Governor Hochul Announces Completion of $86 Million Affordable and Supportive Housing Development in the Bronx

Delivers 154 Affordable Apartments, Including 86 With Supportive Services

Project Expands Access to Healthy Food With Greenhouse and Agriculture Programming

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the completion of Baez Place, an $86 million affordable and supportive housing development in the Claremont neighborhood of the Bronx. Developed by Community Access in partnership with Blue Sky Bronx LLC, Baez Place delivers 154 high-quality apartments and features a community greenhouse designed to help improve the health and well-being of residents. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has created or preserved more than 10,000 affordable homes in the Bronx. Baez Place continues this effort and complements Governor Hochul’s $25 billion five-year Housing Plan which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.

“Baez Place represents exactly the kind of bold investment we need to make New York more affordable and more livable,” Governor Hochul said. “Homes with services, amenities and opportunities to build community can help the most vulnerable New Yorkers live independently and achieve a sense of wellbeing and belonging. Developments like this strengthen neighborhoods and deliver on our commitment to ensure everyone has a safe, affordable place to call home.”

The development is affordable to households earning up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income. There are 86 supportive apartments for eligible tenants living with mental health concerns and seniors age 55 or older who have experienced homelessness. On-site support services are provided by Community Access and include case management, mental health support, employment assistance, and connections to health care and community-based resources. The development includes fully accessible and adaptable apartments. There are 38 units to accommodate residents with mobility disabilities and four units to accommodate residents with sensory disabilities.

Baez Place features a greenhouse and complementary urban agriculture programming, expanding access to healthy food. The greenhouse is available as a year-round social gathering space, helping tenants connect with nature, gain gardening skills, and reduce isolation.

The all-electric building was designed to meet high standards for energy efficiency and sustainability, including Energy Star Multifamily Highrise certification and 2020 Enterprise Green Communities requirements. Features include energy-efficient appliances, LED lighting, advanced heating and cooling systems, and water-saving fixtures.

Baez Place is located near the subway, buses and the Metro-North, as well as schools, parks, health care facilities and retail corridors.

State financing for Baez Place includes New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs that are expected to generate approximately $38.7 million in equity and $12 million in subsidy. The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance provided $7 million through its Homeless Housing and Assistance Program. Operating expenses for the supportive units are funded through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by the New York State Office of Mental Health.

Governor Hochul’s Housing Agenda

Governor Hochul is dedicated to addressing New York’s housing crisis and making the State more affordable and more livable for all New Yorkers. Since FY23, the Governor has worked to increase housing supply to make housing more affordable by launching a $25 billion five-year comprehensive Housing Plan, enacted the most significant housing deal in decades and implemented new protections for renters and homeowners. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, HCR has created new programs that jumpstart development of affordable and mixed-income homes — for both renters and homebuyers. These include the Pro-Housing Community Program, which allows certified localities exclusive access to up to $750 million in discretionary State funding. More than 400 communities throughout the state have been certified Pro-Housing, including New York City.

As part of Governor Hochul’s 2026 State of the State, the Governor proposed her “Let Them Build” agenda, a series of landmark reforms to speed up housing and infrastructure development and lower costs. This initiative will spur a series of common-sense reforms to New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and executive actions to expedite critical categories of projects that have been consistently found to not have significant environmental impacts, but for too long have been caught up in red tape and subject to lengthy delays.

The FY27 Executive Budget completes the Governor’s current five-year Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. More than 78,000 affordable homes have been created or preserved to date. The Executive Budget also invests $250 million in capital funding to accelerate the construction of thousands of new affordable homes.