The Doe Fund has reached a construction milestone for an affordable housing building in Wakefield called The Plains.
The 4519 White Plains Road building has been topped out, meaning the 9-story building has reached its height. The 82,465-square-foot structure will bring 98 affordable units designated for varying incomes, with a target population of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Construction is anticipated to finish in February 2024, and applications to live in the building are expected to open through the NYC Housing Connect lottery this September.
Designed by OCV Architects, the project has been a $48.5 million joint venture between The Doe Fund and Robert Sanborn Development, a firm that specializes in affordable housing financing and project management. The developers received more than $23 million of public subsidies and also utilized private loans, tax credit equity and a $4 million acquisition loan with funds for pre-development from the not-for-profit Corporation for Supportive Housing.
The building will have 49 studio apartments designated for single adults with chronic health conditions experiencing homelessness. These residents will get supportive housing and clinical case management, as well as mental health and medical care. Of the 49 units, 30 will be designated for people earning 30% of the area median income (AMI) and 19 for people earning 50% AMI. City programs that help connect people to mental health services and assist with the transition from homelessness to permanent housing, as well as the NYC HIV/AIDS Services Administration, will refer prospective residents for these units.
Other units will be reserved for seniors ages 62 and up, including four studios and 16 one-bedroom apartments. Six of those units will be designated for residents making 30% AMI and the rest will be reserved for people with 50% AMI.
A third category of units will include a one-bedroom unit and 11 two-bedroom units for households earning 60% AMI and 16 two-bedroom units for households earning 80% AMI.
Preference will be given to local residents who are either experiencing homelessness or at risk of being homeless.
The building will have a live-in super, tenant storage, on-site laundry, a fitness center, private outdoor recreation space and a multi-purpose room for both programming and tenant uses, along with 24/7 security. Supportive program staff will have offices in the building.
The Doe Fund has provided work opportunities, support services and housing to more than 30,000 people who have struggled with incarceration, homelessness, substance abuse, mental illness, HIV/AIDS and physical disabilities, according to the organization. The nonprofit has 16 completed and in-the-works residential buildings in NYC, according to the organization.
“At The Doe Fund, we’re proud to provide multiple solutions to NYC’s homelessness crisis,” John McDonald, interim president of The Doe Fund said in a statement.
The nonprofit came under fire last year following a Legionnaires’ outbreak in Mt. Eden, as the NYC Department of Health determined that a cooling tower at the Doe Fund’s 1325 Jerome Ave. apartment building was the source of the spread. The outbreak infected 30 people, of which 28 were hospitalized.
The organization was also among the first awardees granted a marijuana dispensary license from New York state.
Reach Aliya Schneider at aschneider@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260-4597. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
