The New York City Brownfield Partnership awards La Terraza

The New York City Brownfield Partnership awarded the La Terraza team with its prestigious Big Apple Brownfield Affordable Housing Award at the 3rd Annual Awards Ceremony held at New York University School of Law's Greenberg Lounge. The project team was recognized for its role in developing affordable housing on the site of a former brownfield. Accepting the award was Debbie Kenyon, chief operating officer of L+M Development Partners, and Jessica Clemente and Kenny Agosto of Nos Quedamos. Developed by L+M Development Partners, MelRose Associates and Nos Quedamos, this mixed-use, low-income rental development is 8-stories tall and contains 97 rental units for working families. The focal point of the building is a recessed tower that rises prominently from the corner of Third Avenue and East 158th St. This tower mimics existing buildings across the avenue and serves to anchor the building on the block. Large glass canopies delineate residential and retail entries. Working closely with the L+M construction team and the environmental engineer CA Rich Consultants, Inc., Perry Winston, AIA, LEED AP, Project Manager at Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC had to balance both the difficult technical response to mitigate the brownfield, including the vapor extraction system and ground water sampling wells with the sub-grade building systems while maintaining the area and clearances necessary to accomplish the building program. The design solutions to the brownfield conditions are invisible as one looks at the building overlooking a park. What stands out are the building's massing and design features such as the large glass windows, the balconies, the interplay of the varying tones of masonry, special interior finishes and a fully landscaped courtyard at the ground floor which provides outdoor space for all residents. Located on the eastern edge of the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area, La Terraza is the latest development under New York City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development's Cornerstone Program.