The $29.7 million electrification retrofit and renovations have begun for Silverleaf Hall, a 118-unit supportive housing building located at 480 E. 176th St. in East Tremont.
Originally built in 2006, Silverleaf Hall is eight stories tall and spans 130,000 square feet. Of the 118 units there, 55 are under contract with the New York State Supportive Housing Program for formerly homeless families. This program also funds supportive housing services at the property. Another 63 apartments are affordable units available to single adults and families who earn less than 80% of the area median income. Amenities at Silverleaf Hall include laundry facilities, an outdoor terrace and community space.
This work comes shortly after the building’s owner and operator, the Lantern Organization, architect, IMC Architecture, and development consultant, Rockabill Consulting, closed financing.
“The multitude of planned upgrades, including sustainability improvements and electrification are a worthy goal, but also a challenging process from the design, engineering and cost perspectives,” Lantern Organization President and CEO Dan Kent said.
“It was critical to the project’s success to engage a very experienced architectural and project management team of IMC Architecture and Rockabill, which has both negotiated the necessary funding and designed the retrofit in an economical and highly functional manner.”
The electrification retrofits and renovations include replacing the building’s outdated fossil fuel-based heating and hot water systems, upgrades to many of the fans and ventilation systems and the modernization of both elevators.
“The electrification, retrofit and renovation of the 118 homes at Silverleaf Hall represent some of the important work we are doing to build a greener, more robust, affordable housing stock, alongside all of our incredible development partners, lenders and sister agencies across local, state and federal government,” NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development Acting Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said.
“We cannot protect the longevity of our existing housing without a preservation strategy that includes making it greener, healthier and more resilient. Today’s announcement at Silverleaf Hall laying out interior and exterior renovations along with modern, energy-efficient upgrades that lower utility costs, reduce carbon emissions and create healthier living spaces shows how we are delivering on these vital goals. This investment ensures that residents not only have a high-quality place to call home, but also one that supports their well-being and our shared climate goals.”
In order to ensure the property operates more efficiently and economically, packaged terminal heat pumps will be installed into each unit’s existing air conditioning sleeves, providing highly energy-efficient heating and cooling.
“HVAC upgrades will include the installation of packaged terminal heat pumps (PTHPs), which are all-in-one units capable of providing both heating and cooling,” IMC Principal Dominick Casale said.
“These units will replace the existing through-wall air conditioning units, which will be fully removed. By utilizing the existing façade penetrations previously used for AC units, the new PTHPs can be seamlessly integrated without revisions to the building’s envelope. Additionally, the PTHPs are designed to operate using the existing dedicated appliance outlets, thereby also eliminating the need for electrical upgrades.”
“The selected PTHPs are Con Edison Clean Heat Program-certified and eligible for utility incentives,” Casale continued. “Utilizing PTHPs eliminates the need for separate heating and cooling systems, new ductwork or rooftop HVAC infrastructure, resulting in a very cost-effective, low-impact retrofit solution that supports electrification and energy efficiency goals.”
The existing hydronic boiler system will be removed alongside baseboards, radiators and valves. Hot water heaters tied to the existing boilers will be replaced with new high-efficiency condensing water heaters.
Every non-functioning central exhaust rooftop fan will be replaced and placed on an operating schedule with controls. Apartments will also have balancing dampers installed.
A new 100% fresh air Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) heat pump for heating, cooling and ventilation will replace the current gas-fired 100% ventilation system on the roof. Additionally, two central air-cooled split air conditioners for the cellar community room and offices will also be replaced with new VRF heat pump air conditioners. New outside air louvers with motorized controls and fire smoke dampers will also be added.
The elevators will receive new cabs, machinery and cables. Its hoistway will be refurbished as well.
A wireless broadband connection will also be installed for all tenants, courtesy of Flume and funded by New York State HCR’s Affordable Housing Connectivity Program.
“The $29.7 million retrofit and renovation program encompasses replacement of all fossil fuel-based heating and cooling equipment with highly efficient and sustainable electric heat pump (PTHP) systems, replacement of the building’s roof, installation of rooftop photovoltaic panels, exterior renovations, replacement of windows, accessibility and aging-in-place upgrades, interior renovations, energy and water saving fixtures and installation of a new wireless internet access network,” Casale said.
“The property will remain occupied throughout the renovation, which requires careful logistical planning to complete the upgrades in stages, without disrupting the tenants.”
“The Silverleaf Hall project demonstrates how a thoughtful rehabilitation can preserve affordable housing while bringing it into the future. Rockabill assisted Lantern in closing on $29.7 million in construction financing obtained from several federal, state and city sources,” Rockabill Principal Niall Murray said.
“In addition to a $9,735,000 HPD Year 15 subsidy, funding includes a new $7,650,000 senior loan from New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), $640,000 from NYSERDA’s Low Carbon Pathways Program to support the heating electrification, an existing 7,432,309 HDC loan and the New York State Homeless Housing and Assistance Corporation’s (HHAC) extended existing loan of $3,100,000.”
With at least 5% of the units accessible to those with mobility impairments and another 2% meant for people with hearing and vision impairments, aging in place and ADA renovations are also being performed. This includes installing accessible plumbing fixtures, such as adding grab bars, accessible toilets, adjustable handheld shower heads and bathtub controls in the bathrooms, inserting slip-resistant flooring, adding lighting to key work areas in the kitchen and under the cabinetry and changing cabinet handles.
Other accessibility upgrades include removing barriers throughout units through the addition of expandable door-hinges to allow for wider openings and lever handles for easier operation, as well as glow-in-the-dark rocker-style light switches, visual smoke/fire/carbon monoxide detector strobe lights and amplified doorbells.
Among the renovations planned beyond the accessibility upgrades are new LED bulbs in each unit and occupancy sensors and bi-level lighting in the common areas, corridors and exterior locations. Low-flow plumbing fixtures and showerheads will be added to the bathrooms of each unit to minimize water usage while still ensuring high functionality. New intercoms will also be installed in each unit. A new trash compactor will be added, featuring a sanitized chute and replacement hopper doors.
Several areas of the Silverleaf Hall’s façade will also undergo repairs. This includes angle installations getting repointed, pinned and relieved, as well as masonry repair, which will extend to elements in the common areas, courtyards and porches and steps. In an effort to improve energy efficiency, the windows in the common areas will be replaced.
The new NVS cool roof’s energy code-compliant R-33 rigid insulation will help eliminate the risk of leaks while also improving energy performance and energy savings. A 112-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array will be installed on the roof of Silverleaf Hall by Sunkeeper Solar to help reduce the costs of utilities in the common areas.
