City to Build Senior Affordable Housing, Health Care Facility on Lower East Side

September 29, 2016

Multipurpose building set to replace shuttered Rivington House will provide more than 100 seniors in a mixed-use affordable housing and health care facility

NEW YORK––Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced a plan to build an affordable housing and health care facility designed to replace services lost in the wake of a Lower East Side nursing home closure last year. The City will issue a Request for Proposals in 2017, paving the way for the return of health care lost as a result of a mishandled deed modification at Rivington House.

With a development that will house more than 100 seniors in a mixed-use affordable housing and health care setting, investment in the facility is expected to exceed the $16 million the City received in exchange for lifting deed restrictions and inadvertently allowing for the conversion of the building to luxury housing.

In July, the City announced a set of sweeping reforms to a decades-old deed modification process. The new rules will provide more transparency and accountability for the public. They will, for the first time, formally require the City to consider the public value of a project seeking modifications to land-use restrictions.

“Rivington House’s conversion to luxury housing never should have happened,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This community was the victim of a broken process, City error and unscrupulous developers looking to make a buck. Our reforms will prevent that from ever happening again. This investment is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to the health of this neighborhood.”

The City has identified 30 Pike St. on the Lower East Side as the site for the future development. The property is owned by the Department of Environmental Protection and will be reconfigured to accommodate the new project as well as DEP’s operations. It sits less than a mile from Rivington House.

"My first wish is to return Rivington House to its previous use, a home for those who needed assisted living support, but I look forward to working with the Administration and the community to build an equal number of permanent affordable senior housing and assisted-living units in the neighborhood,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “I am glad that the Administration has agreed to use the $16 million from the sale at Rivington and additional City funds for this purpose."

"More than just a win for the Lower East Side community I represent, the decision to pursue a comprehensive senior health facility at this site will allow for a continuum of care that I hope will become a model for communities across our City,” said Council Member Margaret S. Chin. “I look forward to working with the Administration to ensure that this facility will be accessible to the growing number of low income seniors who need more affordable housing and healthcare options in the neighborhood. I thank Mayor de Blasio for pursuing the revitalization of this underutilized property, and for his commitment to the health and well-being of elderly New Yorkers.”