Residents on Decatur Avenue in Norwood have a giant new addition moving in to the neighborhood.

The 13-story, burgundy and white building being constructed at 3322 Decatur Ave. dwarfs the surrounding buildings and homes on the block and will likely bring a few hundred more people into the community.

Touted by the city as an example of how it’s creating more affordable housing, the Decatur Terrace complex will include 121 new apartments for middle-income families. It is equipped with an underground parking lot (60 spots), an on-site laundry room, dishwashers in every apartment and 24-hour surveillance cameras.

The building is a collaboration of the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the Highbridge Community Development Corporation, and a private developer. 

General preference will be given to New York City residents. Community Board 7 residents, which include those living in Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights, will receive preference for 50 percent of the units. Families with people with visual, hearing or mobility impairments, as well as city employees, will receive preference for five percent of the units.

“The building is a good look for the neighborhood but it would be even better if they rented to everybody,” said Manuel Puma, a resident of a neighboring building on Decatur.

Puma doesn’t mind the building where it is, but laments the construction that has preceded it. “It’s been over a year. They’re here at seven in the morning till six in the evening, even Saturdays,” he said. “There’s debris everywhere. It’s a mess out here.”

The mayor’s office says the building is part of the city’s $8.5 billion initiative to build or preserve 165,000 units of affordable housing by 2014. Under this initiative, the mayor’s office said it has created or preserved 100,000 units of affordable housing in the city since 2004.

“It is the most ambitious and productive affordable housing plan in the nation, said Eric Bederman, an HPD representative. “Through the mayor’s plan we are creating housing for half a million New Yorkers, and in the process we are adding valuable jobs to the city’s economy.”

The application process for Decatur Terrace began last December and ended in February. Eligible applicants will be chosen through a lottery.

To be considered for one of these developments, one has to apply and earn at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). The Bronx’s AMI is $77,400, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Calculations are based on family size. So, for a family of four, 80 percent of the AMI is $61,450. For a single person it would be $43,000.

Currently, developers are installing the final components, including plumbing and electricity, Bederman said. It remains unclear when the building will be completed and when people will begin moving in.