Affordable Housing

Housing lottery launches for 134 rent-stabilized apartments in Far Rockaway

  • New Yorkers who earn $24,480 to $154,080 are eligible to apply and rents start at $617 for a one bedroom
  • The new development at 5123 Beach Channel Dr. replaced the former Peninsula Hospital Center
Celia Young Headshot
By Celia Young  |
May 2, 2024 - 9:30AM
A rendering of the building at 5123 Beach Channel Dr.

A rendering of the building at 5123 Beach Channel Dr.

NYC Housing Connect

Housing lottery applications are open for 134 rent-stabilized apartments at a new development in Far Rockaway, Queens. New Yorkers who earn $24,480 to $154,080 are eligible to apply, depending on the size of the household. Rents start at $617 for a one-bedroom apartment.

The building at 5123 Beach Channel Dr. has laundry facilities, elevators, parking, and a mailroom, according to NYC Housing Connect and the city. It’s located near the Beach 44th Street station with service to the A train.

Developed by the Arker Companies and Slate Property Group, the property is part of an 11-building project that will include 2,050 affordable and middle-income apartments, including some units set-aside for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness and those with developmental disabilities, according to the Mayor’s office. It replaced the former Peninsula Hospital Center.

A rendering of one of the kitchens inside the building at 5123 Beach Channel Dr.
Caption

A photo of one of the kitchens inside 5123 Beach Channel Dr., also known as Edgemere Commons.

Credit

NYC Housing Connect

The apartments are set aside for New Yorkers earning from 30 to 80 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 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. 

There are 49 one-bedroom apartments available for households earning from $51,703 to $83,880. The rent for these apartments is $1,411. 

The developers have set aside 50 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 2 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 June 10th.

A photo of one of the bathrooms inside the building at 5123 Beach Channel Dr.
Caption

A photo of one of the bathrooms inside the Far Rockaway building.

Credit

NYC Housing Connect

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.

Celia Young Headshot

Celia Young

Senior Writer

Celia Young is a senior writer at Brick Underground where she covers New York City residential real estate. She graduated from Brandeis University and previously covered local business at the Milwaukee Business Journal, entertainment at Madison Magazine, and commercial real estate at Commercial Observer. She currently resides in Brooklyn.

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.

topics: