NYCHA seeks developers for ‘unused land’ at Lower East Side complex

The beleaguered New York City Housing Authority is charging forward with its NextGen Neighborhoods program, which will bring mixed-income housing to so-called “underused” sites at complexes on the Upper East Side and in Boerum Hill, among other neighborhoods.

And this week, NYCHA and the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development released a request for proposals for a similar project at the LaGuardia Houses in the Two Bridges area of the Lower East Side (h/t The Lo-Down). The proposed site is “approximately 18,000 square feet and bounded by Madison Street, the NYCHA campus and the Little Flower Playground,” according to HPD.

The RFP calls for building as many as 400 apartments, which would be split 50-50 between market-rate and affordable units (which would be designated for those making at or below 60 percent of the area median income). As with the other NextGen Neighborhoods programs, the market-rate apartments are intended as money-makers for NYCHA, with any revenue going toward repairs for the La Guardia houses or other properties.

The RFP also addresses community concerns, namely the need for public space and programs that address issues like the lack of access to affordable food options. (The Lower East Side’s Pathmark, which closed to make way for a new affordable housing building, was once just a few blocks away.)

The new building will bring even more market-rate apartments to a neighborhood that’s soon to be flooded with them: The La Guardia Houses are just a few blocks away from the four massive developments coming to Two Bridges, including Extell’s One Manhattan Square and JDS Development’s 77-story rental on Cherry Street.

• City Seeks Proposals For Large New Residential Project at La Guardia Houses [The Lo-Down]