NYC unveils plans for affordable housing in Upper Manhattan: '100% affordable'

NEW YORK (PIX11) – Finding enough affordable housing in New York is difficult. It's in a crisis mode.

Rents have spiked in recent years, and it has become an issue in the current presidential campaign. New York is dealing with the problem. Today, it announced plans for additional affordable homes in upper Manhattan.

Where the tall weeds are growing on a vacant lot, apartments will soon rise in the Inwood section of Upper Manhattan.  

"500 apartments not half affordable, not three-quarters affordable but 100% affordable and many of those units for people in the neighborhood," said Manhattan borough President Mark Levine.

City officials walked along the sun-baked lot that is publicly owned and rezoned for residential use, a process some 10 years in the making. In addition to housing units, the plan calls for the creation of a community center that focuses on science and technology.

Housing commissioner Adolfo Carrion noted, "It's almost impossible to secure affordable housing." Carrion said the advancing movement in the development process comes at the right time. "We simply can't wait on affordable housing. We are living in a generational crisis." 

Congressman Adriano Espaillat added, "We all know there's a housing crisis in the country, and this is our effort to move our neighborhood forward." Carrion injected, "This is the perfect site for housing."

Once the longtime industrial site is transformed into a residential living space, it will provide plenty of green space and sit on the banks of the Harlem River.

It took ten years to get to this point. Next, we're going to the developers to come up with a housing plan, with units to fill this lot within three to four years.