BRONX W www.BXTimes.com EEKLY April 7, 2019 10
Soundview to receive 16-story affordable senior housing
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Soundview has been awarded
a large scale, entirely affordable
senior housing development
on the corner of Watson and
Thieriot avenues.
Adjacent to the 28, 7-story
buildings that comprise the NYC
Housing Authority’s Sotomayor
Houses, this affordable development
will be called Casa Celina,
after the Supreme Court Justice’s
mother, Celina Baez.
The new, 16-story building
will create exactly 200 senior
housing units comprised of
strictly one-bedroom and studios.
Amenities will include an exercise
and fi tness room, laundry
room, lounge areas throughout
the building, a ground fl oor community
space, and a landscaped
rooftop terrace.
Approximately 3,350 square
feet of community space will be
accessible to NYCHA residents
and the surrounding community.
The development will also
provide on-site social support,
health services and cultural programming
for seniors and the
community.
Casa Celina was done through
a collaborative process between
NYCHA, NYC Department of
Housing Preservation and Development
in addition to Xenolith
Partners, The Kretchmer
Companies, ELH Mgmt., and the
Jewish Association Serving the
Aging from the private sector.
It was built with an orientation
of the site and building that
provides an opportunity for energy
generation through a large
solar array, developers said.
Angled recesses of the windows
and articulation of its white
façade were then added to shade
opposite facing units to mitigate
heat gain.
The building includes sustainability
and resiliency measures
intended to achieve environmental
accolades as well.
It was designed within the
guidelines of an urban acupuncture
theme, according to Fernando
Villa, principal of Magnusson
Architect and Planning.
“There was an idea that this
one point, this building, could
radiate benefi ts throughout the
neighborhood in the form of services
and community programming,
neighborhood investment,
and architectural innovation, or
more everyday impacts like improvements
in open space and
street illumination,” he said.
Overall, that design is an
evolution of the public housing
typology, one that creates a
much stronger relationship to
the neighborhood particularly
through the ground fl oor plan,
along with large windows and
doors developers said. The fullyglazed,
double-height spaces will
provide views through to the side
garden and playground; and will
ensure visual connections to all
other parts of the community as
well.
The stairs are also given
prominent placement in high
traffi c areas and will have clear
way-fi nding, with glass panels
so that residents see ample light
rather than a dark or closed-off
area.
As an additional enticement
to walk up and down, the lounges
are located next to the stairs
throughout the building, creating
a vertical network of social
spaces, which Villa and his team
believe will prevent isolation of
residents.
Current NYCHA residents
will have a preference for roughly
a quarter of the new affordable
apartments, according to HPD.
An artist rendering of Casa Celina. Photo courtesy of Poliedro Estudio
“We are also excited this effort
will focus on supporting the community,
where our social service
partners will offer on-site social,
health and wellness, and cultural
and art programming for
residents and NYCHA families,”
NYCHA interim chair Kathryn
Garcia said.
A date for the beginning of
construction has not been confi
rmed as of press time.
45th Pct. Community Council Breakfast May 8th
BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
A precinct community is
coming together to celebrate
both civilians and police offi -
cers at their annual breakfast.
The 45th Precinct Community
Council has chosen to honor
fi ve outstanding civilians and
their beloved deceased vice president
who volunteered countless
hours to previous years’ breakfast
when the big annual event
occurs on Wednesday, May 8 at
Villa Barone Manor from 8:30 to
11 a.m.
Joseph Boiko, the council’s
former vice-president who
passed in October 2018 and was
a driving force behind the annual
event according to the
council’s sergeant-at-arms John
Doyle, will be posthumously remembered
for his service.
Honorees include Mouhammad
Ali, Ali Maamur Jame
Masjid Community Center faith
leader; Andrew Chirico, Waterbury
LaSalle Community Association
vice-president; Sr. Seline
Mary Flores, Providence Rest
Nursing Home CEO; Louise Giacco,
City Island Chamber of
Commerce corresponding secretary;
and Joyce Wilson, Co-op
City NAACP branch member at
large.
“My favorite thing about the
breakfast is that every neighborhood
is represented and it really
shows we are one community,”
said Bob Bieder, 45th Precinct
Community Council president,
adding that the civilian honorees
are chosen with geographic
diversity in mind.
Police offi cers, selected by the
precinct’s commanding offi cer,
will be honored at the breakfast,
said Bieder.
Bieder said it is his belief that
the breakfast builds bridges between
police offi cers and community,
improving police-community
relations.
“Anytime you break bread
with someone, you improve their
relations,” said Bieder, adding
that the breakfast was an opportunity
for cops and community
members to talk with and recognize
one another.
Tickets to the event cost $20
per person, but the price doesn’t
cover the cost of the meal and
the precinct council relies on
generous support from sponsors
to turn a ‘profi t’ that goes
to funding police programs and
improvements.
“Every dime goes to the precinct,”
said Bieder, adding that
they fund individual projects
including a new kitchen for detectives,
as well as annual initiatives,
such as National Night
Out Against Crime.
Sponsorships are available
at Platinum, Gold, Silver and
Bronze levels, costing $2,000,
$1,000, $500, and $200 respectively.
Each level comes with a
different recognition.
Doyle said he was enthusiastic
about recognizing the
two honorees he nominated:
Sr. Seline, whose organization
works with the most vulnerable
population and Giacco, who
volunteers with the City Island
Chamber of Commerce.
Chirico, who Bieder said is
being honored for his commitment
to being an advocate for
his community and his impeccable
attendance at every event,
said he was excited to be honored.
“It is nice that some people
recognize that I do good things
and am contentious about it,”
said Chirico,
He added: “I would like to
see the neighborhood improve.
I want things in the community
to get better, and if we don’t succeed,
I want to be able to say I at
least tried.”
For information on the event,
call Bieder at (718) 828-4400 or
Annie Boller, council treasure,
at (917) 744-3375.
The event’s mailing address
is Annie Boller c/o Abalon, 717
South 3rd Avenue, Mount Vernon,
N.Y. 10550.
Joseph Boiko..
Andrew Chirico Photo courtesy of Andrew
Chirico
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