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A development years in the making is now underway on the Upper West Side, with a UWS nonprofit having broken ground on an 84-unit affordable housing building for low-income and formerly homeless seniors.
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The West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing (WSFSSH) is behind the 13-story building at 105 West 108th Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues — the second phase of a campus the organization has been developing on that block for years. ILTUWS first reported on the project in September 2024, when permits were filed and WSFSSH said it hoped to begin construction by the end of 2025 or early 2026.The new building, designed by Dattner Architects, will replace a city-owned parking garage that has since been demolished. All 84 units will be reserved for adults 62 and older earning at or below 50% of the Area Median Income. Forty of those units will be set aside for adults 55 and older who have experienced homelessness and are living with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorder, with referrals coming through the NYC Department of Homeless Services and the Human Resources Administration. The remaining 43 units will be available through Housing Connect, the city’s affordable housing lottery. Tenants will pay no more than 30% of their income in rent through project-based Section 8 vouchers.
The building will include 22 studios, 61 one-bedroom apartments, and a superintendent’s unit. Amenities will include on-site social services, a 24/7 staffed front desk, a community room, a landscaped rear yard, and communal laundry. The structure will be 100% electric and built to Passive House energy standards, resulting in roughly 30% lower energy use compared to a typical NYC residential building. Completion is anticipated for summer 2028.
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The groundbreaking drew a notable roster of officials, including NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg, City Comptroller Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and State Senator Cordell Cleare, among others. Funders include the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, JPMorgan Chase, Enterprise Community Partners, Bellwether Enterprise, and Capital One Community Investments, with additional support from the HPD-NYSERDA Future Housing Initiative and discretionary funds from Council Member Shaun Abreu and Comptroller Levine in his former role as Manhattan Borough President.The new building is the second phase of WSFSSH’s West 108th Street campus. The first phase, at 143-145 West 108th Street, combines permanent supportive housing with Valley Lodge — WSFSSH’s shelter for older adults — and a federally qualified health center. When WSFSSH opened the lottery for 79 affordable units in that building, more than 60,000 people applied.
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