An affordable housing lottery has opened specifically for seniors aged 62 and above in a new building in East Flatbush, with rents listed as free but with residents required to have Section 8 and pay 30% of their income on rent.
The lottery for Bethany Senior Terraces at 604 East 40th Street includes 31 studio apartments and eight one-bedroom units for households of one to three people earning up to 50% of Area Median Income, or between $0 and $69,900 a year, the listing says.
Studios are set aside for households of one or two people earning up to $62,150, while the one-bedrooms can have between one and three tenants, together earning up to $69,900.
Altogether, the four-story development has 58 apartments, and, according to the listing, the 18 not included in the lottery are set aside for formerly homeless New Yorkers referred by city agencies.
According to the lottery, the Paul A. Castrucci Architects-designed complex includes a community room, greenhouse, attended lobby, bicycle and resident storage.
The architect’s website says the building, developed by nonprofit housing and senior services provider Riseboro Community Partnership, used modular construction to keep costs low and minimize waste. It is expected to get Passive House certification and uses rooftop solar and heat pump systems.
The south side of the building has a series of terraces that step down to a main garden, each offering their own outdoor space for residents, the website adds. The terraces are connected by exterior stairs, as well as having an entrance to the building. The rear of the building also has outdoor terraces and the roof offers a shaded outdoor space for residents that is covered by solar panels.
Renderings show a modern beige building that appears less generic than many other affordable housing developments. The pergola-like slatted appearance of the rooftop solar panels, along with the plantings at different levels, give it a bucolic feel. The apartments have simple interiors with white walls, sizable rooms, floor to ceiling windows, kitchenettes, and walk-in showers.
The East 40th Street site was previously occupied by a three-story building owned by the Brooklyn Methodist Home of Brooklyn NY. The nonprofit sold the site to BMH Affiliates LLC, with Emily Kurtz of Riseboro signing for the LLC, for $2.999 million in 2018, city records show. The LLC immediately transferred the deed to Bethany MH Housing Development Fund Company INC, operated by Riseboro.
In January 2023, Riseboro got a permit to demolish the existing building on the site and in February 2024 the new building permit was issued.
According to the listing, the building was constructed with funding through the city’s Senior Affordable Rental Apartments Program (SARA) program.
The lottery for the apartments closes October 23. To apply, visit the listing on Housing Connect.
This story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site Brownstoner.