UWS Lagged Behind Rest Of Manhattan In New Homes Last Decade

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Upper West Side added housing from 2010 to 2020 at a pace less than the overall rate seen in Manhattan during the period, according to the latest census data.

In the 10-year span, the total housing units on the UWS went from 122,145 to 127,865, with one large portion of the neighborhood actually losing homes. It's an overall increase of 5 percent.

The figure of new homes on the Upper West Side trails the overall percent housing increase seen in Manhattan during the decade.

On a borough-wide scope — Manhattan's total housing units went from 847,090 to 913,926 — an increase of 7.9 percent.

As a neighborhood, the Upper West Side trailed all but one borough's overall housing increases from 2010 to 2020.

Increase In Total Housing From 2010-2020

• Bronx: +6.9 percent
• Brooklyn: +7.7 percent
• Manhattan: +7.9 percent
• Queens: +7.3 percent
• Staten Island: +4.0 percent

A Closer Breakdown Of New UWS Housing

The census broke the Upper West Side down into three neighborhoods — UWS Lincoln Square, UWS Central, and UWS Manhattan Valley — the three designations correlate closely with what would be the 10023, 10024, and 10025 ZIP codes.

There was a major difference in the amount of new housing added in these three neighborhood areas.

The Upper West Side Lincoln Square area had by far the biggest jump in new homes created from 2010 to 2020. The number of housing units in that area went from 39,492 in 2010 to 44,545 in 2020.

A major part of this housing increase in the Lincoln Square area can be tied to the construction of Waterline Square, a $2.3 billion luxury condominium and rental development located near West 60th Street.

There are more than 1,000 new units in the complex.

While the Lincoln Square area saw the biggest jump on the UWS in new housing units, it also has the most vacant apartments of any neighborhood area in the entire city. The number of empty apartments in the area increased by more than 2,000 from 2010 to 2020.

Housing units are considered vacant if no one was living there on April 1, 2020, when the census was taken — unless the occupants were only away temporarily. They are also listed as vacant if the current occupants normally live elsewhere, like many vacation rentals.

The increase in both the number of new and vacant homes around Lincoln Square points to newly constructed buildings struggling to get tenants.

A different section of the Upper West Side, UWS Central, actually lost homes from 2010 to 2020.

During the decade, the number of homes in that area went from 56,902 to 56,787 — a decrease of 115 units.

The Manhattan Valley section of the Upper West Side also gained in housing over the decade, but by less than 1,000 units, going from 25,751 homes to 26,533 homes.

Read More:

• UWS Added 13K People, Gained 7K Asian Residents In Last Decade
• UWS Area Has Most Empty Apartments Of Any NYC Neighborhood