News

Press Alert: The Bridge, NYCHPD, NYCHDC, Mayor’s Office on Veteran’s Affairs and Magnusson Architecture and Planning Break Ground on Melrose Commons Supportive Housing.

Fernando Villa part of jury for the Brick in Architecture awards.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning PC designs affordable housing for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender seniors – the first in the US.

Jen Stencel, AIA, LEED AP and Christopher Jones, AIA have been promoted to Senior Associate.

The Middletown community is stirring with curiosity about the large construction project on the corner of Mill and Harding Streets.

An old public housing project has been transformed into an ambitious $63 million affordable housing development in Yonkers, NY.

Mill at Middletown promises to revitalize downtown and people’s lives

Schoolhouse Terrace officially opened with a ribbon-cutting on October 27, 2015.

“Affordable New York: A Housing Legacy,” at the Museum of the City of New York

How New York State is transforming the supportive housing landscape

In a strategic move to lay the foundation for its future and promote staff members who are integral to the firm, MAP just announced the promotions of three employees.

The Bronx is ripe for the picking and investors and residents are taking advantage of the remaining affordability the borough has to offer.

On Saturday, July 11th 2015, Magnusson Architecture and Planning lost a long time, valued member of the firm

The Creston Avenue Residence is the first supportive housing project to open using MRT capital funds.

We are thrilled to announce the completion and opening of a new building that we designed on Creston Avenue in the Fordham section of the Bronx.

From the perspective of those renovating such buildings, and the government agencies approving loans for them, the expense is worth the lift it gives deteriorating areas, and the safe housing it provides.

A site that was formerly a three-story factory building is being called an eyesore and has been for decades. But if all goes as planned, it will soon be converted into a workforce housing development.

The dilapidated, three-story building hasn’t been used in years and is being turned into a 42-unit, affordable housing complex for people enrolled in a workforce training program.

Mill Street Partners LLC will develop the Mill at Middletown, a 42-unit development that will occupy a restored and renovated main factory building at 34 Mill St. The factory was built in the late 19th century for silk hat manufacturing.

City and community officials gathered at the site on Wednesday to celebrate the construction of the Mill at Middletown, which will provide one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments at a sliding rent scale.

“I love it here.” Arnold Smalls was home. The 58-year-old had moved to the Creston Avenue Residence this past December.

The U.S. Green Building Council certified 22 Tarrytown Road at the LEED for Homes Silver level.

Award-winning architecture firm Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) announced that Fernando Villa, AIA, LEED AP, has been named Principal and Director of Design.

The Boston Society of Architects (BSA) named the winners of the 2014 BSA Design Awards.

“With massing articulated in a series of vertical volumes to break up its horizontality, this well-designed project looks great—not at all like affordable housing” – Jury

A long-in-the-works affordable rental project in Williamsburg is finally moving forward with new building applications filed last week for an eight-story, 51-unit building at 695 Grand Street.

Professional Profile from New York Real Estate Journal.

Villa is an expert with two decades of experience in all types of residential projects and a staunch advocate for sustainability, particularly for affordable housing.

Fernando Villa has been named principal and director of design at Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) in New York City.

“BRP is excited to work with MAP. We believe the project is a key component to the city’s vision for the revitalization of the Livonia Corridor,” said Mary Serafy of BRP Development Corp.

As principal, Fernando Villa will continue to apply his skills towards a variety of housing projects which will consist of affordable, market rate, senior and supportive.

Award-winning architecture firm Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC (MAP) announced that Fernando Villa, AIA, LEED AP, has been named Principal and Director of Design.

Like all of MAP’s projects, it’s on the nicer side for an affordable housing project.

Developed by The Community Builders, Inc. and in partnership with the MHACY, and designed by MAP, 188 Warburton Ave. will provide 51 units of affordable housing.

New York City HPD announced the team of the Phase II of the Livonia Avenue Initiative with Magnusson Architecture and Planning as architect of the project.

Remarkable simply for being normal, Melrose Commons flourishes where the Bronx once burned.

Ground was broken December 15, 2014 on a new, mixed-use, mixed-income multi-family housing development in Yonkers, NY.

