Rendering of the Peninsula. Image Credit: WXY Architecture + Urban Design and Body Lawson Associates/HPD.
Phase One of the development will yield 183 units of deeply affordable housing ranging from studios to three-bedrooms. On July 16, 2019, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD),the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and private developers announced plans to construct the first phase of the Peninsula, a 100 percent affordable mixed-use development in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. The project will be constructed on the site of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center.
Phase One will be developed by the Gilbane Development Company, The Hudson Companies, and MHANY Management Inc. in partnership with HPD, NYCEDC, and EDC. Construction will begin in the coming weeks and is expected to be completed by 2021. Phase One will include 183 deeply affordable housing units for extremely low-, very low-, and low-income New Yorkers, with ten percent of the units set aside for formerly homeless individuals. Phase One will contain a bedroom mix ranging from studios to three-bedroom units.
Phase One will cost over $120 million and will be financed by HPD and HDC. Wells Fargo Bank is the Peninsula’s loan servicer and its Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity investor.
When all phases of the project are complete, the Peninsula will feature 740 housing units, 52,000 square feet of open space including a new public plaza, 56,000 square feet of light industrial business space, 53,500 square feet of community facilities including a daycare center and an artists’ workspace, and 17,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The residential units will range from studios to four-bedrooms, affordable to low-and-moderate-income families at a variety of incomes.
The completed project will also offer an on-site educational facility with career-readiness programming, as well as below-market rent workspace for local entrepreneurs. The project will include a health and wellness center operated by Urban Health Plan and a cultural arts workspace operated by SpaceWorks.
The Peninsula was designed by WXY Architecture + Urban Design and Body Lawson Associates. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2025.
The development process was facilitated by local elected officials, residents and stakeholders, including Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., Urban Health Plan, The Point CDC, Bronx Community Board 2, BronxWorks, The Hunts Point Alliance for Children, City Year, Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education, Sustainable South Bronx and more.
HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll said, “The rebirth of the abandoned Spofford Detention Center, which has been a looming symbol of despair for years, is a prime example of the type of investments the City is making to generate better outcomes for communities and residents. The Peninsula epitomizes this administration’s commitment to creating opportunity in every corner of the city, whether through housing, economic development, or other critical resources that bolster our neighborhoods and help New Yorkers thrive.”
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr said, “This development is a metaphor for the positive rebirth and redevelopment of so many Bronx communities that were, for too long, neglected and ignored. With The Peninsula, we will see the redevelopment of Spofford—a prison for children—into new affordable housing options together with commercial and community space. This project is indicative of what we can achieve in our borough and our city.”
By: Laine Vitkevich (Laine is a CityLaw Intern and New York Law School student, Class of 2020).