Arthur Ave. Senior Apartments takes root in Tremont
com to get yours. www.BXTimes.com BRONX WEEKLY March 17, 2019 16
It’s The Bronx moves to Andrew Freedman Home
BY ALEX MITCHELL
The Bronx culture fest that
has everybody talking is moving
to the Andrew Freedman
Home and art gallery at 1125
Grand Concourse on Saturday,
March 23.
It’s The Bronx, which was
originally slated to debut at
Union Crossing of 825 E. 141st
Street from that Saturday into
Sunday, March 24 will now be
fl ipped into a one-day event at
the artistic space.
The festival was moved
from Union Crossing due to its
construction completion being
delayed, although the state of
the art building is still part of
the It’s The Bronx’ future.
In consolation, Union
Crossing even purchased 100
tickets to It’s The Bronx.
Needless to say, event creator
Marco Shalma has maintained
a positive relationship
with Union Crossing as both
parties are working out a new
event series for the seven-fl oor
titan of modern architecture
come this spring when Union
Crossing will be up to speed.
“This is actually on opportunity
for us to do more and involve
more people and more of
the Bronx’s best,” he said.
That monthly series is expected
to commence on Saturday,
May 11 and run all the
way into October, incorporating
multiple and major cultural
institutions from the
Bronx and the rest of NYC.
As for the famed Andrew
Freedman home, the threefl
oor creative and cultural
space now has the privilege to
host what many are anticipating
to be the fi rst round of the
biggest and best collaboration
of Bronx culture to date, running
day to night from 11 a.m.
to 11 p.m.
If you’ve already purchased
tickets to It’s The Bronx before
the announced move, you’re
entitled to some nice givebacks
from the festival.
Those guests are entitled
to: credit towards the outstanding
food and beverages
that come from all corners of
An artist rendering of the Arthur Avenue Senior Apartments.
Photo courtesy of Foxy Management
the Bronx, credit towards additional
tickets, a $10 refund,
and any guest that purchased
only a Sunday ticket will have
that stub honored for Saturday
now.
The planned two-day panel
series will now also be consolidated
into one day.
Those four panels will focus
on and feature insight for
categories like: publishing,
social media and branding,
social media and food, and
success of Bronx women in
business.
“Attendees will have the
opportunity to learn from
and engage directly with our
panelists, and hopefully, leave
feeling inspired or with a better
understanding of each
topic,” Shalma also said.
Tickets for It’s The Bronx
are still available, visit itsthebronx.
BY ROBERT WIRSING
A brand new senior housing
development will reconnect its
residents with Mother Nature.
On Friday, March 1, NYS
Homes and Community Renewal,
Foxy Management and
partners broke ground for the
Arthur Avenue Senior Apartments,
a $91 million 176-unit affordable
and supportive senior
housing development, at 600 E.
179th Street.
The 9-story, 130,000 square
foot building adorned with
black and white exterior panels
features 88 studio and 88 onebedroom
units for low-income
elders 62-years-old and older.
Developed by Mott Havenbased
Foxy Management, the
energy-effi cient building will
emphasize amenities known as
‘biophilic’ which are designed
to connect residents with the
natural world.
These biophilics include a
green wall in the lobby, a green
roof, vertical farmings for herbs
and lettuces, an integrated
greenhouse and community
room with teaching kitchen
and a working vegetable garden
where elders can grow and
share their own food with the
community.
“Our concept is bringing the
outdoors indoors because as human
beings we all share a connection
to the natural world,
however as city dwellers particularly
with seniors, it’s diffi cult
to maintain that connection,”
expressed Jeff Fox, Foxy Management
executive vice president
and general counsel.
Approximately 4,500 square
feet is dedicated to producing
a health-oriented community
space which will include the vegetable
garden, interior greenhouse
and teaching kitchen
and two outdoor terraces on the
eighth fl oor connected to two
large multipurpose community
rooms.
According to Fox, Arthur Avenue
Senior Apartments will occupy
two formerly vacant sites,
at 2010 Arthur Avenue and 2016
Arthur Avenue, and a parcel at
612 E. 179th Street that once contained
a 3-family home.
The development is anticipated
to be completed by January
2021.
Fox said that he plans to meet
with J.H.S. 118’s principal Giulia
Cox to discuss how students
can volunteer their time helping
elders at the development.
Arthur Avenue Senior Apartments
was developed by Foxy
Management and its partners at
the Hebrew Home at Riverdale
under the NYC Department of
Housing Preservation and Development’s
Senior Affordable
Rental Apartments program.
Daniel Reingold, River-
Spring Health CEO, said 54
units will be set aside for
adults leaving the homeless
shelter system.
Tenants will receive onsite
support services provided
by the Hebrew Home at Riverdale
promoting socialization,
life skills training and
maintenance, education and
fi tness-based instruction
groups, nutritional education,
cooking, mediation and music
therapy.
Additional amenities include
24-hour security, on-site
laundry, live-in super, bicycle
and tenant storage and an offi
ce suite for support services.
The development was fi -
nanced using a combination
of NYS Housing Finance
Agency tax-exempt bonds and
subsidy, HPD SARA and Reso
A subsidy and syndicated tax
credit equity.
Foxy Management is collaborating
with its fi nancial
partners at JP Morgan Chase
and Boston Financial.
Councilman Rafael Salamanca
allocated $500,000 for
the project.
“As a result of this senior affordable
housing development,
seniors will be able to remain
in the community they have
called home for many years,”
stated Salamanca.
The Andrew Freedman Home. Photo courtesy of Round 7
DJ Sabronxura during the January It’s The Bronx preview.
Photo courtesy of Round 7
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