3365 Third Ave – Passive House

Organization Name: Bronx Pro Group

Project Title: 3365 Third Ave - Passive House

Project Location: Morrisania, Bronx, New York

Project Goals:
1. Provide quality affordable housing to families across a wide income band, in unit sizes ranging from studio?s to four-bedrooms
2. Provide Community Facility uses that will provide a meaningful impact to the community
3. Create a building that meets the Passive House standard which will result in energy reduction savings as high as 90% compared to conventionally built buildings
4. Further Bronx Pro's mission to transform the community into a thriving place to live

Project Description:
Bronx Pro Group LLC is in pre-development on a new project located at 3363-3365 Third Avenue in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. 3365 Third Avenue is the new construction of an 8-story building with 9,500 square feet of community facility space and 30 residential units on floors 2-8. The project will provide affordable housing across a wide income band from 20% to 90% AMI, including a 30% set-aside for formerly homeless families. Designed by Curtis & Ginsberg Architects, the project meets the Passive House standard. Energy efficiency measures include the use of insulated concrete forms with energy stick, an air-tight building envelope (5-10 times tighter than a standard façade), fiberglass triple pane windows, energy recovery ventilators, split heat pumps for heating and cooling, all lighting will be LED and low flow water fixtures. The project will be financed through HPD's Neighborhood Construction Program (NCP), a new term sheet for buildings under 30 units.

Community Impact:
In 2003, the NYC Council approved the Morrisania re-zoning to change the predominantly manufacturing neighborhood into a mixed-use district for moderate-density housing as well as retail and community uses. This paved the way to transform Washington Avenue into an emerging new mixed use community. 3365 Third Ave is located in this rezoning catchment and it is the third project developed by Bronx Pro in the district. In 2006, Bronx Pro began construction on 1085 Washington. The project has 90 units with 10,000 SF for the DreamYard Project. As the largest arts educator in the Bronx, over 5,000 young people visit 1085 annually. 1070 Washington was developed next with 49 units including 21 newly constructed public housing units. Adjacent, 3361 Third Ave added 63 studios to the community built with Capsys and financed with MRT capital. 3365 Third Ave builds on these successes to provide mixed-use, mixed-income housing with innovative ground floor uses to educate young people.

Organization Description:
Bronx Pro Group is a community-based firm that employs a staff of approximately 100 employees engaged in real estate development, construction oversight, property management and resident services. Bronx Pro began as a property manager in 1988 and expanded into development of low and moderate-income housing in 1998. Beginning with the rehabilitation of occupied, city-owned buildings, the company broadened its scope to include the development of new construction projects that contain residential and commercial/community facility spaces. Bronx Pro has developed over $300 million in projects (2,000 affordable units) via various City programs to date. Curtis + Ginsberg Architects is a Manhattan-based full service architecture firm. The firm was founded by Roberta Darby Curtis and Mark Ginsberg in 1990. C+GA has extensive experience in designing energy efficient affordable housing projects in New York City.