First look: 558 affordable apartments planned at former St. Emeric's Church site in Alphabet City

The first rendering is out for an all-affordable, two-tower project on the former St. Emeric's Church campus in Alphabet City, which its backers bill as the largest new supportive housing development ever built in Manhattan.

The 21-story building at 740 East 13th Street, between Avenues C and D, would hold 558 rental apartments, New York YIMBY reported Friday. About 60% of the units are planned for seniors, formerly homeless veterans and families, and people who need mental health support, according to YIMBY.

What's planned

• Who's building it: a joint venture of the nonprofits Community Access and Cooper Square Committee with developers Spatial Equity and Duvernay + Brooks, according to BlueHub Capital, one of the project's lenders.
• Design: SLCE Architects drew two towers joined by a mid-rise middle section in red and earth-toned brick, with landscaped terraces on the 11th and 15th floors and on the center roof, YIMBY reported.
• Green features: rooftop solar panels, energy-recovery ventilation and air-source heat pumps, according to YIMBY.
• Transit: the nearest subway is the L at First Avenue and 14th Street.
• Timeline: no construction schedule has been announced.

How the numbers have changed

The unit count has moved as plans developed. BlueHub says the team used a zoning bonus for supportive housing to win approval for 550 units, about 20% more than first scoped. Earlier this year, The Real Deal, citing Crain's, reported that Community Access had filed plans for two 21-story buildings, 220 units at 730 East 13th Street and 350 at 181 Avenue D, for about 570 units in all, every one of them affordable. YIMBY's new figure is 558.

The reported sale price also differs by outlet. YIMBY said the Archdiocese of New York sold the property for $23 million in August 2024; The Real Deal reported that a contract set at a minimum of $58 million was later lowered to $35 million. The site, which includes the closed church and a parking lot, sits on a former manufactured gas plant, and its soil is being cleaned up, The Real Deal reported.

The financing

BlueHub lent $11.7 million for site acquisition and predevelopment, alongside the Corporation for Supportive Housing, Capital Impact Partners and the Leviticus Fund, according to BlueHub. YIMBY reported a $9.5 million Leviticus Fund loan, and said the fund plans a lobby plaque honoring Catholic Worker founders Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin.

BlueHub says the Archdiocese first invited only large market-rate developers to bid, and that the nonprofit team won with a two-phase purchase plan after neighbors pressed for at least 25% affordable housing. "This project marks a return to our roots," Community Access CFO Chris Lacovara told BlueHub; the group began providing supportive housing on the Lower East Side 50 years ago.

Want to apply when it opens? Affordable units in new city-backed buildings are usually rented through Housing Connect lotteries. Our Housing Connect guide explains how to sign up and what income bands mean.