“Today’s groundbreaking points to the positive momentum occurring right now in Yonkers as we revitalize our neighborhoods and improve the lives of the residents who live here” – Mayor Spano

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the start of construction of 188 Warburton Apartments, a $27 million affordable housing development in Yonkers

QBBA awarded Cypress Village Homes with its 2014 Building Design award for Excellence in Design and Construction.

Designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning, the Park West is among the nicest looking affordable housing projects we’ve come across this year.

SHNNY awarded The Anderson with its prestigious Residence of the Year Award for Innovation in the Field at the 2014 Network Gala. The project team was recognized for its perseverance and dedication to create an outstanding environment for its tenants.

With the former and current city administrations focusing on affordable housing, housing for the elderly is moving into the spotlight.

The Melrose section of the South Bronx was ground zero for abandonment in the in the 1960s through ’80s, and today, it’s perhaps the epicenter of the city’s new affordable housing policy.

Creston Avenue Residence draws a link between housing and health care. It is the first housing project financed under the state’s Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Housing Capital Program.

Yet another slice of the Bronx south of Fordham Road has been filled in, as a new affordable housing complex is arriving at 2388 Creston Avenue.

Professional Profile from New York Real Estate Journal.

The new structure replaces a distressed motel that had been used as a homeless shelter. Its design is comparable to market-rate housing, and it beautifies the surrounding neighborhood.

It has been reported that a new 51-unit affordable housing project with ground-floor retail will be located 695 Grand Street in Williamsburg.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC, in New York has promoted Jen Stencel, AIA, LEED AP to associate. Stencel brings eight years of professional experience to the design and construction of adaptive reuse, rehabilitation and new buildings.

Professional Profile from New York Real Estate Journal.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC (MAP) has promoted Christopher Jones, LEED AP BD+C and Jen Stencel, AIA, LEED AP to associates.

Are we prepared for old age? The panel for “Designing for a Lifetime” considered the predicament of aging and housing at fundamental levels: community and dignity.

MAP and Associated Blind HDFC broke ground on a $38 million building upgrade at Selis Manor. It is one of the first government-funded residences for the vision-impaired and disabled in the city.

Creston Avenue Residence draws a link between housing and health care. The development is the first housing project financed under the state’s MRT Housing Capital Program.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC is pleased to announce the promotions of Christopher Jones, LEED AP BD+C and Jen Stencel, AIA, LEED AP to Associates.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning and Associated Blind HDFC broke ground on a $38 million building upgrade at Selis Manor. It is the first government-funded residence for the vision-impaired and disabled in New York City.

AIANY awarded its prestigious Andrew J. Thomas Housing Award to Magnusson Architecture and Planning at its 147th Annual Meeting held on Tuesday, June 17, 2014 at the Center for Architecture.

Officials at Selis Manor broke ground Monday on the improvement project at 135 West 23rd Street, which will add a new entrance, renovate each apartment and overhaul the building’s heating, air conditioning, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

Selis Manor is the first government-funded residence for the vision-impaired and disabled in New York City. The repairs and capital improvements are its first-ever building upgrades.

These five leaders were selected because they are carrying out extraordinary economic revitalization initiatives that build on their neighborhood’s character and strengths.

NPCR will present SoBRO with a “2014 Outstanding BOA Award” for the Lower Concourse BOA. SoBRO, along with their urban design consultant, Magnusson Architecture and Planning, and planning consultant will participate in the awards ceremony.

Mayor de Blasio has called for 200,000 new units of affordable housing in New York, and he’s made it clear that developers can build bigger if they include affordable units in their new projects. Which models of mixed-income housing have been most successful?

Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) is renovating an 1853 four-story brownstone that has been vacant and boarded up for the past 15 years.

In the next 30 years, the number of senior citizens in the US will increase to become larger than any other single age group. How are cities starting to prepare for this huge expansion in the numbers of over-65s?

For nearly 30 years, MAP has worked hard to create affordable communities. ArchNewsNow sat down with the senior leadership to talk about the firm.

