51 'Affordable' Harlem Apartments Up For Grabs In Housing Lottery

HARLEM, NY — Dozens of apartments in an under-construction Central Harlem building are up for grabs through a city housing lottery — though they might be out of reach for many in the neighborhood.

The 51 apartments are part of 224 West 124th St., a 12-story building being constructed between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Frederick Douglass boulevards. The units were listed this week on the city's Housing Connect website, with a Dec. 15 deadline to apply.

But all of the units are priced at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI) — meaning a single person must make at least $73,715 to apply for even the cheapest 12 studio apartments in the lottery.

Another 13 one-bedroom and 26 two-bedroom units are also listed at 130 percent AMI. (The median household income in Central Harlem, by contrast, was just $57,720 as of 2019.)

The high prices are a result of the bygone 421-a program, which gave the 224 West 124th St. developers tax breaks in exchange for including "affordable" units.

Several of the different 421-a options allowed developers to set rents at 130 percent AMI — prompting criticism from local officials like Comptroller Brad Lander, who said in a March report that the "income-restricted units generated by 421-a are unaffordable to the vast majority of New Yorkers."

In part because of those critiques, state lawmakers let 421-a expire in May without any replacement. (Other tax-break-for-affordable-housing schemes still exist in New York, like mandatory inclusionary housing, whose income bands are all lower than 421-a's.)

A listing for the 124th Street building boasts of a "perfect high-rise experience in the heart of Harlem," with amenities including a gym, yoga and dance studio, sauna, kids' playroom, dog-washing station, and a furnished deck with views of the Manhattan skyline.

Apartments feature floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies, while residents will share 16-hour doormen, a garage and electric car charging station, and a laundry room, the listing says.

To learn more or apply, visit the listing on Housing Connect.