[chris08876]

Project: 2950 Park Avenue

The South Bronx is full of subsidized rental projects, but developer Omni New York is aiming higher with plans for a low-income apartment building that will be one of the most energy efficient in the borough. Omni will construct the second building in its big affordable development in Melrose, Morris Avenue Apartments, to meet the standards of passive house construction. That means the building will have several inches of insulation in the walls, a special ventilation system and extra thick windows.

When complete, Morris II will be the first large, affordable passive house development in the Bronx. It will follow in the footsteps of Via Verde, an eco-friendly, subsidized development designed by Dattner Architects that was finished a few blocks away in 2012.

The 15-story building at 2950 Park Avenue will hold 154 apartments, 46 of which will be set aside for formerly homeless tenants. Five apartments will go to families earning 50 percent of the Area Median Income, or $42,500 for a family of four, and 79 units will be reserved for those earning 60 percent AMI, or $51,600 for a family of four. Finally, 23 units will go to tenants making 80 percent AMI, or $72,500 for a family of four.

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NYY