May 21, 2026

Seven Families Return Home and Three New Families Join the Rebuilt Cooperative Through HPD’s Affordable Neighborhood Cooperative Program

NEW YORK, NY — May 21, 2026 — Community leaders, residents, advocates, government and elected officials gathered today to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the newly rebuilt 204 Avenue A, marking the culmination of a decades-long journey from tenant organizing to affordable homeownership in the East Village.

Hosted under the banner “We Too Can Change the New York Sky,” the ceremony honored the resilience of longtime tenants and the collaborative efforts that transformed a once-crumbling building into 10 new permanently affordable cooperatives for working families.

Resident leader Juan Roberto Santiago delivered a deeply personal keynote address tracing the history of 204 Avenue A from the early 1990s through its eventual redevelopment under New York City’s Affordable Neighborhood Cooperative Program (ANCP).  Speaking before neighbors, friends, and supporters, Santiago reflected on the perseverance required to keep the vision alive across four mayoral administrations and more than three decades of advocacy.

“This building stands as proof of what a community of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and their allies can accomplish together,” Santiago said. “After immense sacrifice, heartbreak, perseverance, and hope, we are finally home.”

Originally entering the Tenant Interim Lease (TIL) Program in the 1990s through the support of GOLES (Good Old Lower East Side), tenants of 204 Avenue A spent decades navigating the city's affordable housing system while fighting to preserve their homes and community. Their story is part of a broader movement of tenant-led HDFC conversions across the East Village, many of which enabled Latino working-class families to become first-time homeowners. Over time, the project evolved through the ANCP initiative and ultimately required complete reconstruction due to severe structural deterioration and damage from Superstorm Sandy. The City’s Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) secured a deeper level of financing to pay for construction and ensure that the existing residents were able to purchase units in the new co-op for as low as $250 without the building acquiring any private debt.

The new building was developed by SMJ Development, led by Juan Barahona, and now includes ten new permanently affordable cooperative units and 1,500 square feet of local retail space. It was designed by Shakespeare Gordon Studio with consultation from the residents. Touchstone Builders served as the general contractor. Construction began in January 2020, and residents moved into their new homes in spring 2025.

The project was a collaboration between NYC HPD, NYS AHC, GOLES, Neighborhood Restore, UHAB, the Manhattan Borough President's Office, Manhattan Community Board 3, and the Office of NYC City Council District 2. The event also recognized the leadership and support of former Council Member Rosie Mendez, former Council Member Carlina Rivera, City Council staffers Vanessa Lopez and Sheila Rodriguez, and HPD Commissioner Dina Levy, among the many who helped guide the project through years of challenges.

“This was never just about one building,” Santiago said during his remarks. “It was about community, dignity, perseverance, and the belief that ordinary people working together can achieve extraordinary things.”

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About 204 Avenue A HDFC

204 Avenue A is a newly reconstructed affordable housing cooperative in Manhattan’s East Village. Its redevelopment represents decades of tenant advocacy, community organizing, and public-private collaboration dedicated to preserving affordable homeownership opportunities for longtime New Yorkers. Development of the cooperative was financed through HPD’s Affordable Neighborhood Cooperative Program (ANCP).

About SMJ Development

SMJ Development is a Latino owned affordable housing development and preservation firm based in Brooklyn.  The company has played a key role in advancing affordable and mixed-income housing across four of the five boroughs. To date, SMJ has developed or preserved nearly 2,300 income restricted units. These include the substantial renovation of former squatter buildings and low-income cooperatives, as well as the new construction of multifamily supportive housing for survivors of domestic violence. SMJ has assembled both public and private land to create mixed-income communities, while also working in partnership with other sponsors to renovate and improve large public housing sites. And has managed complex sites and zoning challenges in pursuit of projects that blend housing, services, and long-term community value.