Governor Hochul Announces Completion of $48 Million Affordable Senior Housing Development in Brooklyn

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the opening of Bethany Senior Terraces, a $48 million affordable housing development in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. The new four-story building includes 57 affordable apartments for seniors aged 55 and older, including eighteen apartments with supportive services. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has created or preserved more than 11,000 affordable homes in Brooklyn. Bethany Senior Terraces continues this effort and is part of Governor Hochul's $25 billion five-year Housing Plan which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide.

"Every New Yorker deserves a safe and affordable place to age with independence and stability," Governor Hochul said. "Bethany Senior Terraces transforms a long-vacant site in Brooklyn into modern, energy-efficient homes for older adults while delivering supportive services that will help vulnerable seniors thrive. Developments like this are essential to addressing our housing shortage and building healthier neighborhoods across New York."

Developed by RiseBoro Community Partnership Inc., Bethany Senior Terraces replaces two vacant buildings formerly occupied by the Bethany Methodist Home for the Aged. The new development includes 45 studio apartments, 12 one-bedroom apartments and one superintendent's unit. All 57 affordable apartments are reserved for households earning at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income.

Eighteen apartments are reserved for tenants eligible for on-site supportive services including individuals struggling with homelessness. Services are provided by RiseBoro Community Partnership Inc. and include case management, health coordination, and social and recreational programming designed to help seniors maintain stable housing and age in place independently. The New York State Department of Health is providing operating funding for these supportive apartments through an Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative award.

The development includes fully accessible and adaptable apartments. There will be five units to accommodate residents with mobility impairments and two units to accommodate residents with sensory disabilities.

The fully-electric building was designed to meet 2020 Enterprise Green Communities Plus and Passive House standards, incorporating sustainable features including Energy Recovery Ventilation systems, LED lighting, Energy Star appliances, low-VOC materials and rooftop infrastructure capable of supporting a future solar array.

Residents will have access to supportive services offices, storage space and community rooms. The building includes outdoor terraces that step down to a large, common garden located off of the building lobby and offer entrances to interior social spaces at every floor. There is a hydroponic greenhouse - which uses water rather than soil to grow plants. There is a community kitchen directly connected to the greenhouse that is intended to host community demonstrations on gardening and cooking.

State financing for the development included federal and State Low-Income Housing Tax Credits that generated approximately $14.4 million in equity and $7.8 million in subsidy from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) provided $716,000 in funding. $9.3 million in financing was provided by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "Bethany Senior Terraces delivers exactly the kind of housing New York needs more of - apartments that are affordable, supportive, sustainable, and allow residents to be connected to the communities of their choice. By transforming a blighted property into 57 high-quality apartments, this development is advancing Governor Hochul's housing and climate goals while helping to create a healthier, more affordable future in Brooklyn for seniors."

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, "For older adults, a healthy and accessible home is essential to aging with dignity. Bethany Senior Terraceswill give residents the opportunity to live independently while staying connected to the services and support they need to thrive. I thank Governor Hochul for her leadership and commitment to expanding affordable housing across New York State."

NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, "Bethany Senior Terraces serves as an example of how to build affordable housing that prioritizes the latest clean technology alongside accessibility and mobility accommodations. The energy efficient upgrades incorporated in this project will help lower energy usage for aging New Yorkers and allow them to live in cleaner, more modern living spaces."

New York State Office for the Aging Acting Director Greg Olsen said, "The Bethany Senior Terraces development project highlights Governor Hochul's commitment to expand age-friendly affordable housing across the state. The on-site supportive services and social and recreational programming will help ensure the older adults have access and opportunity to be independent, healthy, and active in their community. Older New Yorkers have a profound impact in every community, so I applaud Governor Hochul for her continuous efforts to keep older New Yorkers in communities of their choice."

RiseBoro Community Partnership CEO Kieran Harrington said, "From acquiring this long-vacant site to delivering 57 deeply affordable, all-electric homes, RiseBoro is proud to have built Bethany Senior Terraces as a place where older New Yorkers can age with dignity, stability, and community. We are thrilled to continue developing more affordable and sustainable residences that support our community's needs and promote environmental resilience."

Representative Yvette D. Clarke said, "The opening of Bethany Senior Terraces isn't just an investment in affordable housing, but an investment in dignity, stability, and opportunity for our seniors here in Central Brooklyn. At a time when far too many older New Yorkers are struggling with housing insecurity, this development will provide supportive and sustainable homes where residents can age with grace and independence. I commend Governor Hochul, RiseBoro Community Partnership, Inc., and all our partners for transforming a long-vacant site into a model for compassionate, climate-conscious housing providing on-site supportive services. Together, we are proving that every New Yorker deserves a safe and affordable place to call home."

Assemblymember Monique Chandler-Waterman said, "I am excited to join Governor Hochul and my colleagues in government today to celebrate the opening of Bethany Senior Terraces. My office assisted in the publicizing of this project during construction, aided numerous older adults in filling out housing applications and ensured the application deadline was extended to accommodate as many applicants as possible.

I want to thank the Governor for her leadership in making this project a reality and look forward to collaborating on future endeavors that will bring additional resources to the 58th Assembly District."

Governor Hochul's Housing Agenda

Governor Hochul is dedicated to addressing New York's housing crisis and making the State more affordable and livable for all New Yorkers. Since FY23, the Governor has worked to increase housing supply to make housing more affordable by launching a $25 billion five-year comprehensive Housing Plan, enacted the most significant housing deal in decades and implemented new protections for renters and homeowners. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, HCR has created new programs that jumpstart development of affordable and mixed-income homes - for both renters and homebuyers. These include the Pro-Housing Community Program, which allows certified localities exclusive access to up to $750 million in discretionary State funding. More than 410 communities throughout the state have been certified Pro-Housing, including New York City.

As part of Governor Hochul's 2026 State of the State, the Governor proposed her "Let Them Build" agenda, a series of landmark reforms to speed up housing and infrastructure development and lower costs. This initiative will spur a series of common-sense reforms to New York's State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and executive actions to expedite critical categories of projects that have been consistently found to not have significant environmental impacts, but for too long have been caught up in red tape and subject to lengthy delays.

The FY27 Executive Budget completes the Governor's current five-year Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. More than 81,000 affordable homes have been created or preserved to date. The Executive Budget also invests $250 million in capital funding to accelerate the construction of thousands of new affordable homes.