NYCHA - Harlem Rbi Break Ground On Mixed Use Development In East Harlem

NYC Housing Authority


Press Release


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 7, 2013
Contact: media@nycha.nyc.gov, (212) 306-3322

NYCHA, HPD, HDC, and DOE Join Harlem RBI, Jonathan Rose Companies, Dream Charter School, and NY Yankee Mark Teixeira to Break Ground on Mixed-Use Development in East Harlem

The East Harlem Center for Living and Learning at NYCHA’s Washington Houses to Contain 88 Units of Affordable Housing, K-8 Charter School and Non-Profit Office Space

New York, NY – New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Chairman John B. Rhea, New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) President Marc Jahr, and New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Mathew M. Wambua today joined Jonathan Rose Companies, Harlem RBI Executive Director Rich Berlin, Harlem RBI Board Member and New York Yankee Mark Teixeira, and others to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony for The East Harlem Center for Living and Learning located in East Harlem. The new 151,000-square-foot multi-family, mixed-use development will have 88 new affordable apartments, a 58,000-square-foot K-8 charter school and 6,000 square feet of office space dedicated to not-for-profit organizations. The partnership of NYCHA, HPD and HDC highlights the Bloomberg Administration’s commitment to working across agencies to maximize city resources for the benefit of hardworking New Yorkers. The HPD/NYCHA collaboration has already produced more than 2,000 units with another 2,000 under construction and in pre-development, including Randolph Houses and Prospect Plaza, for a total of approximately 4,000 affordable units.

“Mayor Bloomberg’s Five Borough Economic Strategy is focused on bringing housing, jobs and investment to neighborhoods all throughout New York City,” Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel said. “By bringing an innovative new mixed use development to East Harlem, Harlem RBI will be a home run for the community.”

“The Harlem RBI mixed use development features broad public-private partnerships, an innovative financial structure, and unprecedented socio-economic benefits for NYCHA residents,” said NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea. “NYCHA salutes Jonathan Rose, Harlem RBI, Civic Builders, HPD, HDC and the SCA for their collective efforts to improve the quality of life for the residents of Washington Houses for generations to come.”

“Harlem RBI has given the youth of this community an excellent grounding in things that are essential to starting off on the right foot,” said HDC President Jahr.“ By working with a great developer, Jonathan Rose Companies, Harlem RBI and NYCHA have put together a winning team. HDC is proud to provide the construction and permanent financing that will allow this project to move forward for the benefit of the children, their families, and this community.”

“HPD’s partnership with NYCHA, which launched in 2005, has resulted in the development of more than 4,000 new or renovated units of affordable housing, and has played an integral role in the realization of our overall goals for expanding and preserving affordable housing opportunities in the City of New York,” said HPD Commissioner Wambua. “The New Yorkers who will make their homes here may not know how this development came about, but what is important is that they will have the opportunity to live and raise their families in housing that is safe, secure and affordable. Many thanks to our partners in government, finance, development, and the not-for-profit worlds for working so hard to take this from the drawing board to reality.”

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to support charter school facility development, and this groundbreaking reflects that,” said NYC Department of Education Chancellor Dennis Walcott. “Encouraging parent choice through new, state-of-the-art facilities is central to creating a system of great schools. We’re proud to be providing $32.5 million towards this development. The East Harlem community will be served well by this new space.”

“Harlem RBI continues to find new and innovative ways to help make El Barrio/East Harlem a better place for our youth and families,” said Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito. “This groundbreaking is an incredible milestone on a project that will provide so many benefits to our neighborhood from affordable housing, to improved community space and parkland for El Barrio/East Harlem residents. I thank Harlem RBI for their continued commitment to East Harlem, as well as Jonathan Rose Companies, the Yankees’ Mark Teixeira, and of course all the city agencies involved in making this project happen.”

“We feel both humbled and honored to break ground today, in the heart of East Harlem. We are humbled because the people of this community embraced us. We wouldn't be here without their support and advocacy over the past two decades," said Rich Berlin, executive director of Harlem RBI. "We are honored because it's always a privilege to get to do the work that you're passionate about. This project, which includes a permanent home for DREAM Charter School, 89 units of affordable housing, headquarters for Harlem RBI, and the renovation of Blake Hobbs Park, will be a great benefit to the people in East Harlem―I consider it an honor to be the ones who help to make that happen.”

“This groundbreaking represents a wonderful new beginning for thousands of kids in East Harlem. These children and families deserve a beautiful, state of the art educational facility where they can learn, a park where they are safe to play, and Harlem RBI and DREAM by their side to help them grow. I am so proud to be a part of this project that is building the future for our youth, brick by brick,” added Mark Teixeira, Harlem RBI Board Member and New York Yankees first baseman.