More "Not-So-Affordable" Housing Hits City Lottery

The new building at 22 Melrose in Bushwick has a handful of pricey apartments in the NYC Housing Lottery (Screenshot via Google Maps)

BUSHWICK – Another set of allegedly affordable apartments has hit the NYC Housing Connect Lottery, this time at 22 Melrose Street, right off the Myrtle JMZ stop in Bushwick.

Last week, three apartments entered the lottery in Williamsburg, requiring applicant incomes well about the area median and featuring monthly rents 130% higher than guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development—affordable, indeed.

Unfortunately, the Bushwick apartments up for grabs on Melrose Street present another egregious stretch of the term “affordable.” The two 2-bedroom units listed are priced at $2,726/month, making them just over 130% of the 2-bedroom price listed in the 2017 HUD guidelines for Affordable New York City Rents. The single 3-bedroom unit lists at $3,143/month, just a bit under the same 130% mark.

Once again, the minimum income requirements for potential applicants limit those interested in the units to families making more than 100% of the area median income. For a household of two applying for one of the 2-bedroom units, that means making at least $17,000 more per year than the AMI.

As usual, the units will be awarded preferentially to New York City residents, but no considerations have been made for members of the local Community Board 4, as is often the case when affordable units in larger developments are made available.

Check out the listing online, and if you qualify, make sure to apply by the February 23 deadline.