City seeks developer to create 50 units of affordable housing at former Landmarks salvage site

June 29, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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WILLIAMSBURG — As part of an ongoing effort to construct new affordable housing in the city, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is seeking a developer for a former warehouse site in Williamsburg.

HPD Commissioner Mathew Wambua said the department has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the property, the former Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) salvage warehouse at 337 Berry St., between South 4th and South 5th streets.

The LPC warehouse served as a repository for fixtures and ornaments reclaimed from buildings across the city and was meant to encourage New Yorkers to reuse them, according to Wambua. The program was discontinued in 2000.

According to Wambua, the goal is to create approximately 50 units of low-income rental housing there along with new ground-floor commercial and/or community space, plus open space for use by the future tenants — and, basically, “to transform this city-owned property into a thriving mixed-use property.”

All of the units must be affordable to households earning not more than 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), as adjusted by household size. This is equivalent to an annual income of approximately $46,500 for a single person or $66,440 for a family of four.

“This RFP is a prime example of city agencies working together to put our resources to the best use while continuing the growth and revitalization of this community,” said Wambua.

Developers have the latitude to propose a range in affordability with multiple tiers appropriate to their overall proposal, said Wambua, who noted that at least one principal of the selected development team must also be locally-based.

The submission deadline is Friday, Aug. 31.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the complete RFP, please visit www.nyc.gov/hpd.