PATERSON, NJ—Architectural firm Wallace Roberts & Todd has been selected as part of the Pennrose Properties development team helping the city of Paterson and its housing authority in the implementation of the 4^th Ward Redevelopment Plan.

The first project to be completed is the second phase of a brownfield site redevelopment known as Freedom Village, a 133 LEED-certified senior community. Named to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech at the neighborhood's Bethel AME Church in 1968, King's Court at Freedom Village is currently under construction and Parks' Crossing is in the design phase.

The selection of the WRT-Pennrose team is a testament to the team's success with the Paterson Housing Authority in securing federal funds under the HOPE VI program, a program meant to revitalize failing public housing projects into mixed-income developments,  to implement the transformation of the Alexander Hamilton homes public housing site into the mixed-income Heritage Neighborhood, which includes a LEED- certified Community Center and an Early Child Education Center (currently under construction).

“The city's commitment to green design is in complete alignment with the goals of the design team to provide seniors with the lower utility costs and a healthy home,” says Nando Micale, FAIA, AICP, PP, principal of WRT. “This first phase of neighborhood transformation also provides opportunities for 4^th Ward seniors to age in place, helping to bolster the social cohesion of families and the neighborhood.”

WRT will work with the city and the Paterson Housing Authority to include veterans' housing, mixed-use development and public amenities, as part of the larger vision for the 4^th Ward. The development team also seeks to incorporate a healthy foods corner store in Freedom Village II and has engaged The Food Trust, a national non-profit that focuses on access to affordable, nutritious food in disadvantaged neighborhoods.