New Bronx Affordable, Sustainable Multifamily Property Serves as Developer Blueprint

NEW YORK CITY- Omni New York, a New York-based full-service real estate development company, has completed one of the largest affordable and sustainable multifamily properties in New York City with the completion of Park Avenue Green, a 15-story apartment building located at 2950 Park Ave. in the Mott Haven submarket of the Bronx. Park Avenue Green is the second phase of a two-phase development project on the site of Morris Avenue Apartments.

And for the new development, the property has served as an example for developers setting sustainability and affordability goals, according to the firm. 

“For Omni’s first new development and phase on this site, Morris Avenue Apartments, they wanted a commitment to push the envelope from a sustainability perspective,” the Omni team tells GlobeSt.com.  “At that point, LEED Gold was a high standard so they pursued it. For the second phase of the project, Morris II which is now called Park Avenue Green, Omni wanted to reach more aggressive sustainability standards. Thus they decided to pursue Passive House certification and did not waiver on that commitment.” 

The $48.4 million development, which Omni developed in totality is just one of the many ways the firm is striving toward providing communities with sustainable, affordable and efficient housing. 

For instance, the projected heating costs for the building are slated at approximately five to ten percent of the overall building energy consumption, compared to 38 percent on average for a New York City multifamily apartment building. In addition, the property will have 35 units reserved for former homeless individuals and the ground floor houses a 4,300-square-foot community studio and gallery space for local artists.

Affordable housing does not need to compromise on quality, but instead, it can set a new standard for future developers to follow, the firm said. “This is a great example of how an affordable housing property can be energy efficient and save on operations costs. As a Buildings of Excellence award winner, Omni New York will use the award to implement Bright Power’s MoBIUS real-time energy management service,” the firm said. “With MoBIUS, Bright Power will help Omni New York maintain and improve energy performance. The award will also enable Bright Power and Omni New York to compare real data from two different buildings (the two phases of the project site: Park Avenue Green and it’s neighbor, Morris Avenue Apartments) of similar size, tenant population, and location — one Passive House and LEED Gold This analysis will help to reveal the operational differences of Passive House and non-Passive House buildings and quantify the energy savings benefits of Passive House construction.”