Land Release: Who Qualifies and How to Apply for NYC's New Development Lots

New York City is putting 47 city-owned vacant lots on the market next month, the largest single land release under Mayor Adrienne Adams’ administration, and the application window opens July 28 for developers willing to build affordable housing.

Why This Matters Now

The July 10 announcement from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) comes as the city’s rental vacancy rate hovers at 1.4 percent, the lowest since the 1960s. Median rent in Brooklyn has topped $3,800 a month, according to StreetEasy data from June, and the Adams administration has set a goal of 500,000 new units by 2032. This land release is the first tranche of a broader push to use underutilized public parcels-some of which have sat vacant for more than a decade-to fast-track construction without relying on expensive private acquisitions.

Which Lots Are Available

The parcels are concentrated in East New York, Brownsville, and Jamaica, Queens. In East New York alone, 18 lots along Glenmore Avenue and Liberty Avenue are zoned for multifamily buildings up to eight stories. In Jamaica, nine lots near 160th Street and Hillside Avenue sit within a quarter-mile of the Jamaica LIRR station, a transit hub recently upgraded with a $153 million capital investment. HPD will accept applications through September 15, and winning bidders must commit to keeping at least 30 percent of units affordable for households earning no more than 80 percent of Area Median Income-about $78,000 for a family of three-for at least 30 years.

Who qualifies? The program is open to nonprofit developers, community land trusts, and for-profit firms with a track record of building affordable housing in New York. Applicants must submit proof of financing, zoning analysis, and a community engagement plan. HPD is especially encouraging applications from Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), which accounted for only 12 percent of city development contracts last year, according to the City Comptroller’s office. The agency will also offer technical assistance clinics at the Brooklyn Borough Hall on August 5 and at Queens Borough Hall on August 12.

How to Apply

The application is entirely digital through HPD’s new Development Connect portal, launched in April to replace the old paper-based system. Developers need to register on the portal, upload a project narrative, site plans, and financial pro formas by the September 15 deadline. HPD says it will announce winning bids by December 1, with closing expected within 90 days. To fund predevelopment work, the city has set aside $15 million from the Housing Trust Fund for grants of up to $250,000 per lot.

“We’re treating these lots as community assets, not just real estate,” an HPD spokesperson said in a statement released this morning. “Every application will be scored on affordability depth, construction timeline, and local hiring commitments.”

For context, the last major city land sale in 2021-50 lots in the South Bronx-resulted in 1,200 units, of which 980 were rent-stabilized. That program took three years to break ground. HPD expects this round to move faster because zoning and environmental reviews are already complete on these parcels.

Key dates: July 28, application opens. August 5 and 12, in-person workshops. September 15, deadline. December 1, winners notified. The city will hold a virtual Q&A on July 22 at 6 p.m. Registration is at hpd.nyc.gov.