A developer has filed permits for a 13-story mixed-use building at 831 Rosedale Avenue in Soundview, but that tower is only one-third of a much larger plan quietly taking shape in the neighborhood. The same developer has also filed for two more buildings nearby, and all three share a very specific number: 99 units apiece.
According to New York YIMBY, the 831 Rosedale Avenue application describes a 123-foot-tall, concrete-based structure with a cellar, sitting on a vacant lot between Story Avenue and Lafayette Avenue. The filing lists 287 residences across 236,964 square feet, including 186,277 square feet of residential space, 50,687 square feet of commercial space and 27 enclosed parking spaces, with Steven Westreich listed as the owner behind the applications and Leandro Nils Dickson Architect named as architect of record. Based on the average unit scope of about 649 square feet, the outlet reports the residences are likely to be rentals, and no demolition permits are expected since the lot is already vacant.
But that 287-unit figure tells only part of the story. As reported by Commercial Observer, Westreich, operating through Westbridge Realty Group, actually submitted three separate building applications across Soundview — 831 Rosedale Avenue and 851 Rosedale Avenue, both rising 13 stories, plus 863 Soundview Avenue at 12 stories — each one capped at 99 units, for a combined 297 apartments across the trio.
Why Developers Keep Landing on 99 Units
That number is not a coincidence. Under New York State's 485-x tax incentive program, enacted in April 2024 to replace the expired 421-a abatement, residential projects with 100 or more units must pay construction workers at least $40 an hour, a threshold detailed by CRE Daily. Capping a building at 99 units lets a developer still qualify for the 485-x tax break while sidestepping that wage mandate, which is why filings of exactly 99 units have become something of a signature move across the outer boroughs.
Private Real Estate Daily's reporting on the Soundview filings reinforces how deliberate the pattern is: the outlet found that all three Westbridge applications list identical 50,687-square-foot commercial spaces and name the same architect of record, Leandro Nils Dickson. Two of the three sites sit directly adjacent to one another, while 831 Rosedale Avenue sits one block south, the outlet notes.
Westreich's footprint extends well beyond Soundview. Through Westorchard Management, a property management subsidiary tied to Westbridge Realty Group, he filed applications for a 12-story, 164-unit mixed-use building at 3008 Godwin Terrace in Kingsbridge, a project Hoodline first reported in March. And in Washington Heights, per PincusCo, Westbridge purchased a site at 4388 Broadway for $4.3 million and filed plans for another 99-unit building, again designed by Leandro Nils Dickson Architect. The Real Deal has previously identified the firm as one of the most active architectural practices in the city by filing volume, specializing in high-density mid-rise multifamily projects across the Bronx and Brooklyn.
A Citywide Pattern, Not Just a Bronx One
The Soundview filings are part of a much larger surge. Data from the Real Estate Board of New York, reported by CRE Daily, found that 28 building permit applications for 99-unit residential structures were filed across New York City in a single year — more than the cumulative total from the previous 16 years combined. Researchers attribute the spike directly to the wage thresholds written into the 485-x legislation.
Property records reviewed by PropertyShark show 831 Rosedale Avenue carries an R6 residential zoning classification within Bronx Community District 9, also known under the secondary addresses 600 Noble Avenue and 1721 Lafayette Avenue. The site sits near the Morrison Avenue-Soundview subway station, served by the 6 train, giving future tenants a direct transit link into the rest of the city.
That transit access matters in a district where residents already lean heavily on public transportation. Data USA figures show Bronx Community District 9 has a homeownership rate of just 22.8%, with residents facing an average public transit commute of 45.5 minutes — a reminder of how central subway and ferry access, including the Soundview NYC Ferry terminal at Clason Point Park, is to daily life in the area.
Building Amid Economic Strain
The new towers would rise in a community already grappling with steep economic pressure. Census Reporter's compilation of 2024 American Community Survey estimates puts Bronx Community District 9's median household income at $42,356, with a 30.4% poverty rate — compared to $85,820 and 14% statewide. More than half of households in the district earn under $50,000 a year, underscoring the gap between the incoming rental stock and what many current residents can afford.
No estimated completion date has been announced for the Rosedale Avenue project. The filings arrive as Soundview continues to see a wave of large-scale housing proposals; Hoodline previously reported on a separate developer's plan for 606 apartments on a vacant Soundview lot, part of the same broader building boom reshaping the neighborhood's skyline.
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