The commissioner of the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development on Wednesday said the city’s effort to build 12,000 units of affordable housing in 2024, as part of Mayor Eric Adams' "24 In 24" initiative, will start in Inwood.
The mayor announced the plan in his State of the City address last week to create or preserve the housing units through partnerships with the HPD.
On Wednesday, Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. told “Mornings On 1” the effort will start by constructing a new complex that will include 570 units of affordable housing in an empty parking lot on Ninth Avenue in Inwood.
"It is one project at a time, one neighborhood at a time," he said.
HPD on Wednesday also announced the selection of a development firm that will build around 116 homes for low-income families in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
He said the city built thousands of affordable units last year, and the mayor's new goal is entirely achievable.
"This past calendar year was our record year for housing production in new construction. In the entirety of our recorded history of building housing in New York City, we built more new affordable housing in 2023 - 14,227 units," Carrión said.
However, Carrión acknowledged the pivotal role played by tax incentives in reaching the milestone and stressed the need for legislative support.
"The reason we were able to do that [14,227 units] was half of those units were tax incentive supported by the old 421A that expired. We need a tax incentive for new construction in New York City," he said.
Carrión added that with the Legislature's support, the city could even surpass its goal.
"The '24 In 24,' which is public sites being used around the five boroughs to build not only 12,000 units of housing, but many, many more because that triggers a lot of other development opportunity," he said.