Bronx Residents and Elected Officials Unveil Five Groundbreaking Models for Community Ownership at NWBCCC’s 51st Annual Meeting

Projects included new permanently affordable housing construction, a major rehabilitation of a South Bronx HDFC, and transitioning buildings to tenant ownership

BRONX, NY - On Saturday, March 15th, close to 220 Bronx residents, elected leaders, and housing advocates gathered at the Andrew Freedman Home for the 51st Annual Meeting of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), Our Bronx: We Plan It. Run It. Own It. The celebration unveiled five transformative tenant- and community-led models for housing and community development, designed to expand community ownership over land and housing.

“This is not just about reclaiming one building, or five—This is about reshaping the future of the Bronx,” said Tanette Harper, a longtime resident at 785 East Tremont Ave, where NWBCCC has worked with tenants to reverse a foreclosure, establish cooperative ownership and an operational board, and join the Bronx Community Land Trust (Bronx CLT) to ensure long term affordability and sustainability. “This is what tenant power looks like. This is what community ownership looks like. And this is why organizations like NWBCCC matter.”

Presentations from Bronx tenants, NWBCCC staff, government officials, and development partners highlighted the unique power of cross-sector collaboration, combined with community organizing, to create innovative and sustainable solutions for housing affordability and community governance over homes and land.

“Bronx Community Board 6 has developed a fruitful partnership with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition in organizing tenants and developing a new strategy for development in our District,” said Rafael Moure-Punnett, District Manager of Bronx Community Board 6. “The Northwest Bronx provides residents with training and leadership development that uniquely prepares them not only to organize their neighbors, but to eventually develop demands on community power and ownership. The accomplishments so far with 785 East Tremont point to the Northwest Bronx’s ability to support existing cooperatives with accessing funds and developing board governance.”

Joined by state and city elected officials, NWBCCC advocated for legislative solutions, including the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) and the Community Land Act, to scale these successful models and put more buildings and land into community hands.

“I want to congratulate the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition for their unwavering commitment to cultivating hope and empowering future generations through the initiatives highlighted at 'Our Bronx: We Plan It. Run It. Own It.'” said New York State Senator Luis R. Sepúlveda. “These extraordinary projects aim to incentivize tenant- and community-led models that promote community ownership of land and housing. This represents a vital investment in the people of the Bronx, ensuring that every family, regardless of background, has a place to call home. I am proud of the work being done in our community to improve the lives of our neighbors, friends, and families and look forward to the work ahead to make these initiatives a reality.”

Last year, NWBCCC announced its Bronx-wide expansion and merger with the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative. NWBCCC Executive Director Sandra Lobo said this decision has deepened the organization’s ability to preserve affordable housing, create cooperative homeownership, and push forward bold policies to transform the housing system at a crucial time for the Bronx.

“At a moment when speculation, gentrification and climate change threaten to displace the people who built the Bronx, NWBCCC and our partners are scaling real solutions for tenant stability, affordability, and community ownership,” Lobo said. “With the strategic government investment and growing partnerships between grassroots, faith, and labor organizations, these models have potential for regional and national impact.”

One such model is 664-672 Beck Street, a once-failing HDFC where NWBCCC forged a partnership between the residents, the Mutual Housing Association of New York, and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development to implement a $25 million gut renovation of the building, while strengthening resident governance and ensuring permanent affordability.

“During my 9 years at the New York City Council, I have had the pleasure of working closely with the NWBCCC to resolve housing issues — the highlight of which has been the $25 million Beck Street Refurbishment Project,” said Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Jr., who leveraged tax incentives to support the renovations. “Thanks to the Article XI application that my office sponsored and supported, we were able to make these critical building-wide renovations to the units at 664-672 Beck Street. I am grateful to the NWBCCC for their invaluable partnership on this important project that is ensuring Bronxites will stay in their communities by guaranteeing affordable rental rates for their brand new apartments.”

Historically, the rehabilitation of HDFCs facing severe debt and structural issues has required resident boards to sell their buildings or to give up control. However, NWBCCC was adamant about taking a different approach. Instead of displacing tenants, they have ensured that no resident will pay more than 30% of their income on rent. They have also supported the board to take an active role in building management and decision-making to prepare them for long term stewardship. Residents say that has made all the difference.

“Every step of the way, our board has been at the center of decision-making—from supporting our neighbors through temporary relocations to choosing the tiles for our common spaces,” said 664-672 Beck Street board president Jennifer Sanchez. “What was once an unstable, vulnerable building is now becoming a model for resident-led housing preservation.”

In addition to restoring the Bronx’s aging housing stock, NWBCCC is advancing new affordable housing construction across four abandoned lots in the Belmont neighborhood. These sites will be transformed into 30 cooperatively-owned and environmentally sustainable homes, held permanently affordable on the Bronx CLT. Kendall Jackman, a board member of the Bronx CLT, said they anticipate project construction will begin in 2026, finally delivering dignified homes on sites that have blighted the neighborhood for over two decades.

“With these sites, we are building a new model of homeownership—one that is affordable, cooperative, and permanently protected from speculation,” Jackman said. “It is a bold vision—but it is a necessary one. We’re here to invite our neighbors, our elected officials, and our allies to continue standing with us to prove that this kind of development is not only possible—it is the future of housing justice in the Bronx.”

Organizers and city and state representatives said that the successes of these projects could be scaled citywide through policies like the Community Land Act, which would prioritize community land trusts and nonprofit organizations when public land is developed, ensuring more housing remains permanently affordable and resident-controlled. State elected officials also joined their calls for the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, which would give tenants the first right to purchase their buildings when they go up for sale, preventing predatory investors from pushing people out of their homes.

“Tenant-led ownership models are already succeeding across the Bronx, proving that residents can and should govern their homes,” said Sandra Lobo. “With strategic investment through the Community Land Act and the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, we can protect affordability and build long-term power, wealth, and stability for families across New York City and State.”

Councilmember Pierina Sanchez also highlighted how legislative reform would facilitate the transfer and preservation of more buildings under responsible community ownership, like at 2201-2205 Davidson Avenue, where she and the NWBCCC have worked with tenants to remove their negligent landlord and convert their building to cooperative ownership.

“En la unión está la fuerza, and the tenants of 2201-05 Davidson Avenue have proven just that,” said New York City Council Member Pierina Sanchez. “For nearly a decade, tenants have endured inhumane living conditions, organizing tirelessly against an owner who owes over $28 million in municipal arrears and has hundreds of active violations. They demanded that city agencies use every tool at their disposal to provide decent living conditions—and I am proud to have stood with them in successfully petitioning the City to remove this irresponsible owner,” she continued. “Following the mandated court process, the building will soon be transferred to Neighborhood Restore, a critical step toward ensuring tenants receive long-overdue relief and an opportunity for resident ownership. This victory would not have been possible without the fierce determination and leadership of the tenants, along with the unwavering support of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and the Legal Aid Society,” she continued. “I am extremely proud to have supported this remarkable effort—but our work does not end here. Thousands of buildings citywide remain in distress, where City enforcement programs have failed, and tenants still live in unsafe conditions. My legislation, the Housing Rescue and Resident Protection Act (Int. 1063), offers a path forward. It takes bold steps to reform the Third Party Transfer program, identifying the most neglected buildings and, after a fair process, transferring them to responsible ownership. Let’s pass this bill and secure safe, dignified housing for all New Yorkers.”

###

Bronx Residents and Elected Officials Unveil Five Groundbreaking Models for Community Ownership at NWBCCC’s 51st Annual Meeting

Follow Us