NYC Mass Timber Studio: Accelerating Housing Development RFA

New York City Economic Development Corporation ('NYCEDC') is pleased to invite applicants to submit proposals in response to this Request for Proposals ('RFP') for participation in the third iteration of the NYC Mass Timber Studio: Advancing Housing Development (the 'Studio').

New York City faces an urgent need to accelerate housing production while advancing the City of New York's (the 'City') climate commitments and reducing emissions from the built environment. As the City works toward the goals outlined in its 2026 Block by Block: Housing Plan and broader decarbonization initiatives, the integration of industrialized construction methods with low carbon building materials is critical to delivering new housing sustainably and more efficiently.

The Studio is a 9-month accelerator program designed to support active development projects exploring the application of mass timber in New York City. Through a cohort-based model, selected project teams will receive grants, regulatory engagement opportunities, peer learning, and project-specific technical support to evaluate the feasibility and implementation of mass timber within their projects.

For this cohort, NYCEDC is seeking applications from active multifamily housing developments located within New York City. The Studio will focus on advancing projects that can help address the City's housing needs while demonstrating scalable pathways to integrate and optimize lower-carbon construction practices into residential development by integrating modular planning, offsite manufacturing, and mass timber construction.

The Studio is funded with contributions from NYCEDC and the Softwood Lumber Board. Grants of approximately $25,000 will be awarded to selected teams to support project specific mass timber analysis and design work. The Studio activities are anticipated to begin in January 2027 and run for a duration of approximately nine (9) months.

NYCEDC plans to select design teams on the basis of factors stated in the RFP which include, but are not limited to: the capacity and availability of sufficient project planning time to actively participate in the Studio program, demonstration of ability to fulfill Studio program requirements (including fully assessing mass timber building solutions) the potential to implement mass timber building practices, and the commitment to carbon reduction strategies.

It is the policy of NYCEDC to comply with all federal, state and City laws and regulations which prohibit unlawful discrimination because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status and other protected category and to take affirmative action in working with contracting parties to ensure certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises ('M/WBE') share in the economic opportunities generated by NYCEDC's projects and initiatives.

Companies who have been certified with the New York City Department of Small Business Services as M/WBE are strongly encouraged to apply. To learn more about M/WBE certification, NYCEDC's M/WBE program, and programs to assist M/WBE in navigating current and upcoming opportunities on NYCEDC projects, please visit https://sbsconnect.nyc.gov/certification-directory-search/ and edc.nyc/opportunity-mwdbe.

An optional information session will be held virtually on October 7, 2026 at 12:00PM ET. Those who wish to attend should RSVP by using the RSVP web form available at edc.nyc/RFPs on or before October 6, 2026 at 12:00 P.M. ET.

Respondents may submit questions and/or request clarifications from NYCEDC no later than 5:00PM ET on October 9, 2026. Questions regarding the subject matter of this RFP should be directed to the Q&A web form available at edc.nyc/RFPs. Answers to all questions will be posted by October 19, 2026 to https://edc.nyc/rfps. Questions regarding the subject matter of this RFP will not be accepted after 5:00PM on October 9, 2026. However, technical questions pertaining to downloading and submitting proposals to this RFP may be directed to RFPREQUEST@edc.nyc on or before October 30, 2026.

Detailed submission guidelines and requirements are outlined in the RFP, available as of September 17, 2026. To download a copy of the solicitation documents please visit https://edc.nyc/rfps. RESPONSES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 4:00 P.M. on October 30, 2026. Please click the link in the 'Deadlines' section of this project's web page (which can be found on https://edc.nyc/rfps) to electronically upload a proposal for this solicitation. Please upload your response as a .zip file with your company name and the title of this project.