HPD has been engaging with residents of the Jewel Streets, East New York, Spring Creek, and Lindenwood since 2023 to envision what the future of the neighborhood and the City-owned site should be. The Community Visioning process for the City-owned site will continue to build on the community’s vision that we have already heard through that engagement. The findings of that engagement are outlined in the Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan

The results of the community engagement will be summarized in the Jewel Streets RFP Community Visioning Report (CVR). The CVR is provided as part of the RFP document so that prospective developers can understand and craft proposals that are responsive to the priorities and needs of the community. (See a recent CVR for a development site in New Utrecht, Brooklyn.) Amongst other evaluation criteria, proposals will be evaluated in part on how thoughtfully they consider and respond to the priorities and needs. See the How to Get Involved tab for opportunities to provide your input on the project.

We are including opportunities for people to provide input in a variety of ways. For people who are not able to make it to the meetings, there is an online Project Questionnaire available on the project website. Community members can also offer feedback and submit questions about this project by emailing JewelStreetsRFP@hpd.nyc.gov. For community members without access to the internet, there will be community visioning packets with paper versions of the Project Questionnaire available at several neighborhood locations. Stay tuned for a full list of participating pick-up and drop-off locations.

HPD will present our findings at a public report back meeting when the community visioning phase is coming to an end.

Yes. The community engagement process does not end with the release of the CVR or RFP. Once selected, the developer and HPD will present the project to the Community Board and other key stakeholders and periodically report back about project progress toward major milestones. In addition, future public review will be needed as part of the public approvals process before the project is finalized.

While we get input from many different types of stakeholders, our goal is to focus on the big picture and to hear as many perspectives as possible. We are conducting extensive outreach in the community to ensure that those who may be most impacted by the new development are informed and have opportunities to provide feedback.

After construction, newly available apartments go through a lottery process. Note that the building will not finish construction for several years, but in the meantime, you can visit NYC Housing Connect online for more information about current affordable housing lotteries.

Supportive housing and formerly homeless units are leased through referrals from the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS), Human Resources Administration (HRA), HPD, or other sources.

For help on how to apply for housing, contact a nearby NYC Housing Ambassador in Queens.

A Request for Proposals is a document issued by HPD that seeks proposals for new housing and community amenities on City-owned land. Development teams propose projects in response to the criteria and requirements outlined in the document. Such proposals are evaluated based on their ability to meet such requirements and advance the goals as reflected in the competitive criteria of the document as well as the CVR that will be attached to the RFP document.

The development of the Jewel Streets City-owned site is part of the Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan to create a more resilient, connected, and livable neighborhood. The Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan outlines a comprehensive, forward-looking roadmap for City intervention to address urgent infrastructure needs, unlock housing opportunity, and lay the foundation for a more resilient, connected, and livable neighborhood. A cornerstone of the Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan is the development of the City-owned site with resilient infrastructure, new streets, and community amenities all anchored by affordable rental and homeownership housing.

The development of public sites is a multi-year process, and we are currently in the early stages. After community visioning and release of the RFP, developers will have time to respond, and the City will then review the proposals. At this point, public approvals will be obtained if necessary, financing will be finalized, and the building will be constructed.

We highly value community input informing the development of the RFP before it is written and issued, which is why we designed a questionnaire and engagement activities that gather community input. HPD takes the integrity of its RFP competitive review process seriously. As such, HPD is required to ensure that the RFP process prevents potential conflicts of interest (and disqualifications of teams because of potential conflict of interest) and cannot allow community members to partake in the review.

As stated above and in the How to Get Involved tab, the input gathered throughout the engagement process is published in the CVR and attached to the RFP for development teams to refer to in crafting proposals. Proposals will be scored in part on how well they respond to the visions of the community.

Yes. The RFP and any relevant supplemental information will be available on the Jewel Streets RFP project website and downloadable as PDFs.

The Jewel Street City-owned site is primarily vacant.

The site is currently zoned R4 but is anticipated to be rezoned to R5, R6, and C2-4 according to the Draft Zoning Framework of the Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan. This new zoning allows for moderate density residential, community facility, and commercial retail development. The rezoning and associated land use actions for the RFP site will also go through future public review such as ULURP.

More information about zoning districts can be found in DCP’s Zoning Handbook.

The anticipated development on the Jewel Streets City-owned site will include approximately 1,000-1,400 units of 100% affordable and income-restricted rental and homeownership housing. The development will also provide commercial retail space and community facility space. Additionally, DEP will be developing a portion of the site with flood protection infrastructure called Bluebelts.

The type of commercial or community facility uses permitted on the site will be determined by the zoning districts (anticipated to be R6, R5, and C2-4) and other factors such as site area. The public will have the opportunity to provide input about what commercial or community facility uses are appropriate for the site through the community engagement process.

ULURP is a New York City Charter mandated procedure whereby certain actions affecting the land use of the city are publicly reviewed. Key participants in the ULURP process are the City Planning Commission (CPC), Community Boards, the Borough Presidents, the City Council, and Mayor.

The RFP for the site will require proposals where the units are affordable according to the incomes outlined in HPD’s financing programs for different types of housing (Senior, Supportive, Rental, homeownership, etc.). The qualifying incomes for these programs range from less than 20% of Area Median Income (AMI) up to 130% AMI, including unit set asides for formerly homeless households. HPD will analyze which programs are feasible and appropriate for the site and will also hear from the community as to the types of housing and affordability levels that will be most beneficial.

Yes, a portion of the City-owned site will be reserved for development of homeownership housing. HPD anticipates there will be approximately 200-300 new homes developed for homeownership opportunities.

HPD anticipates all of the rental and homeownership housing developed on the Jewel Streets City-owned site will be 100% affordable housing, where units are income-restricted and rent regulated through a regulatory agreement with HPD.

RFP respondents are required to put forth proposals with long-term or permanent affordability.  HPD will also convey the site subject to a remainder interest, so that title to the site will revert to the City upon expiration of the initial regulatory period, unless the parties agree to an extended term of affordability.

Under current policy, a developer must, during initial rent-up of an HPD development, give preference for 20% of the income-restricted units to applicants who, at the time of application, are residents of Brooklyn Community District 5 in which the site is located. If the development is advertised for initial rent-up after April 30, 2029, the developer must give preference for 15% of the income-restricted units to applicants who are residents of Brooklyn Community District 5 and Queens Community District 10.

Depending on the housing programs selected and the resulting financing sources, different rules may apply to parts of the development which could result in a community preference, a borough-wide preference, or no geographic preference at all.

All projects financed by HPD must include a plan for job outreach to community residents related to employment opportunities generated by the project. HPD is also connecting Brooklyn residents to jobs in the building trades. The HireNYC program requires that housing developments receiving $2 million or more in HPD subsidy post their open positions with the Workforce1 system and consider qualified candidates.

An extensive review is being conducted as part of the Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan ULURP. As a part of that public review, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required to assess potential impacts to the surrounding area. The EIS provides requirements that address any impacts that the new development will have.