The NYCHA Journal

The NYCHA Journal has informed and inspired residents since 1970, covering the news, contributions, and uplifting stories of the NYCHA community while providing the latest information on Authority initiatives.

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Morrisania Welcomes La Preciosa

LaToya

First public housing located on private property

First public housing located on private property

La Preciosa is proof that beauty can spring forth from practically nothing. Where there was once a vacant lot in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx, there is now a pristine white building of affordable housing units, including the first NYCHA public housing built on private land.

Located at 1070 Washington Avenue, La Preciosa, celebrated its grand opening on November 17. Its 49 apartments include 21 NYCHA apartments and 10 apartments for veterans. All of the apartments are available for families and individuals earning no more than 60 percent of the area median income, or about $46,620 for a family of three.

The seven-story building also features cutting-edge green technology making it 20 percent more efficient than a standard building. All landscaping is drought-tolerant, and a vegetable and herb garden covers a portion of the roof. The building meets several energy efficiency standards, including the national standard for “green” affordable housing and the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.

“This building is named La Preciosa, ‘The Precious.’ Indeed, there is nothing more precious than home. Once a vacant lot, it’s now a safe, clean, warm, welcoming, energy-efficient home. 1070 Washington is also notable because of the partnerships that created it. This marks the first time NYCHA has collaborated with public and private partners to couple public housing units with private and supportive housing in one building,” said NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye at the opening. “NextGeneration NYCHA envisions a future where our communities are safe, clean, and connected to one another, where public housing is knit into the fabric of every community. La Preciosa is the kind of innovative collaboration that can help save public housing and ensure its future.”

The partners who brought this project to its completion expressed their excitement and gratitude at the ceremony. Funding for the $21 million project came from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD); Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s Office; Enterprise Community Partners, an affordable housing advocate and developer; and JPMorgan Chase. Also in attendance at the opening was the building developer, Bronx Pro, Services for the UnderServed, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

A poet from Melrose Houses, Haydil Henriquez, concluded the ribbon-cutting ceremony with a passionate ode to the Bronx: “The Bronx is never silent, never timid, always running, always fierce; the Bronx is heaven.”