Affordable Housing Lottery Opens for Three Units in Bushwick, Starting at $1,800 a Month

A so-called affordable housing lottery has opened for three units in a four-story building at 26 Lawton Street in Bushwick.

All three of the affordable apartments are one-bedrooms, with monthly rents at $1,800 for two of the units and $2,150 for the last one, which has a private cellar.

The lottery is set at an area median income range of 130 percent, which is high but not unusual for lotteries in Brooklyn that receive the 421-a tax break. Eligible incomes range between $61,715 and $133,120 for households of one to three people.

There are seven total units in the building. The lottery listing says each apartment has central air and a private balcony. Formerly, the site was home to a three-story residential building and an adjoining garage. Both were demolished in 2015.

The owner, listed on building permits as George Kelesidis, purchased the property in 2015 for $1.025 million. In 2013, he was accused by the New York City Department of Investigations of allegedly “offering money on two occasions to a DOB employee.”

Engineer Stavros Malliaros is the applicant of record. The two also worked together on a large nine-story mixed-use building at 874 Willoughby Avenue, at the corner of Broadway, in Bed Stuy.

Leasing for market-rate units began in November 2020. Based on the listing photos, the units have open kitchens, large windows in the living rooms and bedrooms and the aforementioned balconies.

Market-rate one-bedrooms in the building are currently asking $1,950. Market-rate one-bedrooms that were previously asking $2,000 offered $1,846 net effective rent on a 13-month lease. While rents on the “affordable” units are close to market rate, the apartments are income restricted and rent stabilized.

Applications for the affordable housing lottery must be submitted by March 17,2020. Apply through NYC Housing Connect.

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