Housing lottery opens for 85 rent-stabilized apartments in Brownsville
- Households that earn $37,543 to $115,560 are eligible to apply, and rents start at $1,095 for a studio
- The building at 326 Rockaway Ave. has a gym, laundry room, and playroom, and all utilities are included
The development replaced a single-story warehouse at the corner of East New York and Rockaway avenues.
Housing lottery applications are open for 85 rent-stabilized apartments at a new development in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn. Households that earn $37,543 to $115,560 are eligible to apply, depending on the number of people you live with. Rents start at $1,095 for a studio apartment.
The building at 326 Rockaway Ave, has a gym, recreation room, playroom, community center, yoga studio, shared laundry room, and bike storage lockers. There are no fees for these amenities, and as a bonus, all utilities are included in the rent. The building is located just under a mile north of the Rockaway Avenue subway station serving the 2, 3, 4, and 5 trains.
Developed by RiseBoro Community Partnership and Slate Property Group, the 14-story building holds 215 apartments total, according to RiseBoro. Of those units, 130 apartments are reserved for formerly homeless families and young adults.
The development was built to meet Passive House energy standards, a set of design principals that lower a building's carbon footprint, according to RiseBoro. It also sports solar panels.
The apartments are set aside for New Yorkers earning from 50 to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI)—a metric that depends on how many 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-, two-, and three-bedroom units.
There are 34 one-bedroom apartments available for households earning from $46,903 to $69,900. The rent for these apartments is $1,368.
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 May 5th.
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.
