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Sol on Park rendering courtesy of Magnusson Architecture and Planning
Communities NYCHA Developments Top Story 

HPD, NYCHA, and HDC to Build 195 Homes for Low-Income Seniors in the Bronx

Michael

NRP Group, Selfhelp Realty Group, and Foxy Management will develop a solar-oriented building on an underused section of the Morris Houses II campus in Morrisania, Bronx.

The development will provide Bronx and NYCHA residents with a community health center, nutrition education space, and on-site career-training in healthcare and technology.

On May 5, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), NYCHA, and the NYC Housing Development Corporation (HDC) announced plans to build approximately 195 deeply affordable homes for seniors in the Morrisania neighborhood of The Bronx. “Sol on Park” will be a 15-story mixed-use building paired with a new community health center, nutrition education facility, and career-training spaces accessible to residents and the community at large.

“As we try to make New York City healthier, greener, more affordable, and more prosperous, we need projects like this one that do everything at the same time,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “We are creating homes for hundreds of Bronxites and New Yorkers, and we are doing it the right way — with access to the economic opportunity and health resources we all need.”

“Seniors are the heart and soul of our communities, and Sol on Park exemplifies the highest quality of housing and support we ought to provide seniors to age in place with dignity and comfort,” said HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “With new facilities for healthcare, nutrition, and career training, Sol on Park allows us to invest in the entire neighborhood’s health and future well-being while bringing much-needed affordable homes to the Morrisania neighborhood. Thank you to our development partners NRP Group, Selfhelp, and Foxy Management for such a creative and holistic plan. Congratulations!”

“NYCHA is committed to ensuring that the population of older New Yorkers who enrich our neighborhoods are able to thrive here, and we will continue to use our underutilized assets in support of this goal,” said NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ. “We are excited to assist HPD, HDC, and the development team assembled to bring the Sol on Park project to fruition – and look forward to realizing this exciting new model for safe and affordable senior housing.”

“In addition to 195 deeply affordable homes, the sustainably designed Sol on Park will offer educational and wellness services to support our senior residents and the surrounding community,” said HDC President Eric Enderlin. “Congratulations to the development team, and thank you to all of our partners for their ongoing efforts to create a healthier, more affordable city for all New Yorkers.”

A development team comprised of NRP Group, Selfhelp Realty Group, and Foxy Management was selected to construct Site 1 of the Seniors First Kingsborough and Morris Houses Request for Proposals located at the corner of St. Paul’s Place and Park Avenue within the Morris II public housing development in Morrisania Bronx. Sol on Park employs a health-centric design and a robust social services model for senior households earning up to 50 percent of the Area Median Income (approximately $41,800 annually for a single occupant). All households will receive project-based Section 8 vouchers, with a portion of homes set aside for both NYCHA residents and seniors experiencing homelessness. Social services for the seniors will be provided by Selfhelp’s Active Services for Aging Model, helping residents to manage chronic health issues and aging with culturally competent health programming.

The project is part of the City’s Seniors First initiative to develop and preserve senior housing on NYCHA land and support the growth of New York’s aging population. NYCHA staff met with residents and resident leaders of Morris Houses in 2019 to guide the development plans, which honor residents’ preferences for senior affordable housing designed to support healthcare services, outdoor activities, nutrition, jobs, and amenities that serve seniors.

The development team gave the project the theme “housing is health; health is housing,” speaking to its design and features that promote healthy living and healthy lifestyles. NYCHA and HPD sought community input to determine the development’s public-facing facilities and partnered with highly regarded local organizations on utilizing 11,500 square feet of space for new community resources, including healthcare, nutrition, and career training facilities.

Sol on Park plans include:

  • The Union Community Health Center, delivering a combination of primary care, dental services, behavioral health services, physical and occupational therapy, and career fellowship programs in healthcare, dental care, and health administration.
  • The Green Bronx Machine’s National Health & Wellness Center to bring urban agriculture and nutritional education programming dedicated to youth and intergenerational engagement.
  • The SUNY Bronx Educational Opportunity Center to focus on adult education and training for careers in healthcare and technology, helping to grow the area’s healthcare workforce and career development opportunities.
  • Selfhelp’s Home Care Program and Training Center for Home Health Aides to prepare community members for careers in at-home care.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning brought to life the development’s health-focused design. The new apartments allow for natural light and ventilation while creating a sense of eyes-on-the-streets and connection to the community. Additionally, the homes are designed to have distinct spaces for cooking, dining, socializing, and sleeping. Cascading roof terraces, multiple floors of community space, a large pedestrian plaza, and a shared walkway with the adjacent NYCHA campus will top off the development’s dynamic design.

Sol on Park is also designed to achieve a LEED Platinum Rating for sustainable design, an Energy Star certification for emitting fewer greenhouse gases, and the highest rating from Fitwel, which sets global standards for the building design and development practices in support of healthier and equitable access to a higher quality of life.

Renderings courtesy of Magnusson Architecture and Planning