NYC Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD) has launched an affordable housing lottery for units at 3312-3314 Decatur Avenue, two adjacent four-story residential buildings, in the Norwood section of The Bronx as reported by YIMBY.

 

Designed by Badaly Architect and developed by Cherryann Sankar of 3312 Decatur CS LLC, the two buildings yield seven residential units each.

 

Available on NYC Housing Connect, HPD’s online platform are six units for residents earning 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $96,755 to $238,160.

At 130 percent of the AMI, there are four one-bedroom units available with a monthly rent of $2,696 for those with incomes ranging from $96,755 to $198,510; and two two-bedroom units with a monthly rent of $3,027 for residents on incomes ranging from $109,509 to $238,160.

 

One pet is allowed according to HPD, and tenants are responsible for electricity.

 

Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than Aug. 13.

A visit to the premises on Sunday, July 26, found the seemingly as yet, unoccupied buildings kitted out with intercom and a sprinkler system, security cameras, and security bars covering the first floor windows.

 

The buildings are located within the boundaries of Bronx Community District 7 (Bronx CD7), which covers some or all of the Bronx neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham, and University Heights.

 

According to Data USA, the average individual income in Bronx CD7 is $53,785. Specifically, male residents average $53,785, while female residents earn about $55,599 on average.

For comparison, the broader Bronx County has a median household income of roughly $48,700 and a per capita income of $27,421 according to Census.gov. HPD officials say affordable housing is based on a household’s percentage of Area Median Income (AMI), which is set by the federal government on a yearly basis.

 

They said housing is considered affordable if it costs about one-third or less of household income, and is regulated so the rent can’t go up dramatically over time.

 

HPD officials said in order to be eligible for affordable housing, residents must be 18 years old, and their household income needs to be in a specific range for each affordable housing opportunity. Applicants are required to meet additional guidelines, including asset limits, and tenant selection criteria to qualify.

The AMI for all cities across the country is defined each year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The 2025 AMI for the New York City region is $145,800 for a three-person family (100% AMI).

 

Norwood News previously asked HUD to provide the AMI for the New York City region for a single person and has not received a clear response. We’re following up with HUD and will share any further feedback we receive. For more background on this, click here.

 

Various graphs which show Bronx demographics in terms of income and more are attached, courtesy of New York City University (NYU)’s Furman Center.

 

According to the Furman Center, between 2019-2023, the largest share of studios in The Bronx had gross rents of between $1,000 and $1,500 (32%), the largest share of one-bedroom units had rents between $1,000 and $1,500 (33%), the largest share of two-bedroom units had rents between $1,500 and $2,000 (29%), and the largest share of three-bedroom units had rents between $1,500 and $2,000 (21%).

 

In Bronx CD7, 53.8% of households spend 35% or more of their income on rent, according to the latest available data by NYC Department of City Planning (DCP), and it has a density of 72,836 people per square mile. Forty-four per cent of residents are foreign-born, 52.4% are female, 70% are Hispanic, 17% of residents of 25 years or older have a bachelor’s degree or higher, 7.2% of the estimated 169,400 residents are unemployed, and 30.8% (almost a third) of residents have incomes below the New York City poverty threshold. 

 

Norwood News had asked different elected representatives and congressional candidates running for office in the past if they would be willing to look into amending the AMI, as defined by HUD, given the cost of living in New York City is higher than in other parts of the country. Most said they would be open to it.

Norwood News spoke to a local resident of the neighborhood, Onell, on Sunday, July 26, at the site of a nearby car accident at Decatur Avenue and East 207th Street.

 

He said the neighborhood was generally quiet. “Things like this don’t happen often here, especially at this intersection because, you know, not only do we have lights now but it’s a school setting. We barely see people going past 10 [p.m.] around here.  People are very respectful.” he said. “It’s a small neighborhood. Anyone that comes around here probably lives around here so this is really shocking.”

 

As reported, a new building offering 166 new homes at East 198th Street in Bedford Park, 34 of which are described as affordable, recently opened. Separately, another housing lottery described as affordable was recently launched for units at 3547 Webster Avenue in Norwood.

 

To request an application by mail, send a self-addressed envelope to: 3312-3314 Decatur Avenue Apartments, c/o Your Neighborhood Housing LLC, 2565 Bronxwood Ave., Bronx, NY 10469.

 

To contact HPD’s Affordable Housing Lottery Helpline, call (212) 863-7990 or email nychousingconnect@hpd.nyc.gov.

 

For information on applying for affordable housing for people with disabilities, please submit accessibility inquiries to:
Phone: (212) 863-6486
Email: accessibility@hpd.nyc.gov

 

HPD Housing Ambassadors
Email: ambassadors@hpd.nyc.gov