BengalNews Reporters
Eight families were selected from a lottery of
applicants to move into Cynthia Gardens, a new energy-efficient housing
development located at 294-302 Hudson St.
Applicants, who can move in as
early as June 1, were drawn from the lottery that closed in April.
Cynthia Gardens was built on an
empty lot, after a fire destroyed the previous building 12 years ago. The new
building is equipped with energy-efficient appliances and heat saving windows.
The housing
development is a combination of two town houses, which includes four
two-bedroom apartments and four three-bedroom apartments. Each apartment will
include a dishwasher, a washer and a dryer.
To be
eligible for the apartments, applicants had to be within an income bracket of
$30,500 and $44,200. The applicants also had to complete the lottery
application process by its April 19 deadline.
“There are
eight apartments available for rent so all applicants must meet all the criteria
to be eligible to be entered into the lottery” Stephanie Simeon, executive
director of the Heart of the City Neighborhood Inc. said.
In an effort to enhance the West
Side, Heart of the City Neighborhoods Inc. is taking steps to make the
neighborhood more appealing, while improving the quality of residential living.
Cynthia
Gardens is one of the few projects that Heart of the City Neighborhood Inc. is working
on. In addition to building Cynthia Gardens, the organization is working on
neighborhood upkeep projects including Home Ownership Provides Equity (H.O.P.E.),
a program that will revitalize existing abandoned homes on the West Side.
“We have a few different programs
going on currently and it’s construction season so we are very busy,” Kristine
Conroy, program administrator of the organization said.
