Waitlist Opens For Below-Market E. Harlem Housing

EAST HARLEM, NY — A waitlist for 89 apartments offered at below-market rates in a former East Harlem public school building is now accepting applications.

The units are located in the former PS 109 building on East 99th Street between Second and Third avenues, according to the city's housing connect website. Rents for the apartments range from $731 for a studio to $1,348 for a two-bedroom unit.

Most of the building's apartments will be offered to people earning 60 percent of the area median income, which is defined as an annual earning of $43,860 for an individual and $56,340 for a family of three. To qualify for units at the PS 99 building, renters must earn at least $35,245 for a studio, $37,782 for a one-bedroom and $45,668 for a two-bedroom.

Eighteen studio apartments will be offered to tenants earning 40 percent of the area median income. To qualify for these apartments, individuals must earn an annual income between $22,731 and $29,240.

Four-hundred applicants will be selected for the building's waitlist following a lottery, according to the city's Housing Connect website. The waitlist will be active for two years.

A "general preference" will be given to applicants currently living in New York City.

Here's a chart that breaks down rents and income 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: El Barrio’s Artspace PS109, 215 East 99th Street New York, NY 10029, Attention Management Office #118. Applications must be submitted or postmarked by April 11.