An affordable housing lottery has opened for a whopping 91 units in an eight-story building at 1277 East 14th Street in Midwood.

Of the affordable apartments, there are 45 one-bedroom units and 46 two-bedroom units. Monthly rents start at $2,346 and top out at $2,830.

The lottery is set at an area median income range of 130 percent, which means the affordability of the apartments is debatable. Eligible incomes range between $80,435 and $149,890 for households of one to five people.

Chart via NYC Housing Connect

According to building records, there are 302 total units in the building. Parking for 151 cars and 151 bicycles will be included in the cellar, along with a laundry room. A stroller closet, mailroom, fitness room, courtyard and family lounge with reading room and children’s room will be on the first floor. More recreation space can be found on the roof.

Known as The Vitagraph, the apartment building stands on the former site of Vitagraph Studios, which produced some of the first American newsreels and also worked on silent films and animated features. The complex was later owned by Warner Brothers and, after that, NBC.

The site in 2010. Photograph by Nicholas Strini for PropertyShark

Hampshire Properties is the developer. They purchased the property for $20 million in 2014 from the Shulamith School for Girls, who had purchased the building in the late 1960s.

The applicant of record is Jeremy Singer of Woods Bagot, a firm founded in Australia. In Brooklyn, they also designed The Amberly, a 33-story rental building at 120 Nassau Street in Downtown Brooklyn, and were once attached to the conversion of the Bossert Hotel in Brooklyn Heights.

Photo by BOLD New York
Photo by BOLD New York

Market rate units went on the market beginning in September 2019. Based on listing photos, the apartments have hardwood floors, open kitchens that look out into the living room and balconies that overlook the large courtyard.

A two-bedroom, two-bath market-rate apartment with in-unit laundry currently for rent in the building is asking $2,862 on a 13-month lease, $32 more than an affordable unit. The rent without the discount is $3,100, a difference of $270 a month.

Applications for the affordable housing lottery must be submitted by March 24, 2020. Apply through NYC Housing Connect. To learn more about how to apply for affordable housing, read Brownstoner’s guide.

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