A ribbon-cutting ceremony outside of Haven Court marked a step closer to the opening of the affordable housing building in Mott Haven.

The eight-floor building, developed by Vertical Community Development, features 164 units and recreational spaces, including residence lounges, a second-floor backyard terrace, and a rooftop terrace with 360 views of the South Bronx.

"Incomes haven't kept up with rents, and the need for affordable housing is now greater than it's ever been," said the Vice-President of Acquisition and Development, Leon Hovsepian.

The developing team told News 12 on Tuesday, they have reached more than 50,000 applications through the housing lottery.

"You're going to have in this building a mixed income of people, some formerly homeless, some senior, some making higher income, some making lower," said Vice-President of Development and Construction, Tom Eswein. Vertical has constructed five buildings in The Bronx and has another five buildings in the pipeline.

Interest for space has reached new tenants and business owners.

"We've been in the Bronx for a decade now, and this is our third location," said owner and CEO of Neneadama Daycare Center, Sane Ndiaye.

Ndiaye's daycare center is filling one of four commercial units inside the building.

There is no exact date for when Haven Court will open its doors, but Hovsepian said, "move-ins will probably happen in about, over the next couple of months. And we expect to be fully leased up by around October."

Despite the overwhelming response even before the official opening, developers said they are still accepting more applications.

Applications are available under the NYC Housing Connect website.