Work Begins On 400-Unit East Harlem Development

EAST HARLEM, NY — Developers broke ground Thursday on a huge East Harlem development that will bring 400 apartments, retail space and 10,000-square-feet of public open space to the corner of Third Avenue and East 125th Street.

Construction on the development, called One East Harlem, is expected to last two years, city officials said. The building is being financed by the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the city Housing Development Corporation, which are constributing a combined $122 million to the project through the city's Mixed-Middle Income Program.

Of the development's 400 apartments roughly 300 will be offered at rents below the market rate, city officials said. The building will be developed by Richman Group Development Corporation, Bridges Development Group, Monadnock Development and Hope Community Development Inc., city officials said.

"This interagency effort to partner with committed nonprofit partners and community stakeholders will bring hundreds of high-quality jobs and nearly 300 permanently affordable homes to Harlem, as well as vital cultural, commercial, and open space that will serve the community for years to come," HPD Acting Commissioner Eric Enderlin said in a statement.

In addition to residential units, the development will feature 65,000 square feet of retail space of which 5,000 square feet will be dedicated for local small businesses, city officials said. The development will also house nonprofit Groove With Me, which offers free dance classes for kids, in a 5,000-square-foot space.

The project is expected to generate 300 construction jobs and more than 140 permanent jobs following construction.