On Tuesday, May 21, local elected officials joined the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing for the grand opening of Tres Puentes Senior Apartments.
The $117.7 million affordable senior housing development includes 175 apartments for elders and individuals with special needs; 10,000 square feet of health-orientated commerical and community space and expands the existing Borinquen Court Senior Center which provides services and meals for residents and local elders.
Shakespeare Gordon Vlado Architects designed the Tres Puentes complex.
Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and the City Council provided $3 million to fund the project.
“Our seniors invested in the Bronx during our most difficult times and we cannot forget about them now that we are enjoying a renaissance,” stated Diaz.
The Tres Puentes complex includes a 11-story building with 119 apartments at 2550 Third Avenue and an 8-story building with 56 apartments at 295 E. 138th Street.
There are 45 studio apartments and 130 one-bedroom apartments.
All apartments are available to households with incomes at or below 60% of the Area Median Income.
“These apartments will house many of our local seniors in an environment where they’ll feel dignifed and supported by various health, social and recreational service,” said Councilwoman Diana Ayala.
Fifty-three of the apartments are reserved for households in which at least one members lives with serious mental illness.
The project’s developer, West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, will provide individual case management, healthcare management, mental health and entitlement services, socialization programs and financial training for these specific apartments.
Twenty-three of the supportive units are funded through Governor Cuomo’s Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative.
Tres Puentes Senior Apartments has a community room, a laundry room on each floor and an outdoor landscaped area.
The complex’ buildings are all connected via a covered walkway.
The development has 4,500 square feet for a community health center operated by Urban Health Plan; 1,300 square feet for a small locally owned pharmacy and 3,300 square feet to expand Borinquen Court Senior Center.
The two newly constructed buildings flank the existing Borinquen Court Apartments, a 7-story, 145-unit affordable senior housing development now owned by WSFSSH.
“The Tres Puentes campus reflects the possibility for positive social change when community members, governments and non-profits work together,” expressed Paul Freitag, WSFSSH executive director.
Designed in compliance with the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority’s Multifamily Performance Program guidelines, the energy efficient development features Energy Star heating and cooling equipment, appliances and light fixtures; water-conserving plumbing fixtures; daylight senors on exterior lighting and green roofs to mitigate storm runoff.
Both buildings have back-up power generators.
