News

As reported in YIMBY, construction on the mixed-use development at 145 West 108th Street in New York City is nearing completion. Developed by the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, the 200,000 square-foot, 11-story building will include 199 residential units for low-income families and senior citizens, as well as a new facility for Valley Lodge that will serve 110 seniors. The development will also feature community facility space, a new home for the Central Park Medical Unit, and public restrooms for the adjacent Anibal Aviles Playground.

Excavation has begun on the Lower East Side at the site of what will become the Broome Street Development. The mixed-use project developed Gotham Organization will include 488 rental units, 43% of which will be affordable housing. The 387,223 square-foot development is scheduled to be completed by June 2023.

Next City recently profiled the upcoming Universal Hip Hop Museum, which will be part of the Bronx Point development. The in-depth article is part of Next City‘s “For Whom, By Whom” series that explores “how creative placemaking can expand opportunities for low-income people living in disinvested communities.”

The new Urban League Empowerment Center Project has officially broken ground in Harlem. The $242 million project will bring to life the 42,000 square-foot national headquarters for the National Urban League, a 19,500 square-foot National Urban League Institute for Race, Equity and Justice conference center, and a 21,500 square-foot Urban Civil Rights Museum Experience.

Bedford Union Armory will be officially renamed the Major R. Owens Health and Wellness Community Center when it opens later this year. BFC Partners, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and Majority Leader Laurie A. Cumbo announced the renaming in honor of former U.S. Congressman Major Robert Owens. Congressman Owens was a renowned civil rights and social justice leader, beginning his career as an information librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library and eventually serving 25 years in the United States House of Representatives.

The joint venture behind the affordable housing Sendero Verde development was praised in “Building Climate Resilience in Cities Worldwide,” a report authored by the Urban Land Institute and the Centre for Liveable Cities. “Inclusion is best achieved when all communities have effective voices in decision-making processes,” write the authors. “In addition to direct public outreach, stakeholders can also identify and partner with organisations and individuals in the community and position them in roles with meaningful influence.” The report cites the joint venture of L+M Development Partners, Jonathan Rose Companies, and the community organization Acacia Network and its development of Sendero Verde as an example of how this aspirational goal can be achieved.

BFC Partners, L+M Development Partners, Taconic Partners, the Prusik Group and Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group (collectively, “Delancey Street Associates”) has unveiled plans for One Essex Crossing, a 14-story condominium with 83 units built around an elevated 9,000 square foot amenity garden. You can read more about the project in NYREJ.

CityRealty recently featured upcoming museum and cultural projects throughout New York City, including several client developments.

The Urban Civil Rights Museum will be located at the Urban League Empowerment Center, the new headquarters of the Urban League in Harlem. The Museum will focus on “the development of Harlem as a ‘beacon for African American progress,” including an exploration of the impact of urbanization on African Americans and a showcase of the role of the civil rights movement in the development of cities across America.

Part of the Bronx Point development, the Universal Hip Hop Museum will celebrate and preserve “the history of local and global hip-hop music and culture to inspire, empower, and promote understanding.” The Museum is founded by hip hop legends including Kurtis Blow and Grandmaster Melle Mel, and will feature educational and entertainment experiences.

The new Irish Arts Center will be located at 726 Eleventh Avenue on the former site of an auto repair shop. Now in its 49th year, the Center will continue to project “a dynamic image of Ireland and Irish America for the 21st century,” and build community among cross-cultural artists and audiences.

Congratulations to Handel Architects on earning a Merit Award in Multi-Family Residential Design from the Society of American Registered Architects (SARA) for The Essex at Essex Crossing. The national awards recognized 34 projects across a variety of disciplines. You can view the entire list here.

The 17-story development at 121 West 125th Street will include the new headquarters and conference center for the National Urban League, the Urban Civil Rights Experience Museum, a Target store, and 170 units of supportive and affordable housing.

Target and Trader Joe’s will be anchor retailers for the mixed-use development under construction at 121 West 125th Street that will also be home to the new Urban League Empowerment Center.