Melrose Receives First and Only Stage II Silver Certification for Neighorhood Development in New York State

For so many decades Melrose had the reputation of being the wasteland of the Bronx - and now this has changed with the national spotlight being directed on our wonderful neighborhood yet again.  This time, however, it is in the form of positive recognition.  On February 24, 2010 the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) officially awarded the Melrose Commons section of Melrose the Stage II Silver LEED Certification in Neighborhood Development.  This is the first time, in not just New York City, but the entire state of New York that a neighborhood has received such a distinction.  

So what exactly is Silver LEED Certification for Neighorhood Development?  According to the USBGC's website:

"The LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into the first national system for neighborhood design. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a development's location and design meet accepted high levels of environmentally responsible, sustainable development. LEED for Neighborhood Development is a collaboration among USGBC, Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Natural Resources Defense Council."

Since the beginning of our journey here on this blog, Welcome2Melrose has highlighted the fact that Melrose is the greenest neighborhood in the Bronx but little did we know that we would surpass not just the borough or the rest of the city but the entire state.  But this should come to little surprise to us because after all back in October 2009 during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Eltona we proudly watched on as that very morning the building received the highest LEED recognition - Silver LEED Certification and it was the first and ONLY affordable housing development to receive such recognition in the entire state of New York.

Besides The Eltona, there is also Jardine De Seline, which upon completion is scheduled to receive LEED Silver Certification and contains a variety of green features such as bamboo flooring, solar panels on the rooftop, gardens on the setbacks on several floors.  In the immediate vicinity of Jardine De Seline you will find approximately 30 town homes which were constructed in 2001 as the first Green Homeownership Development in The Bronx and in 2003 received  the Platinum award, the highest level from HUD's Secretary's Award for Excellence as well as first place in the residential category for Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) in 2003 as noted in ArchitectureWeek.  


Courtlandt Corners, a 400 unit, mixed-income development on East 161st Street between Courtlandt and Melrose Avenues once completed according to Dattner Architects, will have, "brownfield redevelopment, stormwater management, lowflow plumbing fixtures, a high performing building envelope, energy efficient HVAC systems, EnergyStar appliances and lighting and attention to indoor environmental quality." Two Blocks east of Courtland Corners is the massive Boricua Village development which includes Boricua College's 14 story vertical campus for 2,000 students and 700 mixed-income apartments of which 399 have been set aside for middle-income families.  This project features numerous green spaces and roof top terraces providing residences with much needed green space in Melrose. 

Four blocks south of Boricua Village rises St Ann's Terrace another massive development with 8 buildings with 600 units of mixed-income residences is underway.  This development is on the site of the old Ebling Brewery where last year the old Ebling Brewery Caves were rediscovered.  With multiple green roofs throughout the development and approximately 60% of the development to remain green, Jackson Development Group is on track with other competing developments in Melrose to provide sustainable housing.  Of significant note for this development is the fact that it will also include more than 400 under ground parking spaces for residents - by far the largest allotment of parking in Melrose which will also alleviate vehicles driving around polluting the neighborhood in search of parking.


Via Verde (Spanish for "Green Way"), the approved but yet-to-break-ground development just a block south of St. Ann's Terrace will contain a massive 35,000 square foot "...connected green rooftops of low-rise town homes, a mid-rise duplex building, and a 20-story tower will be used to harvest rainwater, grow fruits and vegetables, and provide open space for residents."

Not too shabby for a neighborhood that just 20 years ago was a forgotten land empty shells of buildings and rubble strewn lots. Oh and did we mention that Melrose is also home to the South Bronx Food Cooperative which offers, "a diversity of products with an emphasis on organic, minimally processed and healthful foods"? The landmarked Old Bronx Courthouse also sits right in the middle of this green community too!


A special thanks to our BoogieDowners who mentioned this in yesterday's Round'em Up section of their blog!

