The redevelopment of a long-vacant South Bronx property is moving forward with plans for a new community facility serving health, education, arts and workforce development needs.
Mott Haven-Port Morris Community Land Stewards is leading the transformation of the former Lincoln Recovery Center at 349 East 140th Street in Mott Haven. The City-owned property will become the HEArts Center, a 26,805-square-foot facility designed to provide affordable space for community-based organizations.
The nearly $44.6 million redevelopment is expected to serve more than 1,000 visitors each month. The planned facility will bring multiple community-oriented functions together within a previously underused property.
The project is supported by several New York State funding sources. Empire State Development committed $2.5 million through its Regional Council Capital Fund. The Department of Environmental Conservation provided another $2.5 million through its Environmental Justice Community Environmental Education Grant program.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority contributed $2 million through its Building Cleaner Communities Competition, while the New York State Council on the Arts awarded $1.79 million in capital grant funding.
The planned HEArts Center is intended to accommodate organizations and programs focused on health services, environmental education, arts programming and workforce development.
The redevelopment will convert the existing vacant property into an active community resource, with affordable space intended for community-based organizations. The project’s programming is expected to create opportunities for residents to access services, educational activities, job training and cultural programs in one location.
The combination of public funding sources also links the project to broader state objectives involving environmental justice, cleaner communities, arts investment and neighborhood development.
For the construction industry, the redevelopment represents a substantial adaptive reuse and community infrastructure project in an established urban neighborhood. Transforming an existing city-owned building rather than developing an entirely new site also places the project within the broader context of reinvesting in underutilized urban properties.
The HEArts Center demonstrates how public investment can support the conversion of long-vacant properties into community-serving facilities. For developers, contractors and owners, the project highlights a redevelopment model that combines multiple funding sources with a community-focused end use.
The $44.6 million investment also brings together health, education, workforce and cultural functions within a single 26,805-square-foot facility. Its development in Mott Haven adds another example of large-scale neighborhood redevelopment aimed at putting underused urban property back into active use.
Source: ESD.
