Mamdani Breaks Ground on 229 Affordable Senior Homes in Bronx

Shibbir Ahmed, New York — New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and development partners on Tuesday broke ground on Sol on Park, a 229-apartment, 100% affordable senior housing development at the Morris Houses campus in the Bronx. The project will provide new affordable homes for current NYCHA residents, formerly homeless New Yorkers and low-income seniors. City officials described it as the largest use of the Transfer of Assistance program to date, a financing approach that uses public land and investment to create new permanently affordable housing.

“New Yorkers are facing a housing crisis, and we have no time to waste,” Mayor Mamdani said at the groundbreaking. He said the project would provide current NYCHA residents and low-income seniors with access to new housing while strengthening the Morris Houses community.

80 homes reserved for NYCHA residents

Sol on Park will include 80 apartments reserved for current NYCHA residents living at Morris I and II Houses. Another 69 homes will be designated for formerly homeless seniors, while 79 apartments will be available through the Housing Connect lottery for low- and middle-income seniors.

The development will also include more than 8,000 square feet of community space, health-focused amenities, a pedestrian plaza and a new accessible space for the Morris Houses Resident Association.  Construction is now underway, with pre-leasing and early move-ins expected in early 2029.

Public land used for affordable housing

The project is being developed by The NRP Group, Selfhelp Realty Group and Foxy Management in partnership with NYCHA, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Housing Development Corporation.

The city’s Transfer of Assistance model allows public land and investment to support new affordable housing while creating opportunities for existing NYCHA residents to move into newly constructed apartments. NYCHA said the project will provide current Morris Houses seniors with an opportunity to move into a new accessible building while also adding social services and community facilities.

The project is an 18-story development designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning. It is planned to meet LEED Platinum and Passive House standards, with an emphasis on energy efficiency and resident health and comfort. On-site services will include partnerships with Union Community Health Center and Green Bronx Machine’s National Health & Wellness Center.

Part of Mamdani housing strategy

The Sol on Park development is part of the Mamdani administration’s broader effort to develop affordable housing on publicly owned land. The administration has said it plans to expand the Transfer of Assistance approach through its Block by Block housing plan. The city’s LIFT Tracker has identified more than 50,000 potential new homes across more than 100 active publicly owned sites.

NYCHA’s own development information confirms that Sol on Park is a 229-unit senior affordable housing project on Park Avenue, with 80 units set aside for Morris Houses seniors through the Transfer of Assistance program. The project had previously reached financial closing in July, when city housing agencies announced the $214 million development and its planned 229 affordable senior homes.