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Affordable housing lottery opens for 11-story Brownsville building

Affordable housing lottery opens for 11-story Brownsville building

Built World New York, NY local

Nineteen of 96 apartments rent at 60% to 100% of area median income; applications due November 18

Today: Affordable housing lottery launches

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

A lottery opened October 29 for 19 below-market apartments in a new 11-story building in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Applications are due November 18 on NYC Housing Connect.

The building at 2102 Union Street holds 96 apartments. It rises above a former one-story storefront. Developer Glowstone Group gets a 485-x tax exemption and extra floor area through the city's Universal Affordability Preference, in exchange for keeping these 19 units permanently affordable.

Why it matters

New York trades tax breaks and extra floor area for permanently affordable units. This lottery puts that trade to work in Brownsville.

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Key Indicators

19
Affordable units in lottery
Of 96 apartments in the building, 19 are offered below market rate.
$1,933
Cheapest monthly rent
Two-bedroom unit at 60% of area median income.
$2,456
Most expensive monthly rent
One-bedroom unit at 100% of area median income.
Nov 18, 2026
Application deadline
Applications must be postmarked or submitted online by this date.

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People Involved

DG
David Goldberger
Developer, Glowstone Group
Developed 2102 Union Street
AO
Amr Ouda
Architect, Jay Architect & Engineering DPC
Design architect for 2102 Union Street

Organizations Involved

GG
Glowstone Group
Real estate developer
Developer of 2102 Union Street

Developer of the 96-unit building at 2102 Union Street.
HC
NYC Housing Connect
City housing lottery portal
Hosts applications for the 2102 Union Street lottery

The city's online portal for affordable housing lotteries.
HP
NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)
City agency
Administers the 485-x program and Housing Connect

City agency that oversees affordable housing programs, including the 485-x tax exemption.

Timeline

August 2025 November 2026

4 events Latest: Today
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Application deadline

    Upcoming Housing

    Applications must be postmarked or submitted online by this date.

  2. Affordable housing lottery launches

    Today Housing

    NYC Housing Connect opens the lottery for 19 units at 60% to 100% of area median income.

  3. Initial certificate of occupancy issued

    Construction

    The Department of Buildings issues an initial certificate of occupancy for 96 dwelling units.

  4. Permit filed for vertical enlargement

    Construction

    Glowstone Group files a permit to enlarge an existing one-story commercial building into an 11-story mixed-use structure.

Scenarios

1

Lottery Oversubscribed, All 19 Units Fill

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: New York YIMBY; typical NYC lottery outcomes

Most NYC affordable lotteries draw hundreds of applicants for a handful of units. If 2102 Union Street follows the norm, the 19 apartments will be leased to qualified applicants by early 2027.

2

Lottery Draws Few Applicants, Units Reopen

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: SettleNYC and real estate observers watching Brownsville's lower demand

Brownsville draws less lottery interest than wealthier neighborhoods. If too few eligible households apply, the lottery may reopen or the building's marketing agent will work through a thin waitlist, leaving units vacant for months.

3

Building's Initial Certificate Converts to Final

Likely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Department of Buildings records

The building now holds an initial certificate of occupancy. If the developer completes all outstanding work, DOB will issue a final certificate, a routine step that clears the building for permanent residential use.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1970s

Brownsville's 1970s housing collapse (1970s)

In the 1970s Brownsville lost a large share of its housing to abandonment, arson and city disinvestment. Blocks of tenements were demolished, leaving vacant lots and a sharply reduced population.

Then

The neighborhood became one of New York's poorest, with blocks of empty land.

Now

Decades later, new construction has returned; 2102 Union Street is part of that wave.

Why this matters now

The new tower rises in a neighborhood once defined by empty lots and burned-out buildings, a measure of how far Brownsville's housing market has come.

2000s-present

The rise of NYC's affordable housing lotteries (2000s-present)

New York City began directing below-market apartment seekers through centralized lotteries, first by mail and later online via Housing Connect. New buildings that take tax exemptions or zoning benefits must set aside affordable units, which are allocated by lottery.

Then

Buildings like 2102 Union Street use the lottery system to fill their below-market units.

Now

The lottery has become the city's main tool for distributing affordable housing in new construction.

Why this matters now

2102 Union Street's 19 units are the latest output of this mechanism, trading tax breaks for permanent affordability.

Sources

(3)
New York YIMBY SettleNYC VoucherMatch