City Releases RFP for 35-Story ‘NextGen’ Housing Tower at LaGuardia Houses
That new 35-story tower at the LaGuardia Houses on the Lower East Side is one step closer to happening. The city last week released its Request for Proposals (“RFP”) to construct another beast of a development near the waterfront.
As previously reported, the cash-strapped agency is proposing the mixed-income rental tower as part of their NextGen Neighborhoods Program to activate “underutilized” spaces on NYCHA land. In this case, it’s the slip of land that functions as parking lot and home to a trash compactor – equating to “approximately 18,000 square feet and bounded by Madison Street, the NYCHA campus and the Little Flower Playground,” according to HPD.
The city is calling for nearly 500 apartments in the tower (at 50-50 affordable to market-rate mix), plus a ground-floor community facility. The new construction will occupy the “underutilized” plot.
Submission deadline is June 1, and the city will choose the winner shortly thereafter, with their decision based on how closely the developers mirror the concerns of the community. Funny, since there hasn’t been much outreach since last June.
LaGuardia Houses was selected for the NextGen program given its high repair needs, available land, and revenue potential. At present, the city estimates $70 million in capital repairs are required to rehabilitate the 60-year-old buildings. Apartment interiors and exteriors comprise the lion’s share of that estimate at $36 million and $19 million respectively. Six of the nine buildings in the complex were damaged during Hurricane Sandy, and will reportedly receive $26 million for said repairs.
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