Affordable Housing

The waiting list is opening up for 'affordable' apartments at Riverton Square in East Harlem

By Nathan Tempey  | November 29, 2017 - 3:30PM

The waiting list is opening up for a longstanding affordable housing complex in East Harlem through the city housing lottery. 

Starting on Thursday, November 30th, the city is taking applications for the list at Riverton Square, a 1,229-apartment, seven building complex between 135th and 138th streets, and between Fifth Avenue and the Harlem River.

The development opened after World War II. Built by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, which also built Stuyvesant Town, Riverton was last sold in 2015. Like Stuy Town, Riverton recently went through a wave of aggressive deregulation followed by a city deal to preserve many of its apartments as income-restricted. Under the terms of the deal, 975 of the apartments have to be set aside for middle- and working-class renters for the next 28 years.

City housing administrators say that of the eligible applicants, 7,500 will be randomly selected to be put on a waiting list. The list opened for applications last year. The city evidently had a tough time drawing applicants at the upper income level (this has been a recurring problem at housing lottery buildings around the city, prompting criticism that the lottery tax breaks programs do not provide enough lower-income apartments) because that's who is being sought to apply now.

This particular round of openings is for people making around 110 percent of the area median income, or $69,416-$121,730 in household income, with one, two, and three bedrooms renting from $1,968-$2,729.

More details on the income requirements are here: 

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The southwest corner of the complex is one long block from the 135th Street 2 and 3 station.

If you're interested and think you might qualify for one of these buildings, you can create a profile and apply online via NYC Housing Connect. Don't apply more than once, or you could be disqualified.

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 this or other affordable housing developments, please go to the NYC Housing Connect website for information and instructions.

 

 

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