A Bronx building that was initially going to be marketed as luxury housing will instead be a homeless shelter for families.
The project is being run by the Stagg Group, and Stagg consultant and former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión played a key role in pulling off the switch, according to the New York Post.
The building, located at 5731 Broadway next to the NYPD’s 50th Precinct, will be seven stories tall and hold 83 units, and Stagg anticipates getting market-rate rents of about $1,800 per month per apartment from the city.
Mayor Bill de Blasio recently proposed dealing with New York’s homelessness crisis by opening 90 additional shelters in the city. The city defended the plan for 5731 Broadway and noted it is phasing out the use of cluster sites and commercial hotels as shelters.
Stagg Group has been one of the most active developers in the Bronx in recent years, with additional projects in the borough planned for 29 Featherbed Lane, 186 St. Georges Crescent and 3469 Cannon Place.
Company CEO Mark Stagg told the Post he changed his mind about the plans for 5731 Broadway after Praxis, the not-for-profit that will run the homeless shelter, approached him a few weeks ago.
“The need is so great for families and children,” he said. [NYP] – Eddie Small