NYC Reveals 698-Unit Affordable Housing Plan for East Harlem, With 298 Supportive Homes

• NYC’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and Department of Homeless Services (DHS) are advancing a two-tower affordable housing project at 22 East 119th Street in East Harlem.
• The development will deliver 698 income-restricted apartments, including 298 supportive housing units.
• Designed by Magnusson Architecture & Planning, the 23- and 25-story buildings will rise on a city-owned site spanning East 118th and 119th Streets.
• Plans were certified on October 26, with HPD set to select a developer. No construction timeline has been announced.

East Harlem Affordable Housing Development Moves Forward

New renderings have been revealed for 22 East 119th Street, a proposed 698-unit affordable housing development in Manhattan’s East Harlem neighborhood. The project is being advanced jointly by NYC’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development and Department of Homeless Services. The two-tower project will add substantial income-restricted housing to a city-owned block bounded by East 118th and 119th Streets and Madison and Fifth Avenues. The proposal also includes supportive housing, with on-site services provided by Volunteers of America.

Two Towers Planned With 698 Affordable Apartments

Magnusson Architecture & Planning designed the 23- and 25-story buildings with coordinated façades featuring light and dark gray metal panels, floor-to-ceiling windows, stepped setbacks and landscaped terraces. Large photovoltaic canopies are planned atop both towers. The development will include 698 homes affordable at 70% of area median income (AMI). Of those, 298 apartments will be designated as supportive housing, providing housing alongside services for residents who need additional support. The site includes a surface parking lot and the existing six-story Veterans Residence shelter. The shorter 23-story tower will be built first on the parking lot footprint. Residents of Veterans Residence are expected to move into the new tower before the existing shelter is demolished to make way for the second building.

City-Owned Site Advances Through Rezoning

The project’s plans were certified on October 26, including a rezoning of the block from R7-2 to R10. The next step is for HPD to select a developer. Additional details, including a construction schedule, have not yet been announced. The proposed development will rise around a holdout property, The Gloria Apartments at 9 East 118th Street, which remains within the block’s footprint.

Supportive Housing and Transit Access Shape the Project

The site is near the 116th Street stations serving the 6 train on Lexington Avenue and the 2 and 3 trains on Lenox Avenue. Marcus Garvey Park is one block north, adding nearby open space to the neighborhood setting. For New York housing stakeholders, the project illustrates the city’s effort to leverage public land for high-density affordable and supportive housing. The combination of 698 income-restricted homes and phased construction could expand housing capacity while allowing the existing shelter to remain operational during the first stage. With rezoning certification complete, the immediate milestone is developer selection. The project’s financing and construction timeline remain to be determined.