The first of five buildings at the massive La Central development in Melrose at The Hub is almost complete and you can now apply for one of 63 studio apartments for only $650 a month.
Located at 626 Bergen Avenue at 152nd Street, the building actually has 160 residential units of which 60% have been set aside as supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals with special needs.
This particular lottery is for the remaining 40% of the units.
We’ve seen the building each day as it’s been rising and we’re pretty impressed with the quality of this particular development. The lobby itself, which will be attended 24 hours, looks like something you’d see in a luxury development building but this particular building is anything but as it’s for low income residents.
Sadly, their definition of low income doesn’t mach the actual area median income of just above $19,000 a year.
In order to qualify for these “afforable” studios, you must make anywhere from $22,240 to $44,820 which is far above what the average local makes.
Lucky residents will be able to enjoy such amenities like a fitness center, garden, courtyard, computer lab, a bicycle storage room, and on-site laundry.
Once La Central is completed, it will consist of 992 apartments spread across 5 buildings with one reaching 25 stories.
The development will be home to a new 20,000 square foot YMCA as well as BronxNet’s newest television studios in the neighborhood as they expand into the South Bronx.
Transportation is around the corner just a couple of blocks away from the development at 3rd Avenue and 149th Street on the 2/5 lines.
As for shopping, the development is going up right in the heart of the The Hub, The Bronx’s oldest shopping district which is part of the Third Avenue Business Improvement District. (Full discloser, we sit on the Board of Directors of the Third Avenue BID).
The face of the shopping district will most likely change as thousands of new residents will live in the district which never had this many residential developments in its history.
What that looks like, we don’t know but we hope we can keep as many of the mom and pop shops around to benefit from the influx of new residents.
To apply, head over to Housing Connect and good luck. Do NOT contact us as we are not part of this development nor are we a real estate agency. All contact information is provided at Housing Connect.
Good luck!
