June 2, 2016 By Jackie Strawbridge
The City is seeking developers to build a minimum of 750 apartments on the two southernmost land parcels of Hunters Point South.
The City Department of Housing Preservation and Development released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to developers on Thursday for mixed-use, mixed-income projects at Hunters Point South, the 30-acre waterfront development that will ultimately consist of 5,000 apartments.
There are seven land parcels in Hunters Point South that are being developed in phases. Parcels A and B, developed by Related Companies, were completed last year between 50th Avenue and Borden Avenue. Parcel C, between Borden avenue and 54th Avenue, is being developed by TF Cornerstone but has run into infrastructure problems underground.
The RFP released Thursday concerns Parcel F, a 32,500-square-foot plot located off of what will be Center Boulevard between 56th and 57th Avenues, and Parcel G, a 28,700-square-foot plot located just above Newtown Creek.
HPD is specifically seeking proposals for these sites that will create at least 750 mixed-income apartments, 60 percent of which must be permanently affordable up to 165% of Area Median Income, which is roughly an income of $130,000 for a family of three, according to Housing Development Corporation numbers. Preference will be given to developers who propose a higher percentage of affordable units, according to HPD.
Development proposals must include ground-floor commercial and/or community facility spaces in Parcel F along Center Boulevard, as well as publicly accessible open space, HPD stated. The agency also encourages projects with arts and cultural uses and community spaces that augment water-based recreation.
The City has already promised that a 600-seat school will be included in Parcel F, as the School Construction Authority announced in February.
“I’m extremely proud that this next phase of development will include a school, something the current and future residents of Hunters Point South desperately need,” Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer said in a statement. “Schools in Western Queens are already overcrowded, and as we welcome hundreds of additional families to our community, we also must make sure that all of our children have a safe place to learn.”
“This request for proposals will bring critically needed affordable housing to a Queens neighborhood that is in the middle of a major transformation,” HPD Commissioner Vicki Been said in a statement. “We are looking for dynamic ideas for these remaining City-owned sites at Hunter’s Point South, plans that incorporate not only affordable housing for families with a mix of incomes, but also resilient designs, and thoughtful features and amenities that enhance the entire community and complement the significant work already done in the Hunter’s Point South area.”
Developers have until Sept. 1 to respond to HPD’s RFP.
