The Beacon

Ascendant Neighborhood Development and co-developers, The Community Builders (TCB), will develop the site located at 413 East 120th Street, to be known as The Beacon. The East Harlem Multi-Service Center site will give rise to an affordable 282-home residential building, of which 30 percent will be set aside for households that have experienced homelessness. The new residential building will be constructed at the back of the existing East Harlem Multi-Service Center, which will be rehabilitated and expanded. The original architecture of the multi-service center will be preserved and include additional space for after-school programming, a new atrium, green space, and the “Wagner Walk” walk path connecting the residential building to the multi-service facility. The renovated facility will continue to host the nonprofit organizations serving East Harlem.

“At TCB we pride ourselves on building and sustaining strong communities where all people can thrive,” said Desiree Andrepont, Senior Project Manager at The Community Builders. “It is a privilege to partner with Ascendant Neighborhood Development Corporation and bring together the East Harlem community with this exciting project. The transformation of the Multi Service Center will create a collaborative space to unite neighborhood leaders, local organizations and the greater community, and the development will provide much-needed affordable housing for generations to come”.

The City selected developers and their winning proposals from the competitive East Harlem RFP released in 2019, which sought plans to redevelop two sites that include affordable housing alongside retail and community services.

“For over thirty years, Ascendant has worked with our partners and allies to preserve, protect, and celebrate the unique history and heritage of East Harlem,” said Chris Cirillo, Executive Director at Ascendant Neighborhood Development Corporation. “We are profoundly grateful to have the opportunity to re-envision the Multi-Service Center as a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive 21st century community hub. We look forward to working with community members, Wagner Houses residents, Multi-Service Center tenants, Community Board 11, Council Member Ayala, and all of the other stakeholders who have helped to shape the vision for this site and the broader neighborhood.”

East Harlem Rezoning Context

In 2017, the New York City Council approved the East Harlem rezoning to identify opportunities to create new mixed-income housing and preserve existing affordable housing. The East Harlem Rezoning builds on recommendations of the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan (EHNP), developed through a comprehensive community planning process and led by a committee of local stakeholders including former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan Community Board 11 and Community Voices Heard. After a series of community meetings, the EHNP was issued with 232 recommendations for addressing key neighborhood issues. In addition to authorizing the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program for East Harlem, the rezoning creates opportunities for economic development while preserving the community’s existing commercial and manufacturing uses.

Our long-standing commitment to affordable housing and preservation has produced focused efforts to collaborate with East Harlem NYCHA residents. With generous funding from Enterprise Community Partners, and using the dynamic East Harlem Neighborhood Plan as a starting point, the Northern Manhattan Collaborative (NMC), led by Ascendant and working with Hester Street Collaborative, assessed several NMC-owned and publicly-owned sites in East Harlem as potential locations for affordable housing development and other needed non-residential uses called out in the EHNP recommendations. The study produced not only several in-depth analyses of specific sites, but also a strategy for creating more connection among existing buildings and spaces in the neighborhood.

The resulting report, titled “Public Sites for Public Good“, details a vision for leveraging the neighborhood’s affordable housing opportunities to address community-identified needs with special attention to city-owned property. View the full report, available in English or Spanish, here.

We are humbled to have been chosen to take on this important project. Ascendant is thrilled to be teaming up with The Community Builders to build 250 more truly-affordable homes in East Harlem, as well as provide meaningful and needed, community-centered neighborhood services to our East Harlem community.

Links:
Official NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development Designation Press Release (August 2021)
East Harlem RFP – Multi-service Center and NYPD Parking Lot (August 2019)
East Harlem RFP Community Visioning Summary Report (July 2019)
Community Board 11 Recommendations for POA sites (June 2019)
Public Sites for Public Good report (April 2019)
East Harlem Request for Proposals (RFP) Workshop Presentation  (April 2019)
East Harlem Points of Agreement (POA) (November 2017)
East Harlem Neighborhood Plan (February 2016)

TENANT RELOCATION UPDATE

Happy Summer! 

Based on ongoing discussions with HPD regarding a closing date, we currently anticipate that construction will begin no earlier than Summer 2026. As we reposition for relocation to occur in 2026, we plan to reconnect one-on-one with each tenant this summer and fall to revisit the needs identified in the tenant relocation survey. We understand that your needs may have changed with the extended project timeline, and we want to ensure we are still identifying spaces that align with your programmatic requirements.

The development team has created a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to address common questions raised by tenants about the temporary relocation and the planned renovations of the MSC. This FAQ resource addresses key concerns and themes that have emerged in our conversations with tenants about both.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. As always, we appreciate your time and attention throughout these project milestones.

Sincerely,
Lauryn, Matthias & Victor
The Beacon Outreach Team

TENANT RELOCATION UPDATE

Happy Spring!

