A city-owned parking lot in Boerum Hill will become permanently affordable rent-stabilized senior housing, a much-needed rarity in the area.
The lot, located at 108-114 3rd Ave. between Bergen and Wyckoff streets, will be developed with 68 units. The new mixed-use building, dubbed the Third Act Apartments, will also include commercial and community spaces.
The city announced the development team late last month. Selected through a request for proposals process and after community engagement, it includes Cornerstone Construction Group, nonprofit developer and service provider St. Nicks Alliance, and Stanton Street Development Partners. David Cunningham Architecture Planning PLLC will lead the project’s architectural design. The community engagement and RFP process also included a second adjacent city-owned site to be developed at 153 Nevins St., but plans for that site have not yet been released.
“This administration is committed to transforming underutilized city-owned land into safe, secure, affordable housing,“ said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Adolfo Carrión Jr., in a statement. “The Third Act Apartments will provide 68 older adults the ability to age in place comfortably and affordably with high-end amenities and services.”
The plan for the Third Act Apartments was developed with guidance from the Nevins and Third Community Visioning Report, the goals outlined in the RFP, and input from over 200 community members, local elected officials, and organizations, according to the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
Locals called for new housing for seniors and formerly homeless individuals, as well as for sustainable, resilient design and outdoor spaces that foster neighborhood connections. In addition to residential units, the project will include approximately 1,700 square feet of commercial retail space —including a pharmacy — and 1,000 square feet of community facility space. The building’s first floor will feature a community room available to residents and local organizations, a resident library, game room, fitness center, bicycle storage room, laundry services, and generous outdoor spaces. The building is set to be topped with a rooftop urban farm and a courtyard with access to a second-floor terrace and garden.
About 10% of the population of Community District 2 — which includes Boerum Hill — is over the age of 65, according to city data, and though precise housing statistics for seniors in the neighborhood are not available, studies have shown that the number of homeless people over age 65 in New York City rose by more than 300% from 2004 to 2017. Statewide, rates of housing insecurity among seniors are particularly high, according to a 2024 report from the state Comptroller, in part because seniors are more likely to be retired on living on a fixed income.
“As rising costs and a historically low vacancy rate push seniors even further towards housing insecurity, leveraging city land for housing isn’t just practical—it’s a moral imperative. This project is about more than a physical structure; it’s about ensuring older New Yorkers can age with dignity in the city they helped build,” said HPD acting commissioner Ahmed Tigani, in a statement. “As we move to the next phase to convert parking spaces into 68 deeply affordable apartments for older New Yorkers, HPD remains committed to fostering strong partnerships to meet the demand. We’ve chosen a team committed to creating housing that aligns with the community’s needs and aspirations.”
In 2023, the city announced similar plans to build affordable senior housing at a city-owned parking lot in Prospect Heights.
The site at 108-114 3rd Ave. is made up of four separate lots between a Shell service station and a medical office, which sits on the corner of Wyckoff Street. Tax photos from the 1940s and 1980s show a history similar to that of the Nevins Street lot, with the sites containing a row of houses in the 1940s that had been razed by the 1980s and replaced by parking. The city gained ownership of the sites in the 1970s, according to PropertyShark.
City records show HPD still owns the four 3rd Avenue lots, and so far no building permits have been applied for.
A version of this story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site Brownstoner.
