NYCHA Finalizes Deals to Construct 393 Affordable Apartments for Seniors in the Bronx & Brooklyn
NYCHA, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and the NYC Housing Development Corporation (HDC) finalized two deals that will bring 393 new affordable senior apartments to the Soundview neighborhood in the Bronx and the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn through the pending groundbreakings of the Casa Celina and Atrium at Sumner housing development projects.
Construction on the 205-unit Casa Celina building at a vacant parking lot site at NYCHA’s Justice Sonia Sotomayor campus and the 190-unit Atrium at Sumner building on NYCHA’s Sumner Houses campus in Brooklyn is expected to begin later this month. One superintendent unit is being constructed at each site; each superintendent unit is included in the total unit count for each building.
There continues to be a pressing need throughout New York City for affordable senior housing that enables residents who have lived and been part of their communities for decades to age in place,” said NYCHA’s Executive Vice President of Real Estate Development Jonathan Gouveia. “NYCHA is committed to increasing that supply while creating meaningful employment and social service opportunities for public housing residents and area seniors in the process.”
“Seniors are a top priority for this Administration’s ambitious affordable housing plan,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll. “Casa Celina and Atrium promise to be thriving communities with seniors receiving the support they need to prosper. These nearly 400 new affordable senior homes, to be built across two communities in the Bronx and Brooklyn, are the result of an incredible team effort with the New York City Housing Authority and our development and supportive housing partners.”
“HDC is proud to provide the critical bond financing needed to make these projects a reality,” said HDC President Eric Enderlin. “Casa Celina and the Atrium at Sumner will provide 393 much-needed affordable homes with critical supportive services, all while fostering economic growth through employment opportunities and training that will support the neighboring NYCHA residents.”
Casa Celina – named after Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s mother – will feature 158 studio apartments and 46 one-bedroom apartments, as well as one two-bedroom superintendent apartment, with 62 apartments set aside for homeless seniors and the remaining 142 apartments available to households earning at or below 50 percent of Area Median Income. NYCHA residents will be given preference for 36 of the apartments in the development.
When completed, Casa Celina will be located on the corner of Watson Avenue and Thieriot Avenue on NYCHA’s Sotomayor Houses campus. The new building was designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning and developed by Xenolith Partners LLC (a woman-owned business enterprise developer of affordable and supportive housing); The Kretchmer Companies LLC; ELH Management LLC; and the not-for-profit Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA). Mountco will be serving as the project’s general contractor.
The 16-story building will bring much-needed affordable senior housing to the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx and provide a range of supportive community services to both residents of the completed site as well as residents from the neighboring Sotomayor Houses campus.
Building amenities at Casa Celina will include a fitness room, laundry room, and a landscaped roof terrace offering opportunities for exercise, yoga, and gardening. Large windows throughout the apartments and common areas will offer abundant natural light, making the interiors feel expansive and supporting everyday mental health with ready access to daylight. Additionally, bright resident lounges on each floor create a vertical network of social spaces, helping to prevent isolation for residents living alone. The building has electric heating, cooling, and cooking, and includes a solar panel array on the roof, offering residents improved indoor air quality and decreasing future carbon emissions.
The ground floor at Casa Celina will also feature a 1,725-square-foot community facility space operated by Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA), one of New York’s largest and most trusted agencies serving seniors and ensuring they live safely in their own homes and communities with independence, dignity, and joy through case management, in-home care, and community-wide programming. JASA will also manage the building.
The Atrium at Sumner in Bedford-Stuyvesant will feature 130 studio apartments and 59 one-bedroom apartments, as well as one two-bedroom superintendent apartment, with 57 apartments set aside for homeless seniors and the remaining 132 apartments available to households earning at or below 50 percent of Area Median Income. NYCHA residents will be given preference for 33 of the apartments. The 11-story building is organized around a central atrium with corridors overlooking a year-round indoor garden on the ground floor.
When completed, the Atrium at Sumner will be located on Marcus Garvey Boulevard between Park Avenue and Myrtle Avenue on NYCHA’s Sumner Houses campus. The new building was designed by the world-renowned architecture firm Studio Libeskind and will be developed by Urban Builders Collaborative, LLC., RiseBoro Community Partnership, Inc., and Selfhelp Realty Group – The Melamid Institute for Affordable Housing.
The Atrium at Sumner is designed to Passive House Standards, resulting in 60 to 70 percent less energy consumption compared to the average New York City apartment building. The development will also feature a community garden for residents and outdoor seating adjacent to the building’s entrances. The Sumner Houses campus’ open space next to the new building will also receive a new playground, walking paths, lighting, and seating.
The Atrium’s common areas will include an exercise room as well classrooms, conference rooms, and a large multi-purpose room that will be home to educational and arts classes and programming to meet the needs of seniors.
RiseBoro will also partner with a Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) provider to offer comprehensive medical and social services for qualified elderly residents. Selfhelp will provide additional social services, with more intensive case management and services provided to formerly homeless residents. Selfhelp’s Active Services for Aging Model (SHASAM) provides support services to allow older adults to age in their apartments and avoid more costly institutions such as assisted living and nursing homes. Selfhelp’s social workers will provide health and wellness programming, assistance with benefits and entitlements, and referrals for home care and local resources.
