Construction has broken ground on Chelsea Beacon, a residential conversion and expansion of the former Bayview Correctional Facility at 550 West 20th Street in Chelsea, Manhattan. Designed by COOKFOX Architects and developed by a joint venture between Camber Property Group and the Osborne Association, the $167 project will span approximately 100,000 square feet and yield up to 131 permanently affordable rental units. The development will also include a 15-unit short-term transitional residence for individuals with mental health needs, 9,300 square feet of community facility space, and a ninth-floor outdoor terrace. The property is located at the southeast corner of West 20th Street and Eleventh Avenue, directly across from Chelsea Piers.
An official groundbreaking ceremony was held last week and attended by Governor Kathy Hochul and members of the project team. Work is proceeding within the property's interior courtyard, where the new addition will rise alongside the adaptively reused main and annex buildings. Empire State Development managed the environmental review, project approvals, and the disposition of the state-owned property to enable its conversion. Apartments will be affordable to households earning up to 80 percent of the area median income, with at least 79 units reserved as supportive housing marketed to formerly incarcerated New Yorkers. Seven apartments are fully accessible and adapted for residents with mobility impairments, and three are equipped for residents with hearing and visual impairments.
The redevelopment is proceeding under a General Project Plan adopted by Empire State Development in February 2025 following public review. In essence, this allows the state to effectively fast-track the development by superseding local zoning controls. The building will incorporate all-electric systems, and the historic chapel will be restored and repurposed as programmatic space, while the tile mosaic from the former swimming pool will be preserved and reinstalled in the residential lobby. The transitional residence will provide intensive mental health support over 120-day stays for individuals preparing to move into more independent housing.
What remains unknown from the available reporting includes the precise unit mix beyond the supportive and accessible counts, the specific community facility uses, and the project's total financing structure beyond the stated $167 million figure. The anticipated completion date is slated for 2029, but the source does not detail construction phasing or potential risks to that timeline.