YONKERS, NY-Ground was broken on Monday for the new $63-million mixed-use Schoolhouse Terrace at Croton Heights project here. The Community Builders Inc. the Municipal Housing Authority of the City of Yonkers and Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) turned the first shovels on the 172,000-square-foot development. The project is the first phase of a multi-phased plan to redevelop the Cottage Gardens Public Housing site.

“We are excited to break ground on a project that will change the lives of so many families and seniors in Yonkers,” says Bart Mitchell, president and CEO of the Community Builders. “MAP's vision for the neighborhood allows us to create a new community that benefits all residents.”

Schoolhouse Terrace at Croton Heights will consist of one, 51-unit building for seniors and one 70-unit building for families, with units ranging in size from one to three bedrooms. The new buildings will have community spaces throughout the buildings, including a new computer lab located in the senior building. Additional site amenities include new streets and sidewalks, green roofing, street trees, public benches, and lighting along Ashburton Avenue, company officials state.

“For almost 30 years, MAP has been creating healthy, vibrant communities for individuals and families of all income levels,” said MAP Principal Magnus Magnusson, AIA, LEED AP. “We are proud to be working in a new paradigm of affordable housing that helps communities to prosper.”

The new buildings will replace a blighted public school building (Public School 6) owned by the city of Yonkers. Though the school was demolished due to structural damage, its original archway will be incorporated into the new construction.

The project is targeting LEED Silver certification and has received both state and federal grants. The next planned phase of the development will be located at 188 Warburton Ave. and may begin construction as early as summer 2014 if the development team is awarded financing in the upcoming New York State Homes and Community Renewal Capital Funding round.