Bishop Valero Senior Residence

Organization Name: Catholic Charities POP Development

Project Title: Bishop Valero Senior Residence

Project Location: Astoria, Queens, New York

Project Description:
Located at 23-11 31st Road in Astoria, Queens, the Catholic Charities Bishop Valero Residence will be a six-story, 84,900 square foot building with on-site supportive social services for residents featuring a 6,400 square foot, 200-seat capacity community senior center on the ground floor of the building provided and operated by Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services, an affiliate agency of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens. With 102 residential units and one superintendent’s unit, the building will be a 100 percent affordable residence for seniors with 30 percent of the building reserved for formerly homeless seniors with severe mental illness (SMI) through the New York City 15/15 Supportive Housing Initiative sponsored by the Department of Homeless Services in the Human Resources Administration. The remainder of the units reserved for low-income seniors will target those making up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). The programming for the Peter J. Dellamonica Senior Center, which Catholic Charities currently operates in the Astoria community and will relocate to the Bishop Valero Residence, will include daily hot meals made on-site, fitness classes, and senior case management.

Community Impact:
Closing for the Bishop Valero Residence was initially scheduled in March 2020, but when the pandemic hit, the deal was thrown in flux, along with nearly all aspects of New York City life. After emphasizing the specific senior and community needs served by the project, and utilizing the expertise of a strong financial and legal team, the deal was able to move forward to close in June 2020. The Bishop Valero Residence will provide much needed affordable senior housing and services for NYC residents to live safely, comfortably, and independently in the vibrant community of Astoria. In 2016, Catholic Charities joined a coalition with LiveOn NY that heavily advocated for changes to the New York City zoning resolution. Approved by the New York City Council, the changes, called Zoning for Quality and Affordability (ZQA), included allowing buildings with affordable or senior housing to be taller, eliminating parking requirements for affordable or affordable senior housing located near subway lines, and changing rules which affect the shape of new and enlarged buildings. This new ZQA regulation permits the development of crucial affordable housing units within the existing Catholic Charities portfolio.

Organization Description:
Since 1975, Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples Development Corporation, the affordable housing developer of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, Inc. and has been transforming vacant land and buildings into affordable housing units and transforming the lives of individuals and families. In the past 44 years, Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples Development Corporation has completed more than 4,330 units with supportive services for seniors, families, the formerly homeless, those with HIV and those struggling with mental illness.

Team Members:

Monadnock Construction; Dattner Architects; KOW / ARMA Consultants, Owner’s Representative; Bright Power, Inc., Sustainability Consultant; and A. Larovere Consulting, Development Consultant.

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