BRONX COMMONS

An Arts-based Mixed-use Development Collaboration with WHEDco and Blue Sea Development Corporation

WHEDco and Blue Sea Development Company are collaborating on a 361,600 square foot mixed-use development which includes affordable housing; the Bronx Music Heritage Center, a community performace and event space; and a rooftop urban farm. It will serve as a cultural destination and site for music and dance performances, community events, production and multimedia activities, and an intergenerational oral history project. The aim is to mobilize a "creative class" to drive economic development and spawn a related cluster of new businesses in the Melrose Commons neighborhood of the South Bronx.

New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) awarded the site to WHEDco and Blue Sea the through a competitive RFP in 2009. HPD and the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) will provide financing for the affordable housing and community facility space in Bronx Commons.

PURPOSE:

• To celebrate the rich musical heritage of the Bronx by drawing upon and restoring pride in its history.
• To meet the need for affordable housing options in the Bronx, including live/work space for elder musicians.
• To bring housing together with the arts, open green space, health and fitness, and urban farming.
• To utilize the arts as a means of catalyzing the renewal of a neighborhood rich in history and culture.

PROJECT TEAM:

Developers/Owners: WHEDco and Blue Sea Development Company
Design Architects: Rogers Marvel Architects

PROJECT FEATURES:

• Sustainable design features to achieve LEED certification
• 293 affordable rental apartments for low income artists, families and individuals, including live/work spaces for elder musicians
• The Bronx Music Heritage Center, including community archives and a performace venue
• Ongoing exhibits that celebrate the vibrant and varied cultural legacy of the Bronx
• Community programming, including an intergenerational oral history project
• Retail space dedicated to promoting health and fitness in the community
• A rooftop hydroponic green house
• Substantial open green space for recreation

The development will be located in the Melrose Commons neighborhood of the South Bronx, on the west side of Elton Avenue, between East 162nd and East 163rd Street.

MIXED-INCOME RENTAL APARTMENTS:

Melrose Commons Site B has 293 mixed-income rental apartments for families earning 50-80% of the Area Median Income ($29,500 - $61,500 for a family of 4). Approximately 75% of the units available have 2 or more bedrooms.