Council’s approval builds on record of advancing new housing to address affordability crisis

City Hall, NY – Today, the New York City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and Committee on Land Use voted to approve the One45 for Harlem rezoning in Council Member Yusef Salaam’s district. The Council successfully negotiated an agreement that will result in the creation of 1,000 new units of housing, 338 of which will be affordable, in addition to a range of community benefits for the surrounding neighborhood. The Council secured 126 affordable units at an average of 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), 122 units at an average of 80% of the AMI, and 90 units of affordable senior housing. The project will return to the City Planning Commission for scope approval prior to being voted on by the full Council.

“At a moment when New Yorkers in every neighborhood desperately need more affordable homes, the Council is confronting this crisis by approving the creation of new housing that meets the needs of our diverse communities,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “The revised One45 project, negotiated by Council Member Salaam and approved by the Council’s Land Use committees, will deliver hundreds of affordable units and a range of community benefits and investments to support Harlem residents and all New Yorkers. As residents are facing an affordability crisis that makes it harder to live in our city, it remains critical that our city takes action to build housing and help working families stay in New York. As this project advances, we must ensure it fulfills the promise of supporting the surrounding community and easing the strains facing Harlem residents. I thank Council Member Salaam, Land Use Chair Salamanca, and Zoning and Franchises Chair Riley for their partnership to get this project across the finish line.”

“After years of very real struggle and hard, yet honest conversations, One45 presents a housing development that has Harlem and our needs at the center,” said Council Member Yusef Salaam. “I am proud to say that today, we approved a project that places Harlem and the needs of Harlemites at its core. This project is aimed at stopping the flight of middle-class Harlemites who are leaving the neighborhood and even the city due to lack of affordable housing. One45 will allow generations of Harlemites to remain in the city by providing quality, permanent, affordable housing. This project goes beyond housing for Harlem. This outcome creates much-needed affordable housing, good-paying jobs, and opportunities for the next generation to grow and prosper, setting the bar for the quality and types of developments we see in Harlem moving forward.”

Highlights of the negotiated One45 for Harlem agreement include:

  • 1,000 total units throughout three buildings, including 338 affordable units
    • The largest building will consist of 502 units, 126 of which are affordable at an average of 60% of the AMI 
    • The second building will include 408 units, 122 of which are affordable at an average of 80% of the AMI 
    • The third building will be 100% affordable through HPD, with 90 units of affordable senior housing
  • Community Benefits include:
    • $8.8M transformation of Brigadier General Charles Young Playground
    • 23,000-square-foot technology center with community rooms
    • 30,000 square feet of commercial, retail, and community facilities, with 20% set aside for Harlem businesses and 10% set aside for MWBE businesses
    • Local hiring, including 20% target for Harlem residents
    • Job training and apprenticeship programs
    • Paid internship program for youth residing in Manhattan Community Board 10
    • A local Harlem-based developer will have an equity stake in the project 
    • Hiring of consultants and other investments to the adjacent Esplanade Gardens Mitchell-Lama housing complex

The Council, under Speaker Adams since 2022, has prioritized the advancement of housing solutions by approving land use applications that create over 120,000 new units of housing, more than 50% of which are affordable, and securing over $8 billion in additional housing-related investments. These include the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity citywide zoning reforms with the Council’s City for All housing plan, as well as the Atlantic Avenue Mixed Use Plan and Bronx Metro North rezonings and InnovationQNS – the largest privately developed affordable housing project in the history of Queens.

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