, including St. Ann’s Warehouse, Pierhouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park and the 1.7-acre Naval Cemetery Memorial Landscape in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Applications for the affordable housing lottery must be submitted by October 16, 2019. Apply through NYC Housing Connect. To learn more about how to apply for affordable housing, read Brownstoner’s guide.
This story first appeared on Brownstoner.com, one of our sister publications.