The Celebration of Architecture Gala was held on November 6, 2013 at the Mary S. Pinkham Hall at Rye County Day School. The winning projects achieved excellence in delightful and inspiring ways, and represented the breadth and vitality of our chapter area

Imagine walking over to the waterfront, putting down a blanket and watching a movie under the stars, steps from Yankee Stadium. Or moving into a gleaming new tower with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline and ready access to the Harlem River.

Today’s Buildings of the Day are a part of a development in Ocean Hill called the Vernon Cherry Homes. They are named in honor of Vernon Cherry, a Brooklyn firefighter who died at the Trade Center on 9-11.

As the city shifts its focus to housing in 2014, AIANY is set to lead the conversation. Starting in 2014, the committee is under new leadership: Fernando Villa, AIA, LEED AP, BD+C, and Peter Bafitis, AIA, have been appointed committee co-chairs.

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s promise to build 200,000 units of affordable housing would have been welcome in the Bronx twenty years ago. It is immensely gratifying to see a politician who understands the needs of all New Yorkers.

MAP celebrated the groundbreaking of Soundview Family Housing, the first phase of a multi-building development that will meet demand for affordable housing in the Soundview neighborhood of the South Bronx.

The 120-unit family building, 86-unit senior building, and 16 two-family townhouses will replace two parking lots adjacent to Soundview Park, one of the largest parks in the Bronx

MAP has recently relocated to new midtown offices at 42 West 39th Street. This central location is easily accessible both to clients from New York City and those from outside New York.

The new website highlights the diversity and breadth of MAP’s architecture and planning work.

Fernando Villa was promoted from Senior Associate to Associate Principal, and Christoph Stump was promoted from Associate to Senior Associate.

With Bill de Blasio, polling more than 40 points ahead of his nearest rival in next week’s election, it seems likely that the next mayor will be someone who has made the creation of housing for low- and middle-income residents a central point in his campaign.

The new structure replaces a distressed motel that had been used as a homeless shelter. Its design is comparable to market-rate housing, and it beautifies the surrounding neighborhood.

As the first phase of a multi-phase master plan to redevelop the adjacent Cottage Gardens Public Housing site, Schoolhouse Terrace will replace outdated public housing in the city.

MAP announces the official opening of its latest workforce housing project, 22 Tarrytown Road. Its design is comparable to market-rate housing, and it beautifies the surrounding neighborhood.

The redevelopment of brownfields offer the potential to stitch abandoned or underused industrial and commercial properties back into the fabric of a city and help curb suburban sprawl.

For the hundreds of homeowners in the five boroughs who are still without a home after Superstorm Sandy, the Bloomberg administration has just assembled a crack team to help design and build them new ones.

Plans call for the boarded-up, red brick building at the corner of Mill and Harding Streets to become 42 apartments, helping families in an area where affordable housing can be tough to find.

The $25 million Creston Avenue Residence is the first project in New York City to utilize funding through the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) supportive housing initiative.

The new headquarters are housed in a four-story commercial building originally constructed in the 1970’s, which was purchased by Children’s Aid Society and has undergone both interior and exterior renovations.

The Children’s Aid Society will unveil its new Bronx headquarters – a state of the art community health center. The facility will address children’s medical, dental and psychological needs.

Creston Avenue Residence will provide 66 units of affordable family and supportive housing for disabled veterans.

The LEED ND rating system encourages new urbanist principles in project planning, design, and construction. An example is Melrose Commons, an award-winning LEED ND pilot project.

Spring Valley Family Apartments, a mixed-use development featuring 55 units of affordable housing and 6,500SF of ground floor commercial space in downtown Spring Valley, has been completed.

Of all New York’s borough’s Staten Island was hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy, but even there some fared relatively well. The Rail in the North Shore section of the borough fared better than most.

Thomas McGrath, a CPC senior vice president, says the goal is to have people living on Main Street again and shopping locally at stores they use every day “We think Main Street can still be a part of communities, to make them livable again.”

As SMPS-NY’s first Member of the Month, Sarah Galus was chosen for her leadership abilities not only in her role as Marketing Manager at Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC, but her involvement in SMPS.

Atlantic Terrace is a new LEED-Gold certified, mixed-use, mixed-income development.

