Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Unveils $108 Million Proposal to Transform Former Bayview Correctional Facility Into 124 Affordable Housing Units and Vibrant Community Hub

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled Liberty Landing, a transformative project to convert the state-owned 100,000 square-foot former Bayview Correctional Facility in Manhattan into affordable housing for low-income residents and supportive housing for formerly incarcerated individuals reentering the community. The proposed project, a joint venture between Camber Property Group and Osborne Association, would invest over $108 million in West Chelsea and provide 124 permanently affordable housing units and on-site supportive services.

VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format.

AUDIO of the Governor’s remarks is available.

PHOTOS of the event are available on the Governor's Flickr page.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

 Good morning. There's an Art Deco building in Chelsea on the West Side Highway at West 20th Street. In the nearly 100 years since it was built, it's had many lives — from a boarding house for merchant sailors docked on the Hudson, to a correctional facility for women known as Bayview. From that, it went to become a derelict eyesore after sustaining major damage during Hurricane Sandy.

And it was abandoned for the last dozen years — a visible memorial to decay and decline. And no one seemed to care, until now. And that's why we're moving one step closer to seeing this building reborn yet again, with 124 units of affordable housing — including homes for individuals reentering our community after incarceration and those suffering from mental health challenges.

And I want to thank the people who never gave up on this project. The true believers who saw that the possibility was always there. It just took leadership to get it over the finish line. I want to thank our Senator, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, for his strong advocacy of this project. You'll be hearing from him in a couple of moments.

Our Borough President, Mark Levine, who looks at all these buildings and sees the promise and the possibilities. I want to thank him for his leadership here as well. Also, Tony Simone could not join us — a little bit under the weather today — but he's been a strong champion as well. And I also want to thank Jon Monsalve, the CEO of the Osborne Association as well. And my dream team, our Commissioner of Corrections who's joined us here today, as well as Hope Knight, who is the Empire State Development CEO and President as well.

So, you know, I don't need to say this — you've heard me say it a thousand times: New York state is experiencing a housing crisis. It's across our State but is particularly acute here in New York City. The supply of available rental housing is the lowest it has been since the 1960s, when rent regulation first began. Right now, the vacancy rate is less than 1.5 percent. As you know, experts consider a healthy vacancy rate at about five to eight percent, and we're nowhere close to that. It's really simple, my friends: when supply goes down, prices go up, and the opposite occurs as well. But this is also one of the top reasons people leave our State: the cost of housing.

Since I became Governor three years ago, my vision for New York State has been crystal clear. I want it to be a place where we build the housing that New Yorkers so desperately want and need. A place where first responders and teachers can afford to live among the people they work for and serve. Where seniors don't have to leave where they grew up; where they raised their children and raised their families. They can actually be around the grandkids. And where vulnerable New Yorkers who are already facing daunting challenges in life, can sleep at night knowing that they are secure.

Now, tackling a crisis of this magnitude takes bold leadership and creative ideas, and that's why I've worked with our state legislature, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, our Speaker Carl Heastie, and working with my team in the administration to sit down with legislators, talk about what are the options, what are the possibilities, and I also said, “Let's take a look at state-owned assets. We certainly have a vast inventory of existing buildings and abandoned properties, so let's look at all the state-owned real estate and identify those that are underutilized, and we can adapt them for other uses.” I also convened the Prison Redevelopment Commission in 2022, and their recommendations shined the light on so many possibilities around housing in particular. And that's where our idea on how we wanted to reimagine Bayview came to life.

So, in the fall of last year, we requested proposals to redevelop the site, and I'm delighted to announce today the winning project — a joint venture between Camber Property Group and Osborne Association — is called Liberty Landing.

As you can see, it will transform this former jail into 124 new homes — housing units — 100 percent of which will be permanently affordable. And not only that — this is how we take care of people who need extra help — 74 units will be set aside for formerly incarcerated individuals who just want a chance to be part of society once again.

Liberty Landing will feature onsite supportive services for people who are just looking for that second chance. Services like job training, family and relationship coaching, nutrition counseling, mental health care and substance abuse disorder treatment will be available. Now, these will be provided by Osborne Association, which has the reputation and the decades of experience operating supportive housing that breaks the cycle of recidivism and ensures that our New Yorkers returning back have the tools and resources they need to survive and thrive.

But also, this project will feature over 9,000 square feet of community space, with programming tailored to meet the needs of young people in the surrounding area, as well as 15 short term transitional housing units to help those suffering from mental illness so they can gain skills and resilience and get back on a path toward independence.

This is all part of our work to help New Yorkers, as well as end our housing crisis, and make our State more affordable and more livable. In our last Budget, we worked with the Legislature to secure the most transformative housing deal in half a century. It includes new incentives and zoning relief right here in New York City, new protections for renters — $500 million dollars to build up 15,000 new homes on state-owned property — and $600 million to support a variety of new housing developments statewide. And that's all on top of our 5-year, $25 billion housing plan, which will create or preserve 100,000 affordable units statewide.

Liberty Landing is a shining example of how we can use underutilized properties across our State. Now, a few years down the road, New Yorkers will be unlocking the doors to their beautiful homes in a place where people were once locked behind bars. They'll be free from worry with this new affordable housing. And it wouldn't be possible, again, without the support of the local community, the community board; all those who believe and saw this building for so long and believed that we can do better than this. And my friends, by working together, we have.

I want to thank the members of Community Board 4 who helped craft this vision for Bayview's redevelopment, and who welcomed this project in their neighborhood with open arms. I know some of the board members are here with us today. Can you raise your hands? I want to thank all of you for leading by example on how we work to end New York's affordable crisis. Thank you. You don't have to be shy, alright? Thank you.

And now I'd like to introduce another great partner in this effort as we meet all the challenges that our City faces together. Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who will say a few words. Thank you.