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Pathmark Developers Working on Building for Formerly Homeless People

By Gustavo Solis | December 6, 2015 6:53pm
 Extell Development is building an 11-unit building that will serve as supportive housing for the formerly homeless. Once it's complete, ownership will be transferred to the nonprofit Urban Pathways.
Extell Development is building an 11-unit building that will serve as supportive housing for the formerly homeless. Once it's complete, ownership will be transferred to the nonprofit Urban Pathways.
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DNAinfo/Gustavo Solis

EAST HARLEM — The developer that bought the Pathmark site plans to donate a building on 100th Street to a nonprofit that provides supportive housing to the formerly homeless in hope of winning approval to expand a local project.

Extell Development is currently building a seven-story, 11-unit supportive housing building on 166 E. 100th St. Once it finishes the building it plans to transfer ownership to support group Urban Pathways.

“The project on 100th Street really represents the ultimate level of achievement for our residents in housing,” said Andrea Harnett-Robinson an Urban Pathways representative. “This building, we think of it as graduate housing for our residents who have really been with us for several years.”

Residents will include those who have demonstrated success in previous programs, have shown a history of paying their rent on time, have reunited with their families and are ready for greater independence, she said.

They will have visits from a case manager and access to off-site services. The building will have a back yard, an elevator, laundry machine and two community areas. Residents will live in either one-bedrooms or studios, she added.

During Extell’s presentation to Community Board 11, a member questioned what they were getting in return.

“I know that this is the season for giving,” said Alvin Johnson. “It’s rare that anyone — much less a developer — comes into our community and puts up a really nice building and says they don’t want anything… What does Extell get out of this?”

The developers hope to gain “inclusionary bonus rights,” that allow them to increase the size of another building, said David Lawford of Extell.

According to the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the developers have applied for the bonus. Their application is currently under review. 

If approved, the bonus zoning will allow Extell to increase the size of another development in the same community district, according to HPD.

Extell, which bought the Pathmark building for $38 million last year, said it is too early to tell where the bonus zoning rights will be used. They have not identified a specific site, Lawford said. 

Extell officials have previously stated that they are open to the idea of creating another supermarket in the Pathmark location, but the company has not yet filed any plans.