An affordable housing lottery launches for 282 apartments in Far Rockaway

Housing lottery applications are open for 282 rent-stabilized apartments at a new development at Rockaway Village Apartments in Queens. New Yorkers who earn $16,252 to $140,080 are eligible to apply, depending on the size of the household. Rents start at $388 for a studio.

The pet-friendly building at 1626 Village Lane has a gym, playground, party room, and outdoor terrace. The rent-stabilized apartments are spread out over four buildings. There are three towers with elevator access and one building with 26 duplex units. A supermarket is also planned for the site. The apartments have dishwashers and stainless-steel energy efficient appliances. 

The apartments are set aside for New Yorkers earning from 30 to 80 percent of the AMI—a metric that depends on how many people you live with. Currently the AMI for New York City is $106,800 for a two-person household. The apartments available include studios as well as one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. 

There are 47 one-bedroom apartments available for households earning from $51,326 to  $101,680. The rent for these apartments is $1,399. 

The developers have set aside 50 percent of the rent-stabilized apartments for applicants who already live in the area. Another 5 percent of the apartments will be preferentially given to NYC employees. A small percentage of the apartments are also set aside for residents with mobility, vision, and hearing needs. 

Applications must be submitted online or postmarked no later than August 1st.

If you’re interested and think you might qualify for one of these apartments, you can create a profile and apply online via NYC Housing Connect. For details on this particular lottery, click here. Don’t apply more than once, or you could be disqualified.

Winning a rent-stabilized apartment can be life changing: Rent increases are capped and lease renewals are automatic, providing long-term stability for NYC renters. Need more information on how the housing lottery works? Check out “6 steps for applying to NYC's affordable housing lottery.”

For some advice from successful applicants read “How to land a rental apartment through NYC's affordable housing lottery.” And if you or someone you know is having trouble with the application process, consider reaching out to a housing ambassador in the community.

Note: Brick Underground is in no way affiliated with New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development or the Housing Development Corporation. If you are interested in applying to these or other affordable housing developments, please go to NYC Housing Connect for information and instructions.

Have you successfully won an apartment through the affordable housing lottery? If you have first-person advice to share about the process, we’d love to hear from you. Please send us an email. We respect all requests for anonymity.