The Rockaways nonprofit Residents Acquiring Land Edgemere Community Land Trust (ReAL Edgemere CLT) revealed its Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on Friday, June 7, inviting affordable housing developers who meet these qualifications to partner in creating more than 100 affordable homes to 32 development sites in Edgemere.
In addition to creating resilient homeownership opportunities, this RFQ is also meant to bring community spaces and retail to the lots that have been vacant for multiple decades under the ownership of the city. ReAL Edgemere CLT said the RFQ was formed based on feedback received at three different community workshops held between April and September of 2023. Community members in attendance emphasized a need for deep public subsidies to account for flood insurance and the average incomes of the neighborhood, which is well below the area median income.
“This is a big step forward for Edgemere,” ReAL Edgemere CLT Board Member Alexis Foote said. “Community control means community choice, and this RFQ makes sure that residents are at the center deciding who gets to bring new development into the neighborhood.”
As ReAL Edgemere CLT acquires the properties, a development partner brings financial capacity and construction management experience. Prospective development partners must submit their RFQ applications here no later than July 12. Once the RFQ process is completed, ReAL Edgemere CLT will work towards negotiating a joint venture agreement with the selected development partner and work in cooperation with city and state housing agencies to secure the financing needed to develop the housing.
“Every New Yorker has the right to safe, stable and permanent housing,” said New York City Council Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, whose jurisdiction includes Edgemere. “This RFQ brings us closer to providing more affordable housing options to Edgemere and empowers resident voices. It is critical that residents play a role in shaping how land in our community is developed.”
Founded in 2021, ReAL Edgemere CLT is a not-for-profit led by and focused on the Edgemere community. Its main purpose is to help steward the development of open space and affordable housing in the area. The community land trust was chosen through a competitive solicitation run by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development to transform several city-owned lots into flood-resilient affordable homes and open spaces, keeping with the 2017 Resilient Edgemere community plan and the 2020 Resilient Edgemere Progress Report.