We are pleased to share that The Beacon successfully completed ULURP in March, having received favorable approvals from the Borough President, City Planning Commission, and the City Council since Community Board 11’s October resolution. Based on ongoing discussions with HPD regarding a closing date, we currently anticipate that construction will begin no earlier than Summer 2026.

As we reposition for relocation to occur in 2026, we plan to reconnect one-on-one with each tenant this summer to revisit the needs identified in the tenant relocation survey. We understand that your needs may have changed with the extended project timeline, and we want to ensure we are still identifying spaces that align with your programmatic requirements.

Sincerely,

Lauryn, Matthias & Victor

The Beacon Outreach Team

TENANT RELOCATION UPDATE

Greetings!

We’re thrilled to share that The Beacon was certified to begin ULURP in September and the proposed ULURP actions were approved by Community Board 11 on October 29th, 2024! You can find the resolution here. This is a big step forward, and The Beacon will now advance to the Manhattan Borough President’s Office, the City Planning Commission (CPC), and the City Council for their review. If you’re interested in attending the CPC’s public hearing, you can keep an eye on the calendar here.

We anticipate ULURP wrapping up in Q1 2025, with relocation happening sometime in the latter half of 2025. Behind the scenes, we’re busy monitoring potential relocation sites and exploring any new options that become available. We expect to have a more detailed timeline early next year once we receive further direction from the City’s Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD).

We’ll be circling back with another update in early 2025. In the meantime, we’re happy to schedule one-on-one meetings to discuss any individual concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Lauryn, Matthias & Victor

The Beacon Outreach Team

TENANT RELOCATION UPDATE

Greetings!

Thank you for taking the time to meet with us regarding the potential relocation space on 124th Street. After hearing concerns from multiple tenants regarding the safety of the surrounding blocks, we have decided to continue our search for other viable options. We will keep your considerations in mind as we explore alternative locations.

Additionally, our relocation timeline has been adjusted. Instead of relocating in late fall of this year, we now anticipate that the move will occur in spring 2025. This change is due to a delay in our ULURP certification process.

We will keep you informed of any further updates or changes to the timeline. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Audrey & Matthias
The Beacon Outreach Team

OUTREACH MISSION

We are excited to work with all current MSC tenants throughout all phases of this unique development that will bring more affordable housing to East Harlem and provide a reimagined, holistic, and community-centered multi-service center for our neighborhood service providers. Our top priority is to create a transparent and inclusive process and encourage your input and feedback as we finalize project details and begin construction on your new tenant space.

RELOCATION DETAILS

Per our agreement with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the development team is committed to temporarily relocating all current MSC tenants out of the building prior to construction. Tenants will also have the option to return to the building after construction is complete. We will work closely with tenants to understand your specific spatial and programming needs in order to find you the most appropriate relocation space. The timing of the relocation will become clearer once we are farther along in the pre-construction phases of development. The development team will remain in close contact with tenants as we progress.

The development team will:

• Ensure that the redesign and renovation of the spaces in the MSC meet the tenant’s needs, if they choose to return to the building;
• Minimize relocation costs by assisting with planning and identifying spaces where tenants can relocate such that they can maintain community access to services provided;
• Facilitate planning for relocating back to 413 E 120th Street;
• Cover tenant’s 2-way moving costs (out of the MSC to the tenant’s temporary space; and back to tenant’s permanent space at The Beacon);
• Cover the cost of rent in temporary space in excess of the tenant’s base rent at the time of relocation; and
• Provide regular updates on construction and schedule.

The development team is keenly aware that moving twice within a short period of time will be disruptive. We are committed to doing all that we can to make the move out and back (or, if the tenant choses, out to a permanent relocation space) as smooth as possible.

DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE

The development and design teams for The Beacon are working with HPD to develop an accurate timeline for development. What we do know is that this will be a multi-year project. Below is a summary of the development cycle, and an estimated timeline.

PRE-DEVELOPMENT

The Beacon is currently in the pre-development stage. The development team is working to:

• Identify current and future space needs for MSC tenants;
• Complete designs for the both the renovated MSC and the new residential building; and
• Identify temporary relocation sites for MSC tenants.

LAND USE APPROVALS

The Beacon project is subject to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), which is required to secure necessary approvals for the redevelopment. ULURP is a standardized procedure whereby applications affecting the land use of the city are publicly reviewed. This process typically takes about 6 to 9 months, but can take longer.

CONSTRUCTION AND RELOCATION

We anticipate construction on The Beacon to take 2-3 years. During this time, the development team will temporarily relocate current tenants of the MSC so that they can continue to carry out operations with as little disruption as possible.

MOVE IN

Much like with move out, the development team will work closely with tenants to coordinate a move in plan that allows your operations to continue running as smoothly as possible. We cannot wait to welcome you back to The Beacon!