NEW YORK CITY — The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has selected Slate Property Group, Xenolith Partners and Communilife to develop La Ostra on a vacant lot in Inwood, the northern-most neighborhood in Manhattan.
The project will include 600 units, 200 of which will be reserved for seniors. All apartments will offer affordable rents. Specific income restrictions were not disclosed. The developers will also build a marine science and STEM education center that will be operated by the Billion Oyster Project, a nonprofit founded in 2014 with the goal to restore one billion oysters to New York Harbor by 2035 (La Ostra is Spanish for “the oyster.”)
BioBus, a nonprofit that operates mobile, interactive science labs, also will be an operational partner. Comunilife will provide on-site supportive services to residents that will include dedicated space for the group’s Life is Precious program, offering access to mental health resources to teenagers and their families.
Oyster Field House, an indoor-outdoor soccer field for La Ostra residents as well as the public, also is part of the project as is 1 acre of publicly accessible waterfront space along the Harlem River.
The development team is working with HPD to obtain public approvals and secure financing before construction can begin. The architect is Magnusson Architecture and Planning.