2024 Spring Issue of Urban Land - 51

In New York City, one of the country's most
expensive housing markets, several standout
affordable housing projects that are underway
or recently completed offer a glimpse of what
the future of affordable housing might look
and feel like.
1. La Central A & B
The Hudson Companies oversaw the development
of two 100 percent affordable,
mixed-use buildings in the Bronx. Located
in the borough's Melrose neighborhood, the
buildings have 496 apartment units and are
situated near a train station. Development of
the properties has taken more than a decade
already. Hudson won an RFP put out by the
city in 2013 for a massive piece of vacant land
owned by the city.
La Central includes a total of five buildings,
three of which have been completed. Once
the project is fully complete, it will have a total
of 992 units. " We're turning vacant land into
something so powerful, " says Marlee BuschingTruscott,
managing director at Hudson Companies.
" I think it's been really transformative
for this little pocket, and when we are done it
will be close to 1,000 units, which is tremendous.
You don't get many opportunities in
New York City to bring that many units online
in a small neighborhood. "
The two residential buildings are LEED
Gold and have solar on the roof. Both properties
have electric cooling and heating systems
using variable refrigerant flow (VRF) as well
as cogeneration. Building D, which was built
by Hudson's partners Breaking Ground and
Comunilife, is being designed to the Passive
House standard and will also be fully electrified.
The
first phase of La Central, the A & B
buildings, comprises 496 units and currently
is fully leased. Vacancy has stayed low at the
two buildings, and the owner is not seeing
turnover of units. " I think it's a place where
people want to live and stay, " says BuschingTruscott.
It also unexpectedly became a lifeline
for people in need. Last year, a devastating
fire at another residential building in the Bronx
left hundreds of families displaced. Hudson
was able to connect with the developer of
that project and the city, and worked quickly
to provide permanent housing for families in
nearly 100 units at the project.
2. Sendero Verde
In East Harlem, L+M Development Partners,
Jonathan Rose Companies, and Acacia Real
Estate Development are behind the nation's
largest Passive House residential development,
Sendero Verde. The permanently affordable
development has more than 700 residential
units intended to serve households with moderate
to extremely low incomes.
The project's name is a nod to its sharp
focus on sustainability: Sendero Verde translates
to " green pathway. " The Passive House
design includes triple-glazed windows, filtered
outdoor air for each individual apartment, and
an airtight facade that greatly reduces noise-
a big benefit, as the project stands adjacent
to the elevated tracks where the Metro-North
Railroad runs. " The acoustical performance is
East Harlem's Sendero
Verde, the nation's
largest Passive House
residential development,
being completed by L+M
Development Partners,
Jonathan Rose Companies,
and Acacia Real Estate
Development, has more
than 700 residential
units intended to serve
households with moderate to
extremely low incomes.
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URBAN LAND
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HANDEL ARCHITE CT S
2024 Spring Issue of Urban Land

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2024 Spring Issue of Urban Land