Located in the Stage II Silver LEED-ND certified Melrose Commons, it is one of the first affordable housing developments on privately acquired land to receive LEED-Gold Certification.

Located in the Stage II Silver certified LEED for Neighborhood Development Melrose Commons section of the South Bronx, El Jardin de Selene is the first affordable housing development on privately acquired land to receive LEED-Gold Certification.

CNU’s Charter Awards recognize excellence in architectural, landscape, and urban designs. Awardees are selected for their excellence in fulfilling the principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism.

This neighborhood revitalization plan and the on-going implementation of sustainable infill development recently earned Stage II LEED-ND Silver certification under the LEED ND Pilot Program.

In the newer model, a team of doctors, social workers, physical and occupational therapists and other specialists provides managed care for individual patients at home, at adult day-care centers and in visits to specialists.

The University recently announced its plans to begin construction at the end of this year on a 12-story affordable housing building for residents displaced by the Manhattanville expansion.

With opening of Nets’ new arena actually on horizon, Brooklyn residents brace themselves for whatever happens next.

The newly built Atlantic Terrace, a 10-story co-op also on South Oxford Street, had both affordable and market-rate units. Mr. Singh liked a two-bedroom two-bath with around 1,070 square feet of space.

We propose a second chance to existing public housing buildings by means of changing their look and making them more efficient and functional.

When the developers of Atlantic Terrace, an 80-unit co-op in Fort Greene, began planning, they envisioned occupants reflecting the populace on the sidewalks of Brooklyn — that is, diverse in all ways, but especially economically.

While many developers utilizing condominium deliver the bare minimum number of affordable units required by law, the partnership of developers behind Atlantic Terrace in Fort Greene took the opposite route.

Directly across the street from the Barclays Center, Atlantic Terrace has sold 9 of 20 market-rate apartments with move-ins already started.

There’s a perception that market-rate buyers in NYC are hesitant to buy in mixed-income developments. But the 75% affordable, 25% market-rate Atlantic Terrace at 212 South Oxford in Brooklyn is proving the perception wrong.

CA Rich is very proud of the contributions we’ve made in these two formerly environmentally impacted sites.

L+M Development Partners, along with partners Melrose Associates and Nos Quedamos, have been awarded the Big Apple Brownfield Affordable Housing Award for the La Terraza development.

The newest co-op building on the block, The Atlantic Terrace, is the neighborhood’s first LEED Gold-certified green development, which is bringing not only environmentally conscious, but affordable living space to Brooklyn.

The tri-venture was recognized for its role in rebuilding the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area in the South Bronx, and turning a previously blighted neighborhood into a sustainable, pedestrian-oriented mixed-use, mixed-income development.

Profit is the lodestar of most building design in New York City. So it is the rare and refreshing development that is driven by something other than revenue maximization.

Move-ins have begun at Atlantic Terrace, Brooklyn’s first LEED-Gold certified residential co-op, and the building is nearly 75 percent sold in just six months, according to the development team.

CPC and the RHAC celebrated the completion of Murphy Manor Apartments, an affordable housing property consisting of 25 two-bedroom units and one s/f studio apartment.

CPC, RHAC and invited guests celebrate the completion of Murphy Manor Apartments, the first quality-built affordable housing for families in Haverstraw.

The recent ground breaking on a new, mixed-use, multi-family housing development, designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP), marked the start of the second phase of the downtown revitalization plan for Spring Valley, NY.

“We have always believed that a well-designed built environment is essential to the life of a sustainable community. We believe that the Family Apartments embody all of those beliefs.”

Enterprise Community Partners Inc. has chosen Magnusson Architecture and Planning PC to serve as an Enterprise Green Communities Technical Assistance Provider.

Brownfields have been defined as “property that has remained idle, abandoned or underutilized because of contamination or the threat of contamination.” That definition certainly applies to the Atlantic Terrance property prior to its redevelopment.

Designed by award-winning Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC, this new high school for students with emotional, behavioral and academic disabilities is the first facility of its kind in the Bronx.

