'Affordable' Harlem Apartments Require $80k, 104k Incomes

HARLEM, NY — A lottery for 32 Harlem apartments the city considers "affordable" is now accepting applications, but the units carry rents that are pricier than the typical apartment in the neighborhood and require high incomes.

The apartments at the newly-developed 251 W. 117TH St., located between St. Nicholas Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, start at $2,357 per month for a studio and go as high as $3,044 per month for a two bedroom, according to the city's housing connect website. Renters must earn at least $80,812 per year to qualify for studios, $86,606 for a one-bedroom and $104,366 for a two-bedroom.

New Yorkers earning well above six figures are eligible for the units. The maximum combined income for two-bedroom units in the lottery is $149,890 for a family of five. Current Harlem residents are not being given priority for any of the units offered in the lottery.

The median one-bedroom in Harlem rents for about $2,010 per month, according to a January report by the real estate listings site Zumper. Zumper's report included market-rate housing.

Developers are required to offer the apartments at below-market rates because they are receiving a tax exemption through the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development's 421a program.

Here's a detailed breakdown of the available units and eligibility requirements:

Prospective tenants may apply for the lottery through the city's Housing Connect website. A mail-in application can be requested by sending a self-addressed envelope to: 117th Street Equities, LLC, located at 316 West 118th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY, 10026. Applications must be sent or postmarked no later than Jan. 31.