A new 229-unit affordable senior housing development has broken ground at the Morris Houses campus in the Bronx, adding permanently affordable apartments while creating an opportunity for existing public housing residents to move into newly constructed homes.
Sol on Park is being developed by The NRP Group, Selfhelp Realty Group and Foxy Management through a partnership with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC).
The 18-story project will provide 80 apartments for current NYCHA residents at Morris I and II, 69 apartments for formerly homeless seniors and 79 apartments for low- and middle-income seniors through the Housing Connect lottery.
The development will include more than 8,000 square feet of community space, a pedestrian plaza and a new accessible facility for the Morris Houses Resident Association.
Health and social-service components will be integrated into the development through partnerships with Union Community Health Center and Green Bronx Machine's National Health & Wellness Center.
The project is designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning and is targeting both LEED Platinum and Passive House standards. The high-performance building approach is intended to reduce energy consumption while supporting indoor comfort and resident health.
Sol on Park represents the largest application to date of New York City's Transfer of Assistance program. The structure uses publicly owned land and housing resources to support new affordable development while creating opportunities for existing NYCHA residents to relocate to newly constructed apartments.
The project is part of a broader effort to use NYCHA property and other public land for additional affordable housing development. The city's Land Inventory Fast Track initiative is also focused on identifying publicly owned sites that could support new housing.
For Morris Houses residents, the project provides a new housing option while maintaining the broader public housing campus. The development also incorporates social services intended to support older adults and formerly homeless residents.
Construction is now underway, with pre-leasing and initial move-ins expected in early 2029.
Sol on Park combines affordable housing development, public land utilization and senior housing in a single project. The 229-unit development also demonstrates how public-private partnerships can create new housing while incorporating resident relocation opportunities, social services and high-performance building standards.
For developers and construction stakeholders, the project adds another example of publicly controlled sites being used to expand the city's affordable housing inventory while supporting the modernization and continued use of existing NYCHA campuses.
Source: NYC Gov.
