By Jean Brannum | jbrannum@queensledger.com
St. Nicks Alliance, Hudson Companies, and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development have secured $235 million in financing for the second phase of Kingsland Commons development, a renovation of the defunct Greenpoint Hospital campus.
This phase is the construction of an 18-story building with 311 affordable homes from studio to three-bedroom units. Ninety-three homes will be set aside for formerly homeless people. In addition to the homes, the building will also have a children’s playroom, fitness center, and outdoor courtyard. The complex has apartments for individuals and families earning between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income.
The project is expected to begin in the next month and be completed by April 2027, according to Ernesto Padron, Development Director of Hudson Companies.
Frank Lang, Deputy Executive Director of Housing for St. Nicks Alliance, said that the design to revamp the land was created in conjunction with local residents and community groups including the Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corp. Lang also said that Hudson Companies and St. Nicks Alliance hope the project exceeds the needs of the community.
The project comprises four sites for renovation and construction. The first phase was a complete overhaul of the old nurse’s residence into a brand-new 200-bed men’s shelter. This phase is expected to be completed in 2025, and Project Renewal will operate the shelter. In partnership with the state Historic Preservation Office, builders preserved the original facade of the building.
The next two phases involve constructing two new buildings with approximately 557 affordable homes. The new campus will include space for a health clinic and a senior center, among other service facilities.
Padron said that HPD approved the project in 2018 after receiving multiple proposals for the old campus. He said the project was “very special” since the company gets to revamp an entire campus that was abandoned in 1982.
NYC Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. of Housing Preservation and Development congratulated the St. Nicks and Hudson Companies on the milestone.
“We are investing in the housing our city needs by repurposing precious space to provide affordable homes for hundreds of New Yorkers,” Carrión said. “Three hundred eleven families will call Kingsland Commons home and generations will benefit from growing up with housing security,”