Seniors at Mill Brook Terrace, a 158-unit supportive and affordable housing complex for low-income seniors built on the site of a former New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) parking lot in Mott Haven, celebrated their new homes last Tuesday, the result of an innovative partnership between one of the largest senior housing providers in the Bronx, the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, NYCHA, the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and Housing Development Corporation.
“This project shows exactly how we are reimagining our space to create the affordable housing that New Yorkers need,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “These 158 apartments in Mott Haven will provide our seniors with safe, affordable homes and the resources they need to thrive. Thank you to all of our partners for helping to get this done for New Yorkers.”
Selected through a competitive NYCHA “NextGeneration” Request for Proposals (RFP), the project is a direct result of a community visioning process that identified the need for additional senior housing and services in the neighborhood. Citywide, more than 42% of NYCHA households are headed by people 62 or older. WSFSSH was awarded the site in 2016, and Mill Brook Terrace was financed in 2017 through HDC’s Extremely Low and Low Affordability Program and HPD’s Senior Affordable Rental Apartments (SARA) program, creating 158 deeply affordable homes, including 48 supportive homes for formerly homeless seniors. Construction was completed in December 2019 and Mill Brook Terrace was fully leased in October 2020.
The project is a”‘win win win” for the Bronx, area seniors and the city’s housing authority, providing safe, appropriately-scaled apartments for low-income and formerly homeless area seniors, services including nutritional, social, recreational, health and technology assistance for the broader community, and more than $2 million in funding for NYCHA, which will support/supported improvements at the neighboring Mill Brook Houses.
Mill Brook Terrace will operate an 8,700-square-foot senior center that will be open to the local community. The senior center, which was funded by the New York Department for the Aging, includes a commercial kitchen, dining room and space for seniors from the entire community to participate in activities and gatherings.
“The opening of Mill Brook Terrace is a win for our community and our city’s low-income seniors, who continue to face immense challenges in finding high quality affordable housing,” said City Councilmember Diana Ayala. “The physical facility itself and the services that Mill Brook Terrace provides, including a dynamic technology training program in the building’s senior center, sets a remarkably high standard for the future development of affordable housing in New York City.”
The building, designed by award-winning architecture firm Perkins Eastman and built by Procida-Butz, features 107 one-bedrooms and 3 studios for low-income seniors, and 48 studios for formerly homeless seniors. Because all units receive Section 8 rental assistance, all tenants pay only 30% of their income toward rent.
Environmental impact and green spaces were a priority in the development: 319 solar panels were installed on the rooftop, which take care of a portion of the electricity needs for the building’s public spaces, including the 8,700 square foot senior center and a 1,000 square foot public community room.
“Millbrook Terrace is exactly the kind of development we need for our older adults in the Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “A forward-thinking project that cares for our growing senior population while providing crucial amenities for the community and support for our public housing system. I want to thank everyone that was involved in bringing this project into fruition and my hope is that we continue to invest in similar high quality affordable housing for our seniors to age with dignity throughout our borough and city.”
Mill Brook Terrace also brings online broader resources for the community, including a community room available for NYCHA Tenant Association meetings and other community gatherings, comprehensive social services for residents, building-wide free WiFi funded by Capital One, and technology classes regularly attended by residents and community members alike.
