Housing lottery opens for 50 rent-stabilized apartments in Gowanus
- Households that earn $33,772 to $218,010 are eligible to apply, and rents start at $888 for a studio
- The 193-unit building has a roof terrace, recreation room, gym, pool, and bike storage lockers
Housing lottery applications are open for 50 rent-stabilized apartments at a new development in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Households that earn $33,772 to $218,010 are eligible to apply, depending on the size of the household. Rents start at $888 for a studio.
The building at 655 Union St. has a roof terrace, recreation room, gym, pool, and bike storage lockers. It’s located near the Union Street subway station serving the D, N, R, and W lines.
Developers Avery Hall and Gindi Capital bought the lot at the corner of Raul Vasquez Jr. Pl. and Fourth Avenue in 2019—when it was then a small gas station, according to the duo and Department of Finance records. The 193-unit building was completed after part of Gowanus was rezoned to allow for more housing in 2021.
The apartments are set aside for New Yorkers earning from 40 to 130 percent of the area median income—a metric that depends on the number of people you live with. Currently the AMI for New York City is $124,300 for a two-person household. The apartments available include studios as well as one- and two-bedroom apartments.
There are 18 one-bedroom apartments available for households earning from $50,915 to $83,880. The rent for these apartments is $1,388 per month.
The developers have set aside 20 percent of the rent-stabilized apartments for applicants who already live in the area. Future lotteries will use a lower ratio as a result of a lawsuit settlement, which claimed the practice of community preference perpetuates segregation and violates the Fair Housing Act. Check out: "NYC agrees to cut percentage of housing lottery units set aside for nearby residents."
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 Dec. 23rd.
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.
