What used to be a Bushwick parking lot is now Linden Grove, a new 13-story, 153-unit, 100% affordable senior residence at 223 Linden Street. City officials and developers gathered Tuesday morning to cut the ribbon on the building, which will house low-income and formerly homeless older adults in studio and one-bedroom apartments, complete with on-site supportive services and community spaces. Officials cast the project as a flagship of the city’s Seniors First push to create more aging-in-place housing on underused public land.
The Department of Buildings highlighted the moment on X, boosting a post that touted Linden Grove’s 153 apartments and "100% affordable" status, according to the Department of Buildings. Gilbane Development, Blue Sea Development, and JASA hosted the ribbon-cutting at the site, according to a release from the development team.
What Linden Grove Offers
The 13-story building clocks in at roughly 100,000 square feet and holds 153 studio and one-bedroom apartments for income-qualified seniors, according to Gilbane Development Company. Units are reserved for households earning around 30% to 40% of Area Median Income, and 46 apartments are specifically set aside for formerly homeless seniors, Patch reports. JASA is responsible for on-site property management and will provide supportive services such as case management, wellness programming, and community activities intended to help residents age in place.
Modular Construction and Green Credentials
Linden Grove was built using off-site modular construction, with building modules assembled in a controlled factory setting and then stacked on site to speed up the schedule and limit disruption to the neighborhood, according to NGBS Green and local coverage. The project has racked up high-performance credentials, including LEED Platinum certification and PHIUS Passive House standards, and industry outlets have pointed to it as a landmark green verification for affordable housing. “Modules were fabricated off site to a consistent standard,” Blue Sea co-founder Les Bluestone said in project materials cited by NGBS.
Part of the City’s Seniors First Push
City officials placed Linden Grove under the umbrella of the Seniors First strategy, which aims to speed up construction of senior housing on NYCHA and other public sites, according to HPD. City finance documents show that the development used HDC’s ELLA program along with other public subsidies to keep rents deeply affordable, per an HDC memo.
Availability and Next Steps
A housing lottery for a portion of the units at Linden Grove ran in late 2023 on NYC Housing Connect, with some apartments offered to applicants who met strict income and asset caps, according to Brownstoner. With the ribbon now officially cut, developers say JASA will begin rolling out wellness and case-management programs for residents while city agencies move ahead with siting similar projects in neighborhoods across all five boroughs.
For Bushwick, Linden Grove replaces a former parking lot with long-term, deeply affordable homes for older New Yorkers, along with on-site services and the promise of lower energy bills. Developers and city officials held it up as a model they hope to replicate for senior housing across New York City.
