Lemle & Wolff JV to Build All-Electric Bronx Community
This project is part of New York City’s 24 in '24 plan.
The joint venture of Lemle & Wolff Development Co., HELP Development Corp. and True Development New York will construct Powerhouse Apartments, a 90-unit affordable housing community in The Bronx, N.Y. STAT Architecture provided designs for the all-electric building.
Powerhouse Apartments is part of Mayor Eric Adams’ 24 in 24 plan which intends to create or preserve more than 12,000 residences citywide through the advancement of 24 projects. The development is also supported though a pilot project led by the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice as it will incorporate numerous sustainability features such as solar panels, green roofs and heat pumps, aiming to achieve Passive Housing Standards.
Upon delivery, the property will comprise one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans, with some residences catering to the elderly and formerly homeless. All apartments will be affordable at various levels, ranging from extremely low-income households to those earning up to 80 percent of the area median income.
The community will also include 6,400 square feet of outdoor green space for planting and communal gatherings, as well as a recreational room. Additionally, it will feature a 4,000-square-foot theater on the ground floor, with a capacity of up to 150 people, as well as a 3,000-square-foot workforce development space offering economic mobility programs and training for young adults in construction and landscaping.
Addressing NYC housing needs
Powerhouse Apartments will rise at 351 Powers Ave., on a city-owned parking lot in borough’s Mott Haven neighborhood. New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development has requested proposals for the site’s development since the summer of 2022, as reported by New York YIMBY.
The community will be some 6 miles from Manhattan and 7 miles from LaGuardia Airport, near Interstate 278. Cypress Av subway station is within walking distance.
In prepared remarks, Director of the Department of City Planning Dan Garodnick emphasized the city’s 1.4 percent vacancy rate and the urgent need to address housing through both development and zoning reforms.
Recently, Camber Property Group broke ground on the first two phases of the $1 billion Stevenson Square master plan. Once complete, the property will include nearly 1,000 affordable residences as well as 30,000 square feet of community facility space.
