Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
50,000 Applicants Scramble For 124 Affordable Housing Units In Harlem
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jun 10, 2014
Modified Jun 10, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jun 10, 2014
Modified Jun 10, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
With Manhattan rents rising always and forever, a new residential development in Harlem closed out its lottery with 50,000 applicants, all of whom are vying for a spot in one of the complex's 124 affordable-housing units.
The Sugar Hill Complex, developed by Broadway Housing Communities and located in Harlem's Sugar Hill/Hamilton Heights district, has been in the works for a while now. The project purports to be a "showcase of innovation in affordable housing and community development," housing a children's museum, art center and pre-school. There are planned gallery exhibitions—an exhibition titled "If You Build It," featuring the works of over 20 local, national and international artists, is slated to open later this month.
But it's the complex's cheap (and permanently affordable) housing that's the real draw here, particularly in a city that sorely lacks it—studios here rent for as little as $349 a month, and a three-bedroom can run only $1,588 per month. The now-closed lottery drew 50,000 applicants for the 99 apartments available for low-income families, with 70 percent of the units available to households earning less than 50 percent of the area's median income. An additional 25 units have been reserved for the homeless.
The $89.2 million complex, largely funded through grants and philanthropic support, began development in 2008 and was originally supposed to have been completed by the end of 2013. In September, the development was only 77 percent complete.
Mayor de Blasio has said he plans to build 80,000 new units of affordable housing over the next 10 years. 124 down, 79,876 to go.
Tagged
affordable housing
harlem
manhattan
sugar hill
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Judge temporarily halts overnight construction at NYC’s Chinatown jail
The order comes after Chinatown residents sued the city over noise, health concerns and years of planned after-hours construction.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 26, 2026 at 7:08 p.m. ET
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Police search for man in Central Park sexual assault
By
Charles Lane
Rockefeller Center's 2026 Christmas tree is a 76-foot spruce from Upstate New York
By
Giulia Heyward
‘A killer cop lives here’: Brooklyn arrests raise questions about limits of free speech
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .