Mill Brook Terrace Affordable Senior Housing Project Debuts at 570 East 137th Street in Mott Haven, Bronx

Mill Brook Terrace, a new affordable housing development for seniors, has opened for occupancy at 570 East 137th Street in the Mott Haven section of The Bronx. Developed by West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the project is a result of NYCHA’s NextGeneration Request for Proposals (RFP), a community visioning process that identified the need for additional senior housing and services in the neighborhood. West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing was awarded the site in 2016 and construction was completed in December 2019. By October 2020, the property was fully leased.

Now complete, the nine-story building provides 158 residences for low-income seniors, including 48 studio units for the formerly homeless. The deeply affordable homes require tenants to pay only 30 percent of their income for rent.

Additional components within the property include an 8,700-square-foot senior center and a 1,000-square-foot public community space with a commercial kitchen, a dining room, and a flexible recreation room for events and special programming.

“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.”

Designed by Perkins Eastman, the building features 107 one-bedrooms and 51 studios. The façade comprises a mix of red brick, white metal cladding, floor-to-ceiling glass enclosing the community center and a central volume that divides to distinct building wings, and a standard window system with ventilation grills outside each residential unit.

To improve the building’s overall energy performance, the design team outfitted the structure with 319 rooftop solar panels, LED lighting throughout, and efficient building systems.

Residents will also have access to a landscaped courtyard garden and open green space at the front of the building.

“The combination of safe, permanent, affordable apartments and on-site support services will greatly assist seniors who have experienced homelessness to live full lives in their community,” said New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance commissioner Daniel W. Tietz. “Mill Brook Terrace is a great addition to the Mott Haven neighborhood and we congratulate the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, along with our New York City partners, on the completion of this much-needed development.”

Funding for the development was sourced from a mix of private financial institutions and public agencies. This includes Capital One, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, National Equity Fund, and New York City Council Discretionary Capital sponsored by New York City councilmember Diana Ayala.

In addition to NYCHA, public agencies that supported the project include New York City’s Housing Development Corporation’s Extremely Low and Low Affordability Program, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development‘s Senior Affordable Rental Apartments (SARA) program, and the Office of Environmental Remediation.

Support from New York State agencies included the Office of Mental Health, the Homeless Housing and Assistance Corporation, and NYSERDA. Completion of the senior center was funded by the New York Department for the Aging.

“Time and again, we’ve heard from New Yorkers that our city needs more affordable senior housing, that we as a city need to better support our growing senior population,” said Paul R. Freitag, executive director of the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing. “This collaboration shows how we can get that done, and done beautifully.”

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