More affordable housing options are on the way for Coney Island residents.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held Thursday for a 1,000-unit development slated for 2926 W. 19th St., located just blocks from MCU Park and the boardwalk.
The first of the project’s three phases, featuring 446 affordable housing units for formerly homeless and low-income New Yorkers, is scheduled to be completed by 2021.
A host of city officials, including Housing Development Corporation president Eric Enderlin, were joined by representatives from BFC Partners, L+M Development Partners and Wells Fargo for the ceremonial start of construction Thursday morning.
“Part of the city’s comprehensive plan to invest in affordable housing, infrastructure upgrades, and economic opportunity for the community, this transformative project represents an investment in the community that will last for generations," Enderlin said.
The first phase of development, which cost $253.9 million, will see two 16-story towers rise up over a seven-story base building. The Human Resource Administration has signed on to take over 66,000-square-feet of office space and two eighth-floor roof decks will be added.
Considering its close proximity to the beach, the building also was designed with storm resiliency in mind, including deployable flood barriers for both residential and retail spaces.
Councilman Mark Treyger, whose district includes Coney Island, said 312 of the units will be set aside for families making at or below 60 percent of the area median income, which is about $62,580 a year for a family of four. He called the project a “significant step toward addressing an affordable housing need that is one of the biggest challenges facing Coney Island.”
