NYC's Largest Residential Passive House Will Rise in Mott Haven

Will bring 241 fully affordable apartments to the neighborhood

A former public school in Mott Haven will soon be transformed into the city's largest residential passive house — and what's more, it will be fully affordable. The former P.S. 31 building at 425 Grand Concourse is set to be transformed into a 24-story building with 241 apartments for low and moderate-income families.

"We welcome this proposal as a wonderful addition to our growing affordable housing portfolio – and a model for all housing development in New York’s future," Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press release.

The project is being developed by Trinity Financial and MBD Community Housing Corporation who won a competitive Request For Proposals (RFP) set forth by the city. The project is part of de Blasio's Housing New York plan that seeks to build or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing in the next 10 years.

The project is not just restricted to housing. Plans also call for the creation of an 11,000 square foot supermarket on the ground floor, which will be located next to a cultural space and a social services facility. The floor above that will have a 44,480 square foot charter school.

In order to build such a large-scale project in the neighborhood, the developers will need to seek a zoning change, which in turn will activate the newly created Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) law. That means that 25 percent of the units in the building will be permanently affordable.

As part of the construction, the city will also rehabilitate and reopen the nearby Garrison Playground, which has fallen into disrepair over the years.

Future residents of the building will have access to amenities like laundry on each floor, a community room, and a landscaped roof terrace.

What makes the building environmentally conscious is the fact that it will have solar-shading devices, water saving features, and individual energy controls and energy efficient appliances in the apartments. When complete, the building will use 70 percent less energy than conventional buildings.

• All the Passive Houses Coverage [Curbed]
• All the Mott Haven Coverage [Curbed]

from
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/4/29/11540744/nyc-largest-passive-house-mott-haven-241-affordable-apartments