Construction is nearing completion on the first phase of Stevenson Square, an all-affordable residential development in Soundview, The Bronx. Designed by WXY Architecture + Urban Design in collaboration with NV5 and developed by Camber Property Group, the $1 billion three-phase master plan is being built on underdeveloped land surrounding the Mitchell-Lama complex, called Stevenson Commons. The first phase will yield 175 affordable units on a plot generally bounded by Stevenson Commons to the north, Seward Avenue to the south, White Plains Road to the east, and Thieriot Avenue to the west.
The following photos document the progress on the first three buildings, beginning with the easternmost structure and proceeding west along Seward Avenue. The tallest of the trio is 1841 Seward Avenue, a six-story building at the corner of Seward and Thieriot Avenues. The 65-foot-tall structure spans 74,327 square feet and will yield 117 rental units for seniors earning at or below 50 percent of the area median income (AMI). Seen below, the exterior is composed primarily of red brick surrounding a grid of recessed windows with black frames. The upper two stories feature an orange cementitious façade with protruding window frames. The building is largely finished, with only the surrounding sidewalks awaiting completion behind the construction barriers.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Work is also wrapping up on 1843 Seward Avenue, a four-story building at the center of the first phase. This structure spans 20,828 square feet and is clad in dark gray brick in various bond patterns surrounding a grid of recessed rectangular windows. Two short bulkheads cap the flat roof. Construction is still finishing around the main entrance, which will include an ADA-accessible ramp.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
The third structure in the first phase is the four-story 1847 Seward Avenue at the easternmost end of the city block, by the corner of Seward Avenue and White Plains Road. The second-largest by volume, it spans 44,810 square feet and is enclosed in a green cementitious façade interspersed with taller volumes clad in light gray brick. Only the western half of the building stands the full four stories, while the eastern end is only three stories high.
The buildings at 1843 and 1847 Seward Avenue will both rise 45 feet tall and will collectively yield 58 co-ops broken down into 11 one-bedroom units, 31 two-bedroom units, and 16 three-bedroom units available for purchase.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
Stevenson Square. Photo by Michael Young.
The below diagram of the master plan shows a breakdown of Stevenson Square’s three phases, which will feature six buildings. Most are located along the western half of the city block.
Illustrative rendering depicts B1 through B6 at Stevenson Commons. Rendering courtesy of WXY Architecture + Urban Planning.
Illustrative rendering depicts phased construction at Stevenson Commons. Diagram courtesy of WXY Architecture + Urban Planning.
Illustrative rendering depicts sum total building use-types within Stevenson Commons. Diagram courtesy of WXY Architecture + Urban Planning.
Residenital amenities in the three new Seward Avenue properties will include dishwashers, in-unit washers and dryers, landscaped front and rear yards, bike storage, 30,000 square feet of community facility space, tennis courts, a walking path, a sensory playground, and outdoor space.
The full Stevenson Square master plan is slated to yield 1,000 affordable rental units and senior living apartments. YIMBY anticipates the first phase to be completed around the end of the year or early 2026 at the very latest.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
Oof.
The plan should’ve just left the area facing Seward open and added height to the taller buildings to make up for it. That green thing is honestly one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.
The design of the complex and density is decent, good infill, but phase one should have been as big as the future phases. I don’t understand why they didn’t at least go with 6 story buildings for the co-ops, matching the senior building.
And yes the green color is odd. I think the other two are fine.
Is the city seriously going to leave those power lines and various cables dangling in front of the buildings?
Not a fan of the red bricks or the green paint but I love the massive housing development. The city needs to upgrade public transportation in that desert to service the influx of new residents
T to Throggs Neck… just dont hold your breath.
The city could take advantage of the cheap and wide open swaths of land in Soundview to build a modern elevated track over Lafayette to Throggs Neck for dirt cheap while the area is relatively under-developed.
The first phase could run to the stations in Hunts Point to allow transfers with the Express 6 and upcoming Metro North. It would unlock all those sprawling parking lots and SFH in the area to build massive housing developments. All the while the city would be planning for a more complicated Phase 2 that runs crosstown along the 161st corridor.
All of that would be cheaper than 3 stations in the UES
There was a plan to run the 6 along Lafayette Ave where there is plenty of room for elevated tracks.
The area where this development is located is actually very densely populated and could use it, there’s also a major commercial corridor at White Plains Rd and Lafayette Ave up to the Bruckner Expy.
There’s very few single family homes near Lafayette Ave, mostly 2 and 3 stories with 2-3+ apartments and large apartment buildings. I would like to see the Clason Point Houses NYCHA development demolished for a high density mixed use complex. It’s in poor shape currently, very deteriorated, and covers a lot of land. Would also like to see a lot of infill on those parking lots surrounding the larger apartment buildings, hopefully with City of Yes modifications for campus infill. Unfortunately some of those lots are NYCHA which was omitted from campus infill as of right with city council modifications to City of Yes (NYCHA campus infill requires the typical community input process with modifications).
They’re Con Ed’s wires and I can guarantee you the city never even asked them about it. Sad but true.
The subway is a longer walk away from this location at around 20 minutes but there are a lot of bus options, including quick and frequent buses to the subway at Parkchester-E 177th St (Bx36 and Bx39), Hunts Point Ave (Bx5 and soon SBS Bx6), and Soundview-Morrison (Bx27). There’s also the BxM8 a shorter walk away than the subway. The ferry is a quick bus ride south via the Bx27 or Bx39. The new Metro North Stations on the Hell’s Gate line will also be a rather quick bus ride away (Hunts Point Ave via Bx5/SBS Bx6 and East Tremont Ave via Bx36 and Bx39). A bicycle or scooter makes for a good connector too. Area has scooter share but could really use CitiBike.
But yes, a subway along Lafayette Ave would be ideal considering this area is relatively denser than most and lacks a closer rail connection.
Easy access to he Bruckner vs bus to 6 train. What will the residents choose.
While this is good dense infill it really should have been a bigger complex than it is. Particularly phase one reviewed above which should have had at least double the density.
This is one of the largest new developments in the Bronx, and we are going to need a lot more of this citywide to make a dent in housing production. This was a really good site to develop and hopefully we see an acceleration of these types of high density developments on large parking lots.
substantial surface parking.
More sad box buildings in the Bronx especially that green monster. Could use a welcoming ‘grouch’ to lighten up the vibes.