November 1, 2018

HPD is launching ShareNYC, an initiative that aims to create innovative and affordable shared housing developments in an effort to test new ways to better address unmet housing needs

The agency is requesting plans for new design strategies and management practices that create high quality housing with shared spaces.

NEW YORK, NY – The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer today announced the launch of the agency’s ShareNYC initiative. The program is kicking off with a release of a Request For Information (RFI) and Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) seeking proposals for the design, construction, and management of shared housing by qualified development teams on private sites throughout the city.

“Under the Mayor’s Housing New York plan, we aren’t just creating more affordable housing, we are looking for new solutions to meet the broad range of housing needs of our city. Shared housing has a long history in New York City and in big cities throughout the world, and with our new ShareNYC initiative we’re looking to reinvent, reimagine, and reshape this model into a dynamic new form of affordable housing for New Yorkers,” said HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “We look forward to reviewing dynamic ideas from the development and design community that show thoughtful approaches for developing and managing these properties.”

Department of City Planning Director Marisa Lago said, “Kudos to HPD for the ShareNYC initiative. It is yet another example of this Administration's commitment to exploring innovative models for meeting the housing and economic development needs of our diverse and growing population.”

“The new ShareNYC initiative will create innovative and affordable housing developments,” said Council Member Margaret S. Chin. “Shared housing has a long history in New York City and this program will no doubt build upon that legacy. I look forward to the sustainable affordable housing that will come out of this project.”

The competitive RFI/RFEI is the first of its kind in the City of New York. The RFI seeks information from a wide range of organizations that have research about or experience with shared housing or shared housing advocacy to help shape the standards for this type of affordable housing. HPD encourages all interested parties to share their knowledge and expertise through the RFI submission process. Proposals to the RFEI may similarly inform a future shared housing program by directly engaging issues of design, management, and financing.

Shared housing refers to housing units consisting of two or more independently occupied rooms that share a kitchen and/or bathroom. This housing type can encompass a wide range of configurations and usually includes additional building-wide common spaces. Proposals to the RFEI must include a component of shared housing and be developed on a privately-owned site. Proposals will be evaluated on how well the proposed development program identifies and addresses an unmet housing need, balances the dual goals of promoting income diversity and creating as many units as possible for the lowest income tiers, and leverages construction cost savings and/or greater rental income from the inclusion of new unit types. Preference will be given to proposals that are affordable to a variety of incomes, including extremely low and very-low income New Yorkers as well as formerly homeless households.

“ShareNYC is a promising and innovative initiative for expanding the City’s affordable housing options,” said Jessica Yager, Executive Director of the NYU Furman Center. “Our research suggests that this approach can provide high-quality, low-cost housing to help meet the needs of the quarter-million single New Yorkers spending over half their income on rent.”

“It is critical that we provide more safe, high-quality, and protected housing options for small households in NYC, especially those with low incomes, so we are thrilled that the City is launching this exciting RFEI. With the right regulatory framework and oversight, this form of housing can play a vital role in meeting our unmet housing needs. We have boundless expertise and insight in NYC about how to do this well. We believe the ShareNYC exploration will be very fruitful,” said Sarah Watson, Deputy Director of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council (CHPC).

Cities across the country, and around the world, are seeing renewed interested in this model of housing, and the City is interested in re-engaging shared housing as a way to expand its ability to develop and preserve high-quality, affordable housing. Shared housing has a long history in New York, and the City is looking closely at the what lessons can be learned from past experiences.

Both design and management will be key elements for ShareNYC projects. Proposals must incorporate detailed management and operations plans, and will be evaluated on how well the plan addresses potential tenant concerns or issues and ensures effective, long-term operation of the building, including successful lease-up and re-rental. Proposals will additionally be evaluated on how well the design facilitates high-quality living spaces, particularly in smaller units, and how well the size, distribution, and design of building-wide spatial amenities enhances overall housing quality and encourages integration of all tenants within the building. In addition to shared housing units, proposals may include standard sized units or micro units, and preference will be given to proposals that have a mix of unit types.

ShareNYC is the latest initiative being developed as part of Housing New York 2.0, the de Blasio administration’s commitment to the creation and preservation of 300,000 affordable homes by 2026.

HPD strongly recommends that all interested respondents attend the pre-submission conference scheduled on November 30, 2018. This will be an opportunity to ask questions and receive answers in person.

Deadline for submission to the RFI/RFEI is March 14, 2019. For more information and to obtain a copy of the RFI/RFEI, please view the ShareNYC RFI/RFEI webpage.

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The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the nation’s largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. Its mission is to promote quality housing and diverse, thriving neighborhoods for New Yorkers through loan and development programs for new affordable housing, preservation of the affordability of the existing housing stock, enforcement of housing quality standards, and educational programs for tenants and building owners. HPD is tasked with fulfilling Mayor de Blasio’s Housing New York Plan which was recently expanded and accelerated through Housing New York 2.0to complete the initial goal of 200,000 homes two years ahead of schedule—by 2022, and achieve an additional 100,000 homes over the following four years, for a total of 300,000 homes by 2026.  For full details visit www.nyc.gov/hpd and for regular updates on HPD news and services, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @NYCHousing.