City Partners Celebrate Opening of New Affordable Apartments at the Elliott-Chelsea in Manhattan

April 7, 2012 - PRLog -- Marc Jahr, President of the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), Mathew Wambua, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) http://www.nyc.gov/nycha Chairman John Rhea http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/about/NYCHA-Chairman-John-B-Rhea.shtml joined representatives of Artimus Construction and Citi Community Capital at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Elliott-Chelsea on West 25th Street and 9th Avenue in Manhattan. The new construction development adds 168 units of affordable housing for low- to middle-income families to the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The $65 million development was funded through public and private partnerships and is located on land provided by NYCHA, which was previously used as a parking lot for neighboring NYCHA properties – Elliott and Chelsea Houses.

This partnership between the agencies is part of a collaboration which was announced in April 2005 in an innovative effort to identify underutilized NYCHA properties and, when suitable, work to develop them as affordable homes for low-income New Yorkers. The HPD/NYCHA collaboration has already produced more than 2,200 units with another 1,600 in construction or in the development pipeline; for a total of more than 3,800 affordable units.

The HPD/NYCHA collaboration highlights the Bloomberg Administration’s commitment to working across agencies to maximize city resources for the benefit of hardworking New Yorkers. The Elliott-Chelsea development was created under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan (NHMP). The Plan is a multi-billion dollar initiative to finance 165,000 units of affordable housing for half a million New Yorkers by 2014. To date, the Plan has funded the creation or preservation of over 129,600 units of affordable housing across the five boroughs with 7,100 units in Manhattan Community Board 4 where Elliot-Chelsea is located.  

“The New York City Housing Authority is committed to providing affordable housing opportunities for low to medium-income New Yorkers,” said NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea. “The new Elliott-Chelsea development is in line with the Authority’s strategic Plan NYCHA http://www.plannycha.org/ , which includes a long-term development strategy for the entire NYCHA portfolio, including all land and development assets that could potentially accommodate new housing. Through key partnerships such as these, we are able to maximize the use of our land to develop affordable and mixed-income housing for many more New Yorkers in need.”

“The Elliot Chelsea development is another contribution to our efforts to realize the ambitious goals of the Mayor's New Housing Marketplace plan, strengthen our collaborative efforts with HPD and NYCHA, while helping to preserve Community Board 4 and Chelsea's great diversity,” said Marc Jahr, President of HDC.

“This neighborhood epitomizes the fabric of New York and the factors that contribute to making it a world class urban center. In one of the most desirable communities in the City you have the residents of NYCHA’s public housing, HPD’s affordable housing, and private luxury buildings all calling Chelsea home,” said HPD Commissioner Mathew M. Wambua. “We are proof that neighborhoods can and should be diverse and have space for families with a broad diversity of incomes and backgrounds. This is not about one or the other – it’s about the whole. It is what makes this city great, and it is a lesson the rest of the country can take from New York.”

Elliott-Chelsea is a 168 unit 22-story building located at 401 West 25th Street on the corner of 9th Avenue in Chelsea.  Each unit features hardwood floors, central cooling and heating, stainless steel appliances, video intercoms and granite countertops. In keeping with HPD’s energy-efficient guidelines, this development features Energy Star appliances, energy efficient light fixtures, and plumbing fixtures. Residents have access to onsite parking, laundry facilities and a green rooftop terrace that features modern furniture and planters. Since the new building replaced a NYCHA parking lot, the 26 underground parking spaces will be available for rent at prevailing NYCHA rates to residents of neighboring Elliott and Chelsea Houses.

The Elliott and Chelsea Houses, NYCHA owned properties, were completed in 1947 and 1964 respectively. Elliott Houses is named after John Lovejoy Elliott (1868 – 1942). Elliott fell in love with the Chelsea neighborhood in the West Side of Manhattan and dedicated his life to the people living there. He was a major force in getting the Chelsea and Elliott developments built. He founded the Hudson Guild, a neighborhood settlement house that still provides activities and a summer camp program for youngsters in the area. Elliott was a senior leader of the Ethical Culture Society where he taught ethics. John Lovejoy Elliott Houses consists of four buildings, 11 and 12-stories tall with 607 apartments. The 4.70-acre Manhattan development is bordered by West 25th Street, Ninth and Tenth Avenues, and Chelsea Park. Chelsea Houses has two 21-story buildings with 425 apartments. The 1.93-acre Manhattan development is on Ninth Avenue between West 25th and West 26th Streets. The newly developed Elliott-Chelsea shares a name with the longtime neighborhood Houses.

Elliott-Chelsea’s 168 housing units include 40 studios, 39 one-bedrooms, 84 two-bedrooms and five three-bedrooms. The units are mixed-income and are reserved for very low-, low- and   middle-income tenants. Limits are set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and are determined by the 2009 AMI calculations for this development. Twenty-eight units are designated for families earning no more than 50 percent Area Median Income (AMI), or $38,400 for a family of four. Six of these units serve families earning no more than 40 percent of AMI, or $30,720 for a family of four.  Twenty of the building’s units serve households earning 125 percent AMI ($99,000 for a family of four), but can be rented to households earning up to 160 percent of the 2009 AMI ($126,720). The development’s remaining 113 units are income restricted with 58 units reserved for households earning up to 165 percent of AMI ($126,720 for a family of four) and 55 units available to households earning up to 195 percent of AMI ($149,760 for a family of four).

Residents of this development applied for housing through an open lottery system to ensure fair and equitable distribution of housing to eligible applicants. Applications are sent to building managers and/or real estate professionals directly and the selection process is reviewed by HDC. To date, about 10 units with NYCHA resident preference are still available for rent at Elliott-Chelsea. All other units have been filled. Information on upcoming availabilities in affordable housing developments can be found on the HPD and HDC websites.

Artimus Construction served as both developer and general contractor for this new construction. New York based GF55 Partners was the sites architecture firm. Selection of the development team for this site was conducted through a Request for Proposal (RFP). Preference was given to developers who proposed the greatest amount of affordability with competitive acquisition prices and the least amount of City subsidies, while maintaining the highest standards in sustainable design and quality of construction.

“This development is the result of a collaborative effort between the City of New York, Citi Community Capital, and Artimus Construction, said Robert Ezrapour, Principal of Artimus Construction, Inc. “It showcases both the challenges and rewards of such an undertaking to today’s challenging economy.”