Betances Family Apartments in Mott Haven, Bronx opens

Betances Family Apartments in the Bronx’s Mott Haven neighborhood has opened, offering 101 deeply affordable homes.  Designed by Think! for Lemle & Wolff Development Company, Alembic Community Development and The Bridge, the 15 story, 98,000 sq ft development on the NYCHA Betances site 6 includes 70 units for low to moderate-income families with 30 set aside for previously homeless individuals.

Elected and city officials join the project team for the opening of Betances Family Apartments.

In addition to the apartments which range from studios to three bedrooms, the building features amenities such as a children’s playroom, bike storage, 24/7 building security and a generous second floor community room that opens out onto a landscaped rooftop terrace. Additionally, The Bridge is providing on-site supportive services, including case management, benefits counseling, and links to community mental health, dental, and substance use services. On the ground floor, 10,000 square feet is set aside for commercial use, creating opportunities for local businesses.

The exterior design is based on a simple light colored grid, infilled with windows and panels of muted colors. To break the repetition of this gridded pattern, and to mitigate the significant scale of a 15-story tower in a predominantly 5 or 6 story neighborhood, Think! devised a darker recessed band that spirals around the tower’s mid-section in order to break down the building mass and better relate to the adjacent NYCHA housing.

It has taken eight years to realize, but this project is a testament to the determination of the team and the power of public and private partnerships in addressing the city's affordable housing shortage.