BELMONT — A $156 million affordable housing project featuring a yoga pavilion and a health food cafe is on its way to The Bronx.
The mixed-use development, called the St. Barnabas Wellness Care and Affordable Housing project, will include 314 apartments for households earning 60 percent or less of the Area Median Income, along with healthcare amenities including a pediatric center, a women's health center, and indoor and outdoor fitness areas.
It will be located on two parcels of land near St. Barnabas Hospital at 4451 and 4439 Third Ave. and feature on-site programs focused on preventing health problems like lung disease, asthma and diabetes.
The site at 4451 Third Ave. will feature a building between seven and 11 stories tall with two towers and 181 affordable housing units, along with 57,000 square feet of community space operated by St. Barnabas Hospital.
This space will include a women's health care center, a pediatric center, an ambulatory care center and a teaching kitchen using fresh produce grown on a rooftop farm at the building. The rooftop will include a terrace for residents as well.
The 4451 Third Ave. site will also feature about 10,000 square feet of commercial space for a cafe serving healthy food, a local pharmacy and other retailers. The cafe is meant to serve prepared to-go meals that are a healthy alternative to fast food.
The site at 4439 Third Ave. will feature a 12-story residential building with 133 affordable housing units and a daycare center, as well as a laundry room, a bike room and a community room.
A total of 95 units for formerly homeless families and individuals will be spread out across both sites.
St. Barnabas Hospital also plans to open a patient education center at the project and operate a 10,800 square-foot outdoor terrace with a walking path, yoga pavilion and areas for meditation and Tai Chi.
The project is being put together by New York State Homes and Community Renewal, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, St. Barnabas Hospital, L+M Development Partners and Hornig Capital Partners, and it is expected to be finished late in 2018.
HPD Commissioner Vicki Been said in a statement that she was happy to be part of the St. Barnabas Wellness Care and Affordable Housing project.
“Affordable housing and medical care continue to be two of our most pressing societal needs," she said, "and this development will offer both to this thriving neighborhood for generations to come.”
