Officials have broken ground on a development that will bring 422 units of affordable, supportive, and transitional housing to New York City.
“Highbridge is more than a building—it’s hope in action,” said Mitchell Netburn, president and CEO of Samaritan Daytop Foundation and Village. “At a time when affordable housing is a rarity, this innovative housing facility will provide beautiful, sustainable, and affordable homes paired with supportive services. It’s a foundation for brighter futures."
The development’s 395,000 square feet of residential space includes 316 affordable and supportive apartments, plus a co-located 106 units of transitional housing for families. A wide array of on-site support services will be provided by nonprofit Samaritan Daytop Village, the direct services partner of Samaritan Daytop Foundation.
Support services will include counseling, vocational training, independent living support, linkages with health care providers, assistance with obtaining government benefits, and family education.
The Bronx development is being constructed on a 71,000-square-foot site on a steep hill at the foot of the historic High Bridge, New York’s oldest standing bridge. The architectural design will offer sweeping Manhattan skyline views to the south and curated paths and spaces for recreation and relaxation, along with high-quality apartments, a community facility on the ground floor, a playground, planted rooftop terraces, and laundry rooms.
Formerly a monastery for Carmelite nuns, the original Highbridge building was purchased by Samaritan Daytop Foundation in 1982 and converted into a residential treatment center for men. The development team is preserving the building’s original front portico and other historical design features, including select stone, wooden, and metal elements. These elements will be integrated into the final interior and landscape design.
Highbridge has already earned awards, including from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Buildings of Excellence Competition, which came with a $1 million prize.
The development is designed to meet passive house and Enterprise Green Communities standards. The design and construction approach includes a high-performance building envelope, an electric air source heat pump system for heating and cooling, heat pump water heaters that convert wastewater into heat, green infrastructure for stormwater management, and an urban farm with gardens, chickens, and composting on one of the terraces.
The development team includes Magnusson Architecture and Planning; Mega Contracting; Ametrine Group; Hirschen Singer & Epstein; Dagher Engineering; GACE; terrain-nyc; AKRF; CANY; WALD Studio; Bright Power; ARMA Development; and Steven Winter Associates.
Funding for the $335 million development includes $15 million from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program. The balance of the total development cost is financed by the city of New York and includes tax-exempt bonds and subsidized loans from the New York City Housing Development Corp. and capital funds from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Supportive Housing Loan Program. Richman Housing Resources is contributing low-income housing tax credit equity, and Citi Community Capital is providing a construction letter of credit, administering the construction financing and secured financing for the transitional housing component, which is backed by a long-term contract between Samaritan Daytop Village and the New York City Department of Homeless Services. Predevelopment financing was provided by Deutsche Bank, The Leviticus Fund, and the Down Payment Assistance Fund.
