The Rise

Organization Name: Xenolith Partners

Project Title: The Rise

Project Location: Brownsville, Brooklyn

Project Description:
The winning proposal for Site J in New York State’s Vital Brooklyn RFP, The Rise, a mixed-use, Passive House Certified development will offer 72 units of supportive and affordable housing for justice-involved families and low-income households and bring over 13,000 square feet of community facility space Brownsville, Brooklyn. The Rise is a NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence Award winner and employs Active Design and Trauma-informed design guidelines to improve the social, physical, and mental wellbeing of residents. Cool colors, natural light, and access to nature will provide a calm, therapeutic living environment, while simple, linear, easy to navigate spaces with clear sightlines create a sense of safety as well as that of “spatial availability,” mitigating a perception of crowding. A variety of common and shared spaces promote community and will work in tandem with shortened door-to-door circulation routes to help residents move quickly from situations they find triggering. The building also includes biophilic elements like the landscaped terraces and green walls, as well as the rooftop garden which will provide fresh produce improving healthy food access for the neighborhood.

Community Impact:
Wrap-around services for residents and formerly incarcerated individuals in the community are provided by the Women’s Prison Association (WPA) and Osborne Association in approximately 3,700 square feet of office space which is also connected to the Community Hub. This two-level facility is designed for flexibility and will accommodate a variety of programs, events, and activities, including: community gatherings; office and meeting space; employment training and placement; physical fitness; legal services; after-school programs; financial literacy; and computer training classes. Run by Community Capacity Development, other local organizations including BTTM and Spin City Plus Brownsville will also offer programming in the space.

Gardens at the main roof will give residents access to healthy, locally-produced food, as well as an opportunity to get involved in the actual food production through a partnership with Project EATS.

Organization Description:
Xenolith Partners LLC Xenolith is a woman-owned affordable housing development company focused on unique partnerships that amplify the impactful works of its non-profit partners in their communities. CPC Established in 1974, CPC is a nonprofit affordable housing and community revitalization finance company. Brownsville Partnership The Brownsville Partnership convenes community stakeholders to harness their collective power to advance the health, safety, and prosperity of the storied Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville.

Team Members:

Magnusson Arch & Planning-MAP; Bruno Frustaci Contracting; Women’s Prison Assoc.; The Osborne Assoc.; Community Capacity Dev.; Brownsville Think Tank Matters; Project EATS; Spin City Brownsville Plus

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