DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

Noteworthy Affordable Housing Projects In Harlem And Jamaica, Queens, Developed By Public-Private Partnerships Led By The Housing Partnership

The noteworthy affordable housing projects developed in 2022 by public-private partnerships led by the Housing Partnership include Marcus Garvey Plaza in Harlem and the T Building Apartments in Jamaica, Queens.

T Building Apartments

The T Building Apartments

The T Building Apartments is a historic renovation project that transformed a former hospital building in Jamaica, Queens into 199 units of affordable rental housing. It includes an 8,700 square foot youth opportunity center operated by the non-profit Commonpoint Queens. The total project development budget was approximately $111 million.

Located at 82-41 Parsons Boulevard, the building includes studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

Qualifying income for the affordable units ranges from 60% to 100% of Area Median Income. Seventy-five of the studio apartments are designated as supportive housing for single adults receiving project-based Section 8 rental subsidies. On-site supportive services are provided.

Built in the late 1930s, the T Building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original marble-clad lobby was restored and the wood-paneled former medical library now serves as a computer room for building residents. Other amenities include:

• A 24-hour staffed reception desk
• a community room
• a 10^th floor exercise room with sweeping views
• on-site laundry room
• bike storage
• 100 resident parking spaces
• a live-in superintendent
• extensive outdoor access including two accessible roof terraces for recreational use, a secluded rear patio, a children’s playground and fully landscaped grounds

The T Building has received extensive recognition including the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, the New York State Association for Affordable Housing Project of the Year Award, the New York State Historic Preservation Award for Excellence in Historic Building Rehabilitation and the Queens Chamber of Commerce Building Award for Rehabilitation, Re-adaptive Use.

Rendering of Marcus Garvey Plaza. Source: Carthage Advisors

Marcus Garvey Plaza

Marcus Garvey Plaza Apartments is a new 169-unit affordable rental building located at 212 West 124 Street in Harlem. The total project development cost is approximately $100 million.

Qualifying income ranges from 37% to 67% of Area Median Income.

It is one of three buildings–and the second to be completed–comprising Marcus Garvey Village, a racially and economically diverse community. This project, which is situated on the last large-scale development parcel south of 125^th Street in Harlem, is a critical addition to the City’s affordable housing stock.

Amenities include on-site resident parking, bike room, and a lounge and rooftop outdoor entertainment space.

Marcus Garvey Village is the site of the LGBTQ Center of Harlem in the third building when it is completed. The 3,000 square foot Center will include offices, a drop-in medical clinic, a food pantry, programs including transgender- and senior-specific initiatives, program rooms, a library with rare LGBTQ history archives and a café and lounge.

The Housing Partnership partnered with Carthage Real Estate Advisors on Marcus Garvey Plaza. Founded in Harlem in 1999 by Edward Poteat, Carthage is a leading developer of workforce and affordable income housing in the Tri-State/New York City Area, working with private investment clients, not-for-profits and municipalities to produce supportive housing. Its portfolio encompasses mixed-income, mixed-use and affordable preservation projects. A Black-owned firm, Carthage  has developed more than 1,500 units of affordable housing with a total budget close to $350 million.

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