A homeless shelter at 1605 Nelson Ave. in Morris Heights will turn into affordable housing. Housing Preservation Development is working with Slate Property Group and other city agencies to make this happen.

“Development is hard, especially in New York City, but working with the city, using the resources that they have to invest in high quality, affordable housing. At the end of the day, I think it’s a win-win for everybody,” said Michelle Ponce, an associate at Slate Property Group.

Planning and development teams gathered at the site to speak exclusively with News 12 and celebrate the announcement.

Sarah Leitson, the assistant commissioner for the development of special needs housing at HPD shared her thoughts on the project:

“Very excited to be bringing this project to fruition. This is exactly what we want to be doing more of at HPD - taking public resources, public land such as this and really improving it, transforming it into an asset for the community.”

The building will feature over 120 units of affordable housing for singles and families with supportive and ADA accessible options. The building will feature a new accessible entrance and a day care on the ground floor, along with community and outdoor spaces.

“We're really going to take the building down to its core and really start from the ground up. It'll be 100% electric, new apartment units, environmentally friendly finishes,” said John Valladares, a managing director at Slate Property Group.

The project is currently in the pre-development phase. The teams will be engaging with the community to hear feedback and what their vision is for the site. Then a public approval process will begin.

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