Housing lottery launches for 125 rent-stabilized apartments at former JFK airport hotel
- Households that earn $26,880 to $100,620 are eligible to apply. Rents start at $784 for a studio
- The building at 143-06 135th Ave. has a gym, security guard, community center, and shared laundry room
- Once the JFK Hilton Hotel, the affordable housing development now holds 317 apartments total
Housing lottery applications are open for 125 rent-stabilized apartments at the former JFK Hilton Hotel in the South Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens. Households that earn $26,880 to $100,620 are eligible to apply, depending on the number of people you live with. Rents start at $784 for a studio.
The building at 143-06 135th Ave. has a gym, community center, and shared laundry room. It’s located near John F. Kennedy airport, and about two and a half miles south of the Jamaica stop on the Long Island Rail Road.
Developed by RiseBoro Community Partnership and Slate Property Group, the 12-story building once served as the JFK Hilton hotel. It’s the first hotel to be converted into permanently affordable housing under a 2021 state law that encouraged hotel-to-residential conversions after the pandemic decimated city tourism, according to an NYC press release.
The completed project holds 217 apartments, with 192 residences reserved for formerly homeless individuals, according to developer RiseBoro, which dubbed the property the Baisley Pond Park Residences.
The rent-stablized 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 units available include studios, one-, and two-bedroom apartments.
There are 83 studio apartments available for households earning from $34,149 to $74,580. The rent for these apartments is $996 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 May 19th.
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.
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