The gardens at Kelly Street Rehabilitation, designed by OCV Architects
"By turning storm water into vegetation, this green alchemy will solidify the successful rehabilitation of this historic area. With this grant we will create a whole new meaning to 'Kelly Green.‘” - John Crotty, Principal of the Kelly Street Redevelopment
New York, NY (PRWEB) April 30, 2012
Kelly Street Garden is one of 11 innovative projects that advance the goals of stormwater management as outlined in PlaNYC. OCV Architects is working with Workforce Housing Advisors (WHA), recipients of the grant, growNYC and Banana Kelly to bring the Kelly Street Garden project to life.
On April 21, 2012, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Carter Strickland, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner, announced the 11 winners of the $4.6 million in grants earmarked for projects in New York City that will contribute to the improvement of the water quality of New York Harbor. These community-based green infrastructure projects will reduce sewer outflow, a key component of the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan, launched in 2010 by Mayor Bloomberg to support PlanNYC’s goals for improved waterways.
"The team is honored and excited to receive this transformational grant. Our rehabilitation projects go beyond just the physical structure of the buildings, we also focus on revitalizing the communities we live and work in,” said John Crotty, Principal of the Kelly Street Redevelopment. “By turning storm water into vegetation, this green alchemy will solidify the successful rehabilitation of this historic area. With this grant we will create a whole new meaning to Kelly Green.‘”
OCV Architects is currently working on the rehabilitation of the Kelly Street Apartments, a cluster of five buildings located in the Hunts Point-Longwood section of the South Bronx, and includes Kelly Street Gardens, the portion of the rehab that won the grant. The work will turn around five of the ‘200 worst’ buildings in NYC and uniquely offer 52 units of subsidized housing with community sustained agriculture for residents and the community.
Kelly Street Gardens will be a demostration farm for the community and local non-profit growNYC will assist in construction while Banana Kelly, a Bronx-based non-profit will admiminster programs with neighborhood residents and school groups at the site. The hope is to develop an on-site community supported agriculture (CSA) to provide a source of healthy vegetables for the community. Among the sustainable features that will contricbute to diverting water from sewers are green roofs, porous paving, on-site rainwater water collection tanks and an irrigation system that will feed the community garden with water collected from the site.
The Kelly Street Gardens will be an additional sustainable feature to the rehabilitation of the entire block. Work on the buildings will include envelope weatherization repairs, a high performance thermal envelope and window system, roof replacement, masonry repair and restoration, structural replacement and apartment upgrades. On the interior, apartments will feature healthy finishes, and high efficiency light fixtures compliant with Green Communities criteria.
These rejuvenated buildings will provide safe havens to neighborhood residents in an area that until recently has been categorized as among the City’s most dilapidated. Preservation of New York City’s existing affordable housing has been a feature of Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan, launched in 2003. Rehabilitation work on buildings similar to Kelly Street will strengthen neighborhoods and protect distressed multifamily housing.
OCV Architects is providing architectural services for the design and construction of the Kelly Street Rehabilitation project. The NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has provided Workforce Housing Advisors with a loan for the substantial rehabilitation of these buildings.