Timbale Terrace, which will deliver 341 homes – 100 percent of them affordable – to East Harlem, has received final approval and will now advance to construction financing.
The development will be built on an underutilized City-owned parking lot on Park Avenue between 118th and 119th Streets and will include a new home for the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, now known as Belongó and the Casa Belongó Music and Arts Center on its ground floor, offering performance and community space for neighborhood residents.
The development is the product of a partnership among Mega Group Development, the Lantern Organization and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which awarded the project based on a competitive request for proposals. The development will feature highly sustainable features including Passive House Design, and three outdoor landscaped areas. Among the 341 units are 97 designated as supportive housing, which will include supportive units for young adults.
“… a commitment to serving the multigenerational needs of East Harlem …”
Additionally, the development will be designed to meet the needs of families with two- and three-bedroom apartments making up 35 percent of the units. In a commitment to serving the multigenerational needs of East Harlem, developers also will conduct local outreach to seniors in the community to ensure they’re aware of this affordable housing opportunity.
“In the midst of a housing crisis that’s crushing hard working New Yorkers, we’re proud to have worked closely with the East Harlem community to deliver hundreds of affordable homes, including those set aside for our most vulnerable neighbors, while also bringing performances and art to the area,” said Hercules Argyriou of Mega Group Development. “As New York continues to tackle the housing crisis, it’s critical that the public and private sectors work together and use every tool we have, including the transformation of underutilized public property that provides a low-cost foundation to developments like these, making affordability possible.”
“The New York housing shortage continues to cause unconscionable rates of homelessness and high housing costs for all. This shortage is driven by the many cities and neighborhoods throughout our state fighting to stop new homes from being built. In East Harlem, the community has shown a different path. With the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan, East Harlem continues to say yes to new homes, resoundingly demanding more affordable housing and more supportive housing,” said Daniel Kent, CEO and President of Lantern Organization. “We are honored to respond to this call by developing Timbale Terrace, creating 341 urgently needed affordable homes, including 97 units of permanent supportive housing.
“The approval of Timbale Terrace and the Casa Belongó Music & Arts Center acknowledges the critical need for affordable housing. It also signals the ability of communities to work creatively with the City to ensure that New Yorkers can remain in the neighborhoods, even as those neighborhoods evolve. The inclusion of a cultural space such as Casa Belongó highlights that the arts remain a vital part of our City, providing sanctuary for New Yorkers living in an ever-changing world. Casa Belongó will be the campfire around which the beautiful residents of El Barrio and Harlem will gather to strengthen and support one another through music, dance, visual arts, and community engagement,” said Belongó Founder and Artistic Director, Arturo O’Farrill. “As the birthplace of Afro Latin Jazz, East Harlem best represents our mission to use music as the entry point for service to the community and to reflect back to that community the beauty and ingenuity of its people.”
“We are delighted that the East Harlem community is welcoming this extraordinary project into the neighborhood. We applaud the inclusion of 97 apartments for our most marginalized New Yorkers including at-risk youth, as well as 244 affordable apartments,” said Pascale Leone, Executive Director, Supportive Housing Network of New York. “It is the addition of the Afro-Latin Music Center – a unique arts education and performance space — that makes this development so exceptional, and will make the building a destination. All three of these components are critically needed at a time when quality affordable housing in New York City is at an all-time low, homelessness is at an all-time high and the ever-present need to celebrate East Harlem’s deep and unique musical roots is especially urgent. What a tremendous win for the community and all the innovative partners who helped bring this development to fruition.”
“From the start, the approach for developing the Timbale Terrace proposal has been an earnest and sincere response to the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan and HPD’s request for proposals. It has been inspirational to be part of the development’s evolution through the approval process, continuing to respond to community and stakeholder concerns to bring much needed affordable and supportive housing to NYC during this current housing crisis” said Jorge Chang, Principal of Urban Architectural Initiatives (UAI). “We are honored to partner on Timbale Terrace to transform this site and to weave the building into the rich and beautiful neighborhood of East Harlem, celebrating its history and culture.”
“… serve as a vibrant community hub and a world-class performing arts venue.”
Timbale Terrace will be 19 stories, and include space for social services, a fitness center, community gatherings, and rooftop terraces. The first floor will also include over 20,000 square feet for the Casa Belongó Music and Arts Center which will serve as a vibrant community hub and a world-class performing arts venue. Designed to address the needs of our community, this center will offer access to the arts, educational activities, community space and cultural events. Responding to community needs and addressing intergenerational programming gaps, Casa Belongó will serve as an innovative space where creativity thrives and connections flourish.
Photo credit: 1-3) Marino PR.
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