Briarwood Organization, CPC Resources and The Bridge were tapped by the city to develop a $90 million affordable housing project on portion of 5.5 acres in the South Bronx.

Continuing its partnership with the RHAC, CPC will provide a $3.87 million construction loan to create the first quality-built affordable housing for families.

The event celebrated the opening of the 12-story affordable housing development designed by award-winning Magnusson Architecture and Planning PC (MAP).

Melrose Commons, a once-dilapidated South Bronx neighborhood that underwent a massive redevelopment as a 35-block urban renewal zone, has been awarded LEED Stage II Silver Certification for Neighborhood Development by the USGBC.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC has recently launched MAP Green, a division specializing in green consulting services for building design, green retrofit/rehabilitation, and sustainable neighborhood planning.

CPC Resources, The Briarwood Org., and The Bridge were chosen to develop a 260-unit affordable housing development in the South Bronx that is designed for LEED Silver certification.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning has been selected to design a site located in the northern portion of the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area of the Bronx as part of a sustainable housing project.

While the luxury residential market remains depressed, The Aurora, an 8-story, 91-unit, condominium building in the Bronx is a success story.

It was announced today the selection of the developers who will construct mixed-use affordable housing on the last large city-owned tracts of land in Melrose Commons North URA.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning designed the complex, which is comprised of 20 four-story townhouse-style buildings and about 2,900 square feet of commercial and retail space.

Priscilla Almodovar, President and Chief Executive Officer of NYS HFA, said, “Prospect Plaza Apartments brings 151 new apartments to Ocean-Hill/Brownsville, a neighborhood where new, safe and affordable homes are urgently needed.”

From an area dominated by abandonment and trash strewn lots, Melrose Commons has emerged anew as a desirable urban residential community.

The event celebrated the topping out of the 12-story affordable housing development designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning. Further cause to celebrate is the fact that El Jardin de Selene is a full forty days ahead of schedule in spite of the economic downturn.

While the luxury residential market remains depressed, The Aurora, an 8-story, 91-unit, condominium building in the Bronx is a success story.

The Bronx Early Learning Center is a 22 classroom preschool for both typically developmental and learning delayed children. This project consolidates the operations of two existing Bronx preschools into a new state-of-the-art early learning facility.

The Melrose Commons URA is among the first neighborhoods to apply for certification as “sustainable,” through the USGBC’s LEED for Neighborhood Development Pilot Program.

In the last 25 years, Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation has created 259 units of affordable housing in impoverished sections of eastern Brooklyn, including the neighborhood of Cypress Hills, from which it took its name.

The South Bronx community of Melrose Commons has been honored for its pioneering role in the sustainable design and redevelopment of urban neighborhoods.

If all goes according to plans by Magnusson Architecture and Planning, there will be a new affordable, environmentally–considerate residence in the neighborhood in the not-too-distant future.

“Outstanding example of an adaptive reuse. Clean, sharp and full of playfulness. An urban oasis!” -2008 jury

Ground was broken on a sustainable affordable housing project in Melrose Commons. It will be one of the first of its kind in the neighborhood.

The new construction sites represent one of the first efforts in more than five decades to pump vitality into a once-flourishing section of this Rockland County village just north of the New Jersey border.

The Queens & Bronx Building Association recognized the Sutton, an 11-story, mixed-use, affordable cooperative building with a 2007 Building Award for Excellence in Design and Construction.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC (MAP) has announced the promotion of Christine M. Hunter AIA to the position of Principal.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz (at center with shovel) joins others to break ground for Atlantic Terrace, a mixed-use and affordable housing development on Atlantic Avenue at South Oxford Street.

Located on an original section of the Old Boston Post Road that has run between Lower Manhattan and Boston since the mid-1600’s, Boston Road Apartments have opened for residency.

The City Planning Commission certified as complete Stapleton Court, an affordable development on what is now a little-used municipal parking lot in a waterfront neighborhood that has been waiting for a catalyst for revitalization.

Parkview Commons, a new mixed-use affordable housing complex in the south Bronx, is nearing completion of its third and final phase.

