Press Releases

For Immediate Release: June 14, 2018
Contact:         General HPD Media Contact: hpdmedia@hpd.nyc.gov
                        General NYCHA Media Contact: media@nycha.nyc.gov

NYCHA AND HPD SELECT DEVELOPERS FOR NEW 100 PERCENT AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN THE BRONX

A new affordable housing development on NYCHA’s Morrisania Air Rights campus will create 170 homes for extremely low-, very low-, and low-income households along with a culinary business incubator and a public art project.

Current NYCHA residents will have a preference for 25 percent of the new affordable apartments.

Rendering of building
Rendering courtesy of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects

NEW YORK – The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced today the selection of Bronx Pro Group and Services for the UnderServed to develop 100 percent affordable and supportive housing at NYCHA’s Morrisania Air Rights campus in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx.

“Today’s announcement shows the progress we are making to achieve our goal of 10,000 affordable units in 10 years,” said Interim NYCHA Chair and CEO Stanley Brezenoff. “Our partners, BronxPro and Services for the UnderServed, have a history of supporting the community and providing vulnerable populations with the services and housing they need, and we are excited to partner with them on this new building.”

“Through Housing New York, we committed to identify public sites that can be used to spur the creation of new affordable housing developments that will serve as lasting assets for our communities. By collaborating with NYCHA, this dynamic, mixed-use project will provide new affordable homes for 170 families, including 51 homes for formerly homeless households, supportive services for residents, and space for a culinary business incubator that will fuel economic opportunity for the neighborhood. And all of this will be anchored in a passive house design that will advance the City’s goal of creating a more affordable, sustainable, and equitable New York,” said HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “I applaud NYCHA and Bronx Pro Group on their innovative work to transform underused City land into affordable housing for some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers.”

“We are honored with the designation of co-developer and service provider for this exciting project. Together with our long-term partner Bronx Pro, we share a commitment to this part of the Bronx, with more than 225 units of permanent housing currently in Morrisania,” said Services for the UnderServed CEO Donna Colonna. “With this project, we continue our commitment to housing solutions which empower vulnerable New York City residents to improve their lives and health outcomes. We thank Mayor de Blasio, the New York City Housing Authority, the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development, Councilmember Rafael Salamanca Jr., Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Bronx Community Board 3 and all the other elected officials for their continued dedication to the future of Morrisania. We are proud to be a partner in the proposed development of a beautiful green building which will provide 170 units of affordable and supportive housing, an urban farm and space to be used as a culinary training incubator and neighborhood café.”

The development plan includes the construction of a new, 11-story, mixed-use building. The building’s approximately 170 apartments will include a mix of studio and one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. Approximately 30 percent of the apartments will be set aside for formerly homeless households and another 30 percent of the apartments will be set aside for supportive housing. NYCHA residents will have a preference for 25 percent of the affordable units.

In 2017, NYCHA conducted an extensive community engagement process. Resident engagement centered on community visioning workshops, which allowed residents an opportunity to shape the goals for site development. As requested by residents, building construction and materials will be sensitive to existing buildings and the nearby park, the new building systems will promote sustainability, the ground-floor design will promote safety, and public art is incorporated into the project.

The ground floor of the building will include approximately 7,000 square feet of space dedicated to a culinary business incubator and culinary training facility. The space will be split into a kitchen workshop where students can train with NYC chefs and a café where the food that is produced will be sold to the community at modest prices.

The new building will aim to utilize passive house construction, which will significantly reduce the development’s environmental impact.

These developments are also part of NYCHA’s 100% Affordable Housing Program aimed at increasing housing opportunities for New Yorkers on underutilized NYCHA land. This is a feature of NextGeneration NYCHA, the Authority’s 10-year strategic plan.

NYCHA’s Morrisania Air Rights campus was constructed in 1980. The three towers were built through the use of MTA’s Metro North rail corridor air rights, as the towers were constructed directly above Metro North tracks. The new building will be constructed on an adjacent vacant lot that currently houses a trash compactor. NYCHA will maintain ownership of the land, ensuring long-term affordability.

“This is an exciting initiative that helps move forward our shared mission to create safe, quality affordable and supportive housing for low-income New Yorkers,” said Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn), Chair of the Assembly’s Housing Committee. “The business, recreation and arts components that will be incorporated into the project will create a vibrant community for all who live here.”


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About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA):
NYCHA’s mission is to increase opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to social and community services. Almost 400,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 325 public housing developments around the five boroughs, and another 235,000 receive subsidized rental assistance in private homes through the NYCHA-administered Section 8 Leased Housing Program. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/nycha, and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/NYCHA and www.twitter.com/NYCHA.

About The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)
HPD is the nation’s largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. Its mission is to promote quality housing and diverse, thriving neighborhoods for New Yorkers through loan and development programs for new affordable housing, preservation of the affordability of the existing housing stock, enforcement of housing quality standards, and educational programs for tenants and building owners. HPD is tasked with fulfilling Mayor de Blasio’s Housing New York Plan, which was recently expanded and accelerated through Housing New York 2.0 to complete the initial goal of 200,000 homes two years ahead of schedule (by 2022) and achieve an additional 100,000 homes over the following four years, for a total of 300,000 homes by 2026. For full details visit www.nyc.gov/hpd, and for regular updates on HPD news and services, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @NYCHousing.