Williamsburg Sugar Factory Affordable Housing Lottery Gets 87k Applications

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — A part of the old Domino Sugar factory in Williamsburg that's being transformed into a luxury apartment building has gotten over 87,000 applications for its first affordable housing lottery, according to its developer, Two Trees. There are just 104 affordable-rate apartments in the building, at 325 Kent Ave. That means if you applied for a $596-per-month luxury studio in Prime Williamsburg, you have about a 0.1 percent chance of getting it.

The massive applicant pool poured in following a series of multi-lingual application workshops run by Two Trees and local community organizations such as Churches United for Fair Housing and Southside United HDFC-Los Sures. The 16-story building at 325 Kent Ave., designed by SHoP Architects, has another 418 units that will sell or rent for market rate.

As with most affordable housing lotteries, half of the affordable units will be reserved for resident of Brooklyn's Community Board 1. Five percent are reserved for mobility disabled applicants, two percent for vision or hearing disabled applicants and five percent for city employees. The affordable apartments are available for families earning between $21,772 and $45,300 per year. It costs $596 per month for an affordable-rate studio and $979 per month for a two-bedroom. Those who win the lottery are expected to move in in June.

"It was important to us to drive robust community participation," said Ramon Peguero, Executive Director of Southside United HDFC-Los Sures. "The success in generating so many applications demonstrates the demand among New Yorkers for the type of housing Two Trees is bringing to this community, and the fact that this lottery targeted residents most in need of better housing opportunities."

The entire Williamsburg Domino development will offer a total of 2,300 apartments, 700 of which will be affordable, according to Two Trees. The complex will also offer 500,000 square feet of office space and a six-acre waterfront park.

Lead photo via Two Trees