EXCLUSIVE - Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at The Eltona - Tuesday, October 27th -

I decided to walk past The Eltona (a 63 unit, 5 story building) today and take a few pictures and was pleasantly greeted by the building's super who graciously gave me a tour of 3 model apartments - 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units as well as some of the onsite amenities.  Previously unbeknownst to me, a ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow and a few hours later I received a personal invitation directly from The City of New York's Department of Housing Preservation and Development.  How about that? The Mayor of Melrose rubbing elbows with Mayor Bloomberg as well as the Honorable Ruben Diaz, Jr., The Bronx' Borough President.

The Eltona will soon be THE FIRST affordable LEED Platinum building in New York State, not The Bronx, Brooklyn or New York City but the FIRST in the entire State of New York right here in our great our great neighborhood, Melrose.  Wind turbines located on the rooftop will provide a renewable energy source for the common areas.  The interior of the building was constructed by utilizing non-toxic materials and in its mission to provide a healthy environment to low-income residents it will be a 100% smoke free building.  This may sound a little restrictive but it is a key component to Mount Sinai School of Medicine's study "of the effects of living in a green building on families who suffer from asthma" which will be studying the residents living at The Eltona.  The residents will also benefit from education materials geared towards teaching residents on how to live a healthier as well as a "greener" lifestyle.  Upon moving in, residents will also receive coupons as part of their welcome kit so that they may shop at The South Bronx Food Co-op which is just 2 blocks away from The Eltona. 

The beautiful ornamental fencing and ironwork which was one of the many features that attracted my curious eyes were designed by commissioned artist Béatrice Coron, a local artist who was born and raised in Lyon, France and has been living in New York City since 1984.  Her art has been featured across the country as well as across France and it is truly humbling to have such beautiful public art right here in our own backyard by an international artist.

Some other features of The Eltona are:  Laundry Room on each floor, storage room on each floor with one storage unit per apartment, 2 bathrooms in each 2 and 3 bedroom unit as well as a dishwasher in every single apartment.  The hardwood floors are beautiful as is the amount of natural light that flows in through the larger than normal windows.  The Eltona truly is the new frontier in low-income housing - a green building with all the amenities that until now were only available to those who can afford a co-op or a condo.  With Coqui Mexicano nearby as well as PeaceLove Cafe and excellent transportation options, these residents will truly be lucky!  Visit GreenHomeNYC for a greater detailed list of energy efficient items as well as green products used in construction of The Eltona.

Let's hear it for New York City, Blue Sea Development (who you may remember as the developers of Fox-Legget Co-op with its 2,400 square foot green roof) for building such an innovative project in an area that so many had forgotten about decades ago.  A big Melrose THANK YOU to all!

Every apartment has a storage unit located in a storage room on each floor. (Yes...I'm jealous!)

Also located on each floor is a laundry room so no more

 running down to the basement to add the fabric softener!

Kitchen layout of a 3 Bedroom unit.  All units have generous kitchen cabinet space as well as dishwashers.

Standard bathroom...nothing too fancy but still nice.

Southeast corner of the building directly adjacent to one of the many community gardens in Melrose.  This one is called Vogue Garden.  

New Building Now Accepting Applications

El Jardin de Seline at 779 Melrose Avenue (corner of East 158th Street) is now accepting applications for its 66 units. The building is a low to moderate income residence and according to the New York Real Estate Journal, El Jardin de Seline "will achieve a LEED Silver rating as well as being NYSERDA Energy Star certified and Enterprise Green Communities Compliant." These ratings and certifications will be achieved through such amenities as green roofs at setbacks, solar panels on the roof of the building and bamboo flooring to name a few.

Watching this building rise above Melrose was a treat since I could see it wasn't just a plain old building. A lot of care went into the design of the exterior including Art Deco motifs which as many of you know was a common style in The Bronx during the glory years which gave our borough one of the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the United States and the world. That being said, it is great to see such designs on mixed-income projects like Jardin de Seline and not just for upper-class residential buildings.