The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) announced plans to build around 200 affordable homes for senior citizens in Crown Heights.
The project, named Weeksvillage, will reportedly be constructed on underutilized NYCHA land on Kingsborough Extension (within the Kingsborough Houses campus).
All of the homes will be affordable to senior households that earn up to 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Additionally, 60 of the houses will be reserved for formerly homeless New Yorkers, while another 35 will be for NYCHA residents.
Weeksvillage is a part of the City's Senior First effort, which aims to develop and maintain senior housing on NYCHA property, as well as support the growth of New York's aging population, according to a release.
Back in 2019, as part of the process, NYCHA collaborated with residents and resident leaders of Kingsborough and Kingsborough Extension to develop a Community Vision for Kingsborough. Among the priorities that were brought to light included affordable and accessible homes for seniors; improving safety and security for residents; providing personalized support and healthcare; increasing food access; and more.
In response to the fleshed-out priorities, Weeksvillage will reportedly include a number of services to address them, including a center for health screenings; educational classes to teach older residents skills such as cooking and flower arranging; a food pantry to provide fresh, local fruits and vegetables; in addition to a center dedicated to workforce development.
“In the midst of a severe housing shortage, our administration understands we need to be creative to provide the housing New Yorkers desperately need — especially housing affordable for our lowest-income neighbors. The Weeksvillage project brings together underutilized NYCHA land with city financing to deliver exactly that housing need,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“At the same time, we are building so much more than housing. These homes will support not only residents’ financial health, but also their public and mental health as well as environmental health — creating the kind of high-quality living environment all New Yorkers deserve.”
CAMBA, an award-winning nonprofit affordable housing developer and social service provider, was selected to develop the new 13-story building.
Features of CAMBA's planned housing development include a lounge and game area, multi-purpose room, fitness center, library, computer room, and more.