“Trenton Town Center can serve as guidance for both cities and developers nationwide when it comes to successfully implementing high-performance green building features within their projects.” -Dan Winters

A challenging site provided award winning firm, Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC (MAP), with a unique opportunity to design a future neighborhood landmark.

Design work and financial planning continue on a new energy-efficient, mixed-use complex in Trenton, NJ, that is expected to revitalize a major corner in the state capital’s downtown

Designed under HUD’s Section 202 program, La Casa de Felicidad is an 85-unit housing complex where MAP strived to create a hospitable environment for low-income seniors.

Affordability alone is not enough: many of the most successful projects also include community centers, daycare centers, job training services, and easy access to public transit to provide working families with crucial support.

The innovative placement of resident day rooms on each floor was inspired by neighborhood elders who often sat on lawn chairs in front of their apartment buildings in pleasant weather.

Mixed-Income, Mixed-Use Development in South Bronx to include Innovative Green Design

Affordable Housing is going upscale in the South Bronx – where excavation is under way for the area’s first elevatored condo building.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) has received a third award for its creative and innovative work at Rheingold Gardens, at the former Rheingold brewery site in Bushwick.

The first elevator condominium to be built in the South Bronx will break ground April 30th, says Magnus Magnusson of Magnusson Architecture and Planning, whose firm designed the development.

The Queens & Bronx Building Association recognized the Sutton, an 11-story, mixed-use, affordable cooperative building with its 2007 Building Award for Excellence in Design and Construction.

For the three principals of Magnusson Architecture and Planning, the construction and design business has always been more than just a way to make a living – it has been an outlet for their desire to make a difference in the world.

The city government of New York has endorsed inclusionary zoning housing developments, providing incentives such as tax subsidies to market-rate developers that building the mixed-income projects.

Perhaps the highest compliment you can pay an affordable housing developer or architect is to mistake their work for a market-rate multifamily property.

Palacio del Sol, a 124-unit mixed-use apartment building representing the cutting edge in affordable housing, has opened in the Bronx’s Melrose Commons urban renewal area.

Palacio del Sol, or “Palace of the Sun,” is a departure in affordable housing design. Its architecture transcends the visual expectations that have limited traditional affordable housing design.

Ground was broken recently for The Sutton, a 135-unit mixed-income Harlem residential project that is the first of three new buildings in the City’s Bradhurst Urban Renewal Plan.

“This is a wonderful saving of a resource that could have easily have gone the way of the wrecking ball. It’s been given a level of delight and dignity where the residents feel they’re living in a very special place.” -Jury

“What is really interesting is the process of engagement with the community, the strategy for new sites and development, the kind of standards and vocabulary established, rather than the individual buildings.” -Jury

Palacio del Sol, a 124-unit mixed-use, affordable housing apartment building in the Melrose Commons section of The Bronx, has opened as the largest and newest project in that urban renewal area.

The first of three projected buildings in the city’s Bradhurst Urban Renewal Plan, The Sutton will rise 12 stories on West l47th Street between Bradhurst Avenue and Frederick Douglass Blvd.

Gates Gardens, an award-winning residence for low- and middle-income seniors, has opened its doors in the Ridgewood-Bushwick section of Brooklyn, one of New York City’s most underprivileged neighborhoods.

Another standout project, Melrose Commons in the Bronx, took root when Magnusson Architecture & Planning began pro-bono consulting for the client, Nos Quedamos to protest the city’s Urban Renewal plans for Melrose.

Gates Gardens, an award-winning residence for low- and middle-income seniors, has opened its doors to residents of the Ridgewood-Bushwick section of Brooklyn, one of New York City’s most underprivileged neighborhoods.

Trenton has been the focus of intense effort to revitalize its core downtown area. Now the City has taken a bold move to become a national leader in urban renewal and smart growth.

Ground was broken for The Sutton and Bradhurst Apartments, two city-sponsored affordable developments.

Basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson sponsors the fund that would back the highrise project that includes office space, condos and apartments and street-level retail space.

Parkview Commons, a new mixed-use affordable housing development on Elton Avenue and East 161st Street in the South Bronx, broke ground in March.

The nine-story apartment building is in the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area, a 35-block area that has been stunningly transformed during the last decade.

