Edwin’s Place

Organization Name: Breaking Ground

Project Title: Edwin's Place

Project Location: Brownsville, Brooklyn

Project Description:
Edwin’s Place supportive residence will feature 125 apartments – 88 for formerly homeless veterans, individuals and families; and 37 for low-income working individuals and families earning 60% or less than the Area Median Income. The eight-story, 115,500-square foot building will feature a 24-hour attended lobby, state of the art security systems, 3,000-square feet of street-level retail space, onsite laundry, fitness center, and multipurpose room that opens up onto an exterior landscaped courtyard. A suite of offices on the ground floor will house building staff along with project partner the African American Planning Commission, Inc., who will provide onsite supportive services. The design features a robust, yet economical structural system of precast hollow-core floor planks and reinforced concrete block walls; continuously insulated walls; triple-glazed windows; a green roof of light color to help absorb storm water, filter air pollutants, and reduce heat absorption – all contributing to efficient energy use and reduced environmental impact. Edwin’s Place was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and is expected to meet Enterprise Green Communities standards.

Community Impact:
• Assist a diverse range of people – families, individuals, and veterans – to overcome and avoid homelessness through a mix of supportive and affordable units.
• Significantly improve the quality of life, stability, and security of the most economically vulnerable New Yorkers.
• Bring substantial investment in housing and street-level retail to an under-resourced neighborhood and activate the streetscape along a formerly blighted urban site.
• Beautiful, sustainable development with minimal environmental impact.

Organization Description:
Since 1990, Breaking Ground has been restoring and building beautiful, sustainable housing for New York’s most vulnerable residents. Our full continuum of services – 24/7 street outreach across Brooklyn, Queens, and Midtown Manhattan; 299 units of Safe Haven transitional housing; and nearly 4,000 units of permanent supportive and affordable housing – is focused on helping New Yorkers in need overcome and avoid homelessness. Breaking Ground continues to build the future of supportive housing, with 1,000 apartments in development across the five boroughs.

Team Members:

African American Planning Commission, Inc.; NYS HCR; NYS OTDA; NYC HPD; NYC DOHMH; Corporation for Supportive Housing; Wells Fargo, N.A.; Robert A.M. Stern Architects; Mega Contracting Group.