WHEDCO's Housing Development Ventures 2006-2009

Tenants have started moving into Intervale Green

WHEDCO is proud to announce that construction has been completed on its first housing development project since the rehabilitation of Urban Horizons. Intervale Green and Louis Nine House development continues our tradition of building beautiful, sustainable buildings that residents turn into beautiful homes. Our standards push the boundaries of affordable housing design and construction, and create safe, healthy living environments.

The largest multi-family, high-rise, EnergyStar affordable housing development in the nation, Intervale Green is comprised of 128 units of affordable housing for low-income and formerly homeless families, with commercial storefronts along the first floor; the Louis Nine House includes 46 units for young adults aging out of foster care and will provide on-site vocational and educational programs.

Read about the green building technology behind the nation’s largest multi-family, high-rise, Energy Star affordable housing development, Intervale Green.

Click here to read more about Intervale Green in TIME Magazine, CNN, The New York Times, Daily News and several other publications.

Building Green

Intervale Green was built with environmentally friendly, healthy materials and boasts energy-efficient appliances to help keep utility bills low for the new residents. As part of a pilot program through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), WHEDCo was able to receive funding to help cover technical assistance and capital costs to ensure that we achieved an Energy Star rating (an efficiency standard set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy).

"Energy efficiency consultants from Steven Winter Associates collaborated with WHEDCo's development team to design high efficiency heating, ventilation, and insulation that will reduce fuel usage for heat and hot water by 43%, save over $82,000 in utility costs in the first year, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 33 cars. The apartments were built with healthy materials, free of the volatile organic compounds that exacerbate respiratory illnesses. With homes that are 33% more efficient than conventional apartments, residents living in Intervale Green are expected to spend 30% less on utility bills, easing the burden on low income families already struggling during difficult economic times."

WHEDCo’s new complex brings over ½ acre of vegetation to the community, including three green roofs for vegetable and flowering gardens, two lush courtyards, a public sculptor garden, and over 40 new street trees. Our new green roofs will improve air quality in a neighborhood with the second highest asthma rates in all of the Bronx and twice the New York City average, retain storm water run-off, reducing the burden on New York City's sever system during rain storms, and will absorb some solar heart gain on the roof.

Unlike most affordable housing, Intervale Green was designed with as much emphasis on aesthetics as affordability. Respecting the architectural legacy of the borough, the building is designed to reflect traditional Bronx building features such as red brick, decorative cornices, stone and ironwork, and multiple courtyards. The common areas display carefully chosen, high quality tile, wood, and marble, while the apartments boast sconces, pendant lighting, and imported high-end ceramic tile kitchen backsplashes (donated by Artistic Tile.)

We would like to thank our community partners- The Enterprise Foundation's Green Communities Initiative, The Home Depot Foundation, and NYSERDA-for allowing WHEDCo to participate in the burgeoning environmental justice movement that is improving New York City's low-income communities.

Want to know more about Intervale Green's green features? Check out "What's Green About Intervale Green" right here.

Creating Public Art

WHEDCO has partnered with two local Bronx artists to commission public sculpture installations into the open spaces at Intervale Green. Matthew Burcaw's "Traffic" sculpture which frames the lobby space above the mailboxes, brings a touch of whimsy to the space and recalls the burnt out cars and debris that used to be dumped on the Intervale Green site when it was vacant. In a similar spirit, Linda Cunningham's sculptures “Structural Transformations," "Going Somewhere" and "New Growth" which are installed in the public sculpture garden, in the front courtyard, and in the lobby, respectively, symbolize the rebirth of this area of the Bronx.


Bridging the Digital Divide

WHEDCo is working to bridge the digital divide in the Bronx, where thousands of families lack access to computer technology, by providing every family at Intervale Green with a computer and low-cost, high-speed internet access.


Brief History of the Intervale Green Site

Intervale Green was built on an abandoned lot in the South Bronx where President Carter’s historic 1977 visit shed light on the urban blight and devastation of the borough. Characterized as the site of a "New Record in High Class Apartment House Buildings," in a July 3, 1910 New York Times article, the site of WHEDCo's Intervale Green and Louis Nine House, has long been a picture of renewal and development. See the July 3, 1910 New York Times for more details.


Commercial Spaces For Rent
WHEDCo has 4 Ground Floor Commercial Spaces for Lease at our newly constructed Intervale Green building. The commercial spaces are at the prime location of Louis Nine Boulevard near Southern Boulevard in the Bronx. Please contact Kerry A. McLean, (718) 839-1189 or econdev@whedco.org for more information.