Bronx, NY NYC mayor Eric Adams cut the ribbon on June 22 for a $121 million affordable housing development at the former site of the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in the Hunts Point neighborhood. The development is the first residential building to open at The Peninsula property, a five-acre, live-work campus, creating 183 affordable units. When completed, the Peninsula will ultimately bring 740 affordable homes to Hunts Point, along with landscaped, publicly accessible open space, a wellness facility, childcare, and a supermarket.
The Spofford Juvenile Detention Center was shuttered by the city in 2011 after years of advocacy protests over unethical treatment of inmates. This could well have remained the legacy of the prominent Hunts Point landmark—but the Peninsula project brings new light to a shameful past.
The Peninsula development team, led by Gilbane Development Co., Hudson Cos., and Mutual Housing Association of New York, was selected by the NYC Economic Development Corp. (NYEDC) and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) in 2015.
All 183 homes will be available to households earning between 30 and 80% of the Area Median Income, including 18 formerly homeless families. Residents will have access to a wide range of amenities, including an indoor community room that opens to an outdoor terrace, bike storage space, a children’s playroom, a shared laundry room, fitness room and outdoor seating area.
The Peninsula was designed collaboratively by WXY Architecture + Urban Design and Body Lawson Associates Architects & Planners. The groups ensured that the affordable units were not only functional, but high-quality residential living spaces.
“Peninsula 1B is a groundbreaking development on two significant levels: It revitalizes and repurposes existing infrastructure in a sustainable manner and also creates new affordable housing units, which are in desperately short supply across the five boroughs,” said Edward Broderick, president and CEO of Gilbane. “As New Yorkers continue to deal with an emergency-level affordability crisis and mounting inflation, projects like this one are more vital than ever before. We look forward to continuing our work on transforming this site and contribute to the goal of creating a more livable and equitable city.”
“This is what community-led, equitable development looks like. Working with our local partners such as The Point CDC, Urban Health Plan and Community Board 2, we shaped this development with stakeholder priorities front and center,” said Aaron Koffman, managing principal of The Hudson Cos. “It is with great pleasure to stand here today, on the former site of the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, and deliver 183 brand new 100% affordable units to the Hunts Point community. Today, we are one step closer to bringing affordable and sustainable housing at scale to neighborhoods across the city and more importantly, transforming a symbol of oppression into a one of opportunity for the next generation. Our team is so proud to be a part of this effort and we are looking forward to working on the next phases of the project in the next few years.”
“Providing truly affordable housing for families and real economic development opportunities for small businesses of Hunts Point, the Bronx and the city actualizes MHANY’s mission,” said Ismene Speliotis, executive director at MHANY Management Inc. “MHANY is honored and proud to be part of rebuilding Hunts Point together with current residents and with the new residential and light industrial residents who will join us at The Peninsula buildings 1A and 1B. Generating opportunities, kindling hope and sharing the joy on every new resident’s face is priceless, inspiring and continually drives us to do better”
“Hunts Point in the Bronx is bringing the future of 100% affordability in the design of a new approach to live-work neighborhoods,” said architect Claire Weisz, FAIA, founding principal of WXY architecture + urban design. “The Peninsula is innovative in its unified approach to saving energy, waste and water through its urban plan, which connects the community through the quality of its public spaces and architecture. We applaud the creativity and vision of the involved agencies and the development team for commitment to a better city.”
“This new mixed-use community results from a great collaborative effort, and leaders from our city agencies put in a lot of effort to make this a new model for design,” Victor Body-Lawson, FAIA, principal of Body Lawson Associates Architects and Planners, Harlem. “With welcoming new open space, community amenities and job-creating food incubator next door, la Peninsula brings creativity, entrepreneurship and wellness to Hunts Point.”
“The opening of The Peninsula’s first residential building perfectly embodies the vision of the new South Bronx – a place with affordable homes, community-oriented retail, and space for work and recreation,” said Page Travelstead, managing director at Wells Fargo. “Now more than ever, our goal is to prioritize investments that expand housing opportunities and projects that help to build a better, more sustainable city for all New Yorkers. In partnership with the teams at Gilbane, the Hudson Companies, the Mutual Housing Association of New York, NYCEDC and HPD, Wells Fargo is proud to have financed the creation of these 183 units of affordable housing, which will help to provide a critical connection to the economic and cultural opportunities that will make up this vibrant, mixed-use community in Hunts Point.”