It is anticipated that about 3,000 housing units will have been added by the time Melrose Commons is fully developed and new construction could add around 10,000 residents to the neighborhood.

Known as “Atlantic Terrace,” the project would bring 40 affordable housing units to the neighborhood according to the Fifth Avenue Committee’s executive director, Michelle de Ia Uz.

The application process turned out to be easy. There were 500 people in the lottery and the development, not yet completed, is already one-third occupied.

“We are deeply honored,” said Magnus Magnusson. “We’ve spent many years ensuring that low- and moderate-income housing can be attractive, but when you receive an award like this from your peers it is especially gratifying.”

Trendy but troublesome, community-based planning is now the norm. If it can make it in the Bronx, can it make it anywhere?

“Before, I was designing for marketing people. Now, I’m designing for people who live there.” -Petr Stand

The Gates Gardens Senior Housing project is a new residence for low-income seniors in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. Funded through the HUD Section 202 Senior Housing Program, it is located in one of the city’s poorest areas.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning has been saluted for its work in designing quality affordable housing by HELP USA, a non-profit organization that provides homes, job training and other services to low-income families.

This city does HOPE Vl a little differently. Last June, workers broke ground on the first part of a $148 million, three-phase redevelopment that will transform Prospect Plaza.

A five-building apartment complex, built three decades ago, is being renovated and preserved for low- and moderate-income tenants. It is an exception to the trend of upgrading such publicly financed projects to market-rate and luxury units.

Melrose Commons from the grass roots up.

New housing on old Rheingold site is part of a larger campaign.

When the economy turns unpredictable and wallets start to tighten, demand for well-designed affordable housing remains strong. One design firm, Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP), has discovered this successful niche.

Vernon Cherry, a Brooklyn firefighter and wedding singer who died in the attack on the World Trade Center, never lived in the Ocean Hill-Brownsville section of Brooklyn, but 73 town houses going up there are to bear his name.

“We believe that architects can make a difference in the quality of life in cities,” says Stand, “and that’s what we do. We create meaningful architecture.” 

A 230-apartment building under construction in East Harlem will be the first in the city to mix market-rate rentals with units reserved for both low-income and middle-income families.

The renewal of the South Bronx has been sparked by a number of housing projects, many in formerly blighted neighborhoods. Now another project is under way, the 7.5-story Freeman Simpson PIaza.

Public/Private Partnership Will Create Homes for Families, Seniors, Special Needs

On a vast, mostly vacant and formerly rubble-strewn expanse of the South Bronx, 35 three-family town houses have been snatched up by eager buyers.

Rather than sit back and wait for architects and planners to tell them how to improve the prospects for their legendarily troubled borough, they joined with architects and planners to renegotiate the social contract between citizens and builders.

The much-maligned Bronx has been on a self-improvement kick of late. In one South Bronx area, community members have banded together to prevent their own displacement and are creating new housing and commercial spaces.

An enclave of three-family houses is taking shape in the heart of the South Bronx, signaling the long-awaited start of the ambitious plan by a local community group to transform what was once an urban wasteland into a viable neighborhood.

“All people have ideas worth hearing and saying…. differences in age, race, gender, religious affiliation, language, and cultural background should motivate people to work toward true, long-lasting change.” -Yolanda Garcia

The city’s successfully completed monumental preservation and construction projects are here, but so are examples of housing and schools: Melrose Commons in the Bronx.

Melrose Commons, the groundbreaking attempt by a South Bronx community to design its own urban renewal plan, has made it through the New York City bureaucracy. Last month, it received final approval from the City Council.

The effort to maintain affordability, did not preclude providing a pleasing and marketable design. The two-family attached building type was selected because of its appropriate scale and density for this still largely urban community.

The incorporation of rental units along with distinctive facades links these houses with the traditional townhouse model common in the outer boroughs, while creating a lovely street elevation which breathe life into a once blighted neighborhood.

Pink. Peach. Yellow. Blue. The vibrant colors of the 26 new two-family houses at Melrose Avenue and East 155th Street in the Bronx strike some viewers as being a bit out of context. But that may be part of their appeal.