MDG: Williamsburg Houses
In February 2022, RDC Development, The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) closed on $490 million in financing to preserve and rehabilitate Williamsburg Houses, a 20-building, 1,620-unit public housing complex in Brooklyn. The renovations of Williamsburg Houses will comprehensively improve the site, while simultaneously providing necessary social services support and property management. In addition to all property improvements, the PACT program will provide Williamsburg Houses with energy and sustainability improvements and will help to address the specific needs of the property identified by residents.
In partnership with Saint Nick’s Alliance and Grand Street Settlement, two local nonprofits with deep ties to the community and a commitment to serving New Yorkers, social services will be provided to all residents of the complex, including senior services, skills training and job placement programs, educational opportunities, and more.
Under PACT, this marks RDC’s third Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) site, totaling 4,098 units, including Betances Houses and Ocean Bay.
MDG: BETANCES
After a resounding success at Ocean Bay, RDC was selected by NYCHA to rehabilitate 1,088 units across 40 buildings throughout their Betances development in the Bronx. Betances Houses is a public-private partnership between NYCHA, RDC Development, and Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New York to generate funding to keep families in their homes and improve residents’ quality of life.
Over 24-months, the restoration of Betances included a major rehabilitation of building infrastructure and amenities, the implementation of security measures, and the development and implementation of a social services program tailored to the individual needs of the Betances community. The renovation also included entirely updated kitchens with new flooring, appliances, sinks, cabinetry, LED lighting, and smoke detectors; renovated bathrooms with new flooring, sinks, toilets, fixtures, and cabinetry; improved ventilation; and apartment-wide upgrades such as new windows, flooring, and fresh paint. The cumulative impact of the restoration project has improved the quality of life for this at-risk community while empowering residents to live fuller and healthier lives.
Settlement: 1561 Walton
1561 Walton Avenue is Settlement Housing’s latest affordable housing development at New Settlement Apartments in the southwest Bronx, where we now own 19 residential buildings with 1,140 units, including 30% set aside for families experiencing homelessness. The project created 60 new units of affordable housing, including nine for families leaving shelter, with additional outdoor and community program space.
Settlement: 1610 St. Johns Place
1610 St. John’s Place development including 33 units of affordable apartments, with 10 units set aside for families with previous experience of homelessness.
Bronx Pro: MELROSE NORTH
Awarded to Bronx Pro Group and Services for the Underserved (S:US) through a NYCHA RFP, Melrose North is located at 341 E 162nd Street in the Melrose section of the Bronx. The new 11-story project is 154,213 SF with 171 supportive and affordable housing units, a new trash compactor for NYCHA, a community facility space, and a new accessible ramp for the adjacent Melrose Metro Noth station. The project serves households earning up to 50%, 60%, and 80% of AMI, along with 103 supportive housing units for the chronically homeless and survivors of domestic violence. 17 units are reserved for NYCHA residents. The community facility space is leased to Dreamyard Project and operates as an arts education center where Bronx youth learn professional development, design, and marketing for the burgeoning gaming industry. The development team also worked with Dreamyard Project to select an artist for a 120-foot mural on the north face of the building. They then conducted a design charrette with the neighboring NYCHA Resident Association who provided the design theme.
Bronx Pro: 1080 WASHINGTON AVENUE
In December 2017, Bronx Pro acquired the property at 1074-1080 Washington Avenue in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, NY in partnership with The United Methodist City Society. The development transformed the site from a vacant church in serious disrepair into a 12-story building with 154 units of senior affordable housing including 5,700 square feet of first floor community facility space. All residential units house seniors aged 62 and over with incomes up to 60% of the area median income. The project has a set-aside for 57 homeless, formally incarcerated seniors who will receive onsite socials services from The Fortune Society. Fortune will also be the leaseholder to the ground floor space and provide services to justice involved individuals from the broader community.
The building design is distinctive to the site, its history, and the local community. Pursuant to a New York State Historic Preservation Office approved Salvage Plan, the new building incorporates original church artifacts throughout the building public spaces including restored stained-glass windows, wooden arches, and original pew benches from the 1868 church. Residential amenities include onsite laundry, social service offices, a tenant exercise room, a sunroom being used as a greenhouse to foster hydroponic plantings, an outdoor residential garden, and bike storage. The building is sustainable and resilient incorporating Solar Panels, Green Roofs and on demand hot water heating system.
