NHC member New York City Housing Development Corporation (NYCHDC) recently joined partners for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of Gateway Elton I, a housing community featuring almost 200 affordable units. A groundbreaking ceremony for Gateway Elton III, the third wave of the Gateway Elton project, was held jointly with the ribbon cutting. Gateway Elton II is currently under construction. The developments are expected to deliver a combined total of nearly one million watts of renewable energy.
Apartments in the Gateway Elton community are available to families who earn sixty percent or less of the area median income. The first building boasts 214,000 watts of renewable energy alone through solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems. The building has already obtained both ENERGY STAR® status and LEED for Homes Platinum ratings. Additionally, Gateway Elton III is expected to achieve LEED Platinum Status with apartments designed to feature gas-powered hydraulic baseboard heating with any “waste” heating from the system used to heat water used in individual apartment units.
“The Gateway Elton Development, in its three phase plan, demonstrates our commitment to provide financing programs that create safe, quality and affordable housing,” Gary Rodney, president of NYCHDC, said in a press release. “In Housing New York, we set forth a plan to build not just housing, but diverse and thriving communities.”
Energy efficiency in affordable housing is an NHC policy priority. With buildings responsible for consuming 40 percent of the nation’s energy, the efficiency of NYCHDC’s new developments will play a significant role in not only providing affordable housing for vulnerable populations, but also in ensuring these developments accommodate the health and wellbeing needs of the families who will live in them. Last month NHC signed on to a letter opposing elimination of green programs. We’ll continue the conversation around energy efficient housing in our Green Affordable Housing Coalition. The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 11. If you’re interested in joining the coalition, email Rebekah King at rking@nhc.org and fill out this online form.
When complete the Gateway Elton project will have created almost 700 affordable apartments and more than 700,000 square feet of retail space.