THREE NYC DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION OFFICERS SENTENCED TO SERVE TIME IN ASSAULT, COVER UP OF RIKERS ISLAND INMATE

A Fourth Officer Is Sentenced to Community Service For Filing a False Report 

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that three New York City Department of Correction Officers have been sentenced to serve time in a beating of an inmate and its coverup in a Rikers Island jail. 

   District Attorney Clark said, “I hope these sentences continue to send the message that excessive force by those sworn to maintain order on Rikers Island will not be tolerated, nor will covering up violence or corruption. These correction officers will now pay the price for their roles in this crime.”

  Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark G. Peters said, "Correction Officers should safeguard the facts as well as the City's jails; instead these defendants lied to cover up their crimes and violence. Now, these correction officers are convicted felons, part of the more than three dozen correction staff DOI has arrested in the last several years." 

  District Attorney Clark said Michael Dorsainvil, 36, was sentenced to two years in prison with 1 ½ years post-release supervision, Christopher Huggins, 34, was sentenced to one year in jail, Mark Anglin, 38, was sentenced to four months in jail to be served on weekends and 150 hours of community service, and Ronald Donnelley, 63, received a Conditional Discharge and 100 hours of community service. 

  District Attorney Clark said Huggins and Donnelley were convicted October 27, 2016 by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Michael Gross of first-degree Offering a False Instrument for Filing. Huggins was also convicted of second-degree Assault. 

  District Attorney Clark said Dorsainvil and Anglin were convicted by a jury on October 26, 2016 of first-degree Offering a False Instrument for Filing after the trial before Justice Gross. Dorsainvil was also convicted of second-degree Assault.

  According to trial testimony, on March 15, 2013, inmate Carl Williams was being escorted back to the George Motchen Detention Facility following a court appearance and began cursing at the officers when they confiscated a bag of food from him and threw it in the garbage. 

  According to testimony and to video played at the trial, Anglin, Dorsainvil and Huggins placed Williams into a holding cell. They entered the cell and held him down on the floor while Huggins used his knee to batter Williams’ head. Donnelley stood outside watching. Williams suffered contusions, bumps and cuts to his face and head, and needed nine stitches for a cut to his mouth.

  During a review by the Department of Correction, discrepancies were discovered in the use of force and witness reports. The defendants claimed that they intervened because Williams was threatening to hang himself with a string pulled from his bag, a claim that was contradicted by Department of Correction video recordings of the incident that showed Williams had no bag with him when he entered the holding cell.

Comptroller Stringer, NYC Funds: After Two Years of Advocacy, “Proxy Access” Nearly A Market Standard

Number of companies with meaningful proxy access has grown 5,266% in just two years

17 companies targeted for proxy access due to a lack of diversity have named a woman or minority director in the last two years

NYC Funds’ 2016 Post-Season Report highlights proxy access, political spending disclosure, and other governance initiatives

   More than 300 U.S. companies – including nearly half of the S&P 500 – have enacted rules which give large, long-term investors the ability to nominate directors to companies’ boards, allowing investors to ensure these boards are diverse, climate-competent, and able to create long-term value, according to the New York City Pension Funds’ 2016 Post-Season Report released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. The report also highlights other shareowner efforts over the last year, including work on disclosure of political spending.

“Just two years ago, we launched a nationwide campaign to change the rules of the road for director elections. We emphasized diversity, accountability, and transparency in companies – and there’s no doubt it’s resonating across the marketplace. Companies are taking action because of the work we started just a couple years ago,” New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer said. “Incorporating a multitude of perspectives and listening to diverse viewpoints is critical for businesses in the 21st century. It’s clear we’re moving in the right direction, but there’s more to do.”

The New York City Pension Funds’ “Post-Season Report” provides an overview of shareowner initiatives by the New York City Pension Funds in 2016.

Highlights include:

The Boardroom Accountability Project

Proxy Access is the ability of large, long-term investors to nominate board directors on a company’s ballot. In 2010, the SEC enacted a universal proxy access rule, which was subsequently challenged in court and overturned on technical grounds. In response, Comptroller Stringer and the New York City Pension Funds launched the Boardroom Accountability Project in 2014 to bring this right to the U.S. market, company by company. Firms were targeted if they had little or no board diversity, excessive CEO pay, or substantial exposure to risks related to climate change, such as a reliance on carbon-intensive business practices.

• In 2014, only six U.S. companies had meaningful proxy access. Today, more than 322 companies do – an increase of 5,226 percent.
• Ninety-six companies targeted by the New York City Pension Funds have enacted proxy access – roughly 30 percent of those that have proxy access today. Seeing the changing landscape, hundreds of other companies have implemented proxy access on their own or in response to engagement from other investors.
• In 2015, when the New York City Pension Funds filed proxy access proposals with 75 companies, just eight percent of them agreed to implement the proposal before a shareowner vote. In 2016, 72 percent of 72 target companies enacted proxy access before votes were cast.
• The 18 proposals that did go to a vote in 2016 received an average 58 percent support. Thirteen of them received majority support.
• At least 17 companies that were targeted for inadequate board diversity over the last two years – including AbbVie, Cabot Oil & Gas, Ebay, Fidelity National Financial, Priceline, and Union Pacific – have added at least one female and/or minority director.

Political Spending Disclosure

Over the last year, the New York City Pension Funds and Comptroller Stringer have encouraged numerous energy companies to increase transparency around political spending and enact policies that give their boards of directors oversight over this practice. These moves enable investors to determine whether corporate political spending actually aligns with the long-term interests of the company and investors.

• In response to a first-time proposal, Eversource Energy adopted a policy that ensures board oversight and disclosure of political spending. The proposal was withdrawn.
• Three companies – Consolidated Edison, PNM Resources, and PPL Corporation – agreed to enhance their public disclosures before proposals were filed.
• Two additional companies, Cabot Oil & Gas and DTE Energy, agreed to improve their disclosures after strong votes from investors on the pension funds’ proposals.

The 2016 Post-Season Report also includes information on a number of other initiatives, including efforts to enhance disclosure of workplace diversity data at Capital One, claw back incentive pay from executives at Wells Fargo, institute governance reforms at Mylan, and encourage ExxonMobil to release information on climate change risks.

To read a full copy of the report, click here.

Comptroller Stringer serves as the investment advisor to, and custodian and a trustee of, the New York City Pension Funds. The New York City Pension Funds are composed of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers’ Retirement System, New York City Police Pension Fund, New York City Fire Department Pension Fund and the Board of Education Retirement System.

In addition to Comptroller Stringer, the New York City Pension Funds’ trustees are:

New York City Employees’ Retirement System: Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Representative, John Adler (Chair); New York City Public Advocate Letitia James; Borough Presidents: Gale Brewer (Manhattan), Melinda Katz (Queens), Eric Adams (Brooklyn), James Oddo (Staten Island), and Ruben Diaz, Jr. (Bronx); Henry Garrido , Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME; John Samuelsen, President Transport Workers Union Local 100; Gregory Floyd, President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

Teachers’ Retirement System: Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Appointee, John Adler; Chancellor’s Representative, Raymond Orlando, New York City Department of Education; and Debra Penny, Thomas Brown and David Kazansky, all of the United Federation of Teachers.

New York City Police Pension Fund: Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Representative, John Adler; New York City Finance Commissioner Jacques Jiha; New York City Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill (Chair); Patrick Lynch, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association; Michael Palladino, Detectives Endowment Association; Edward D. Mullins, Sergeants Benevolent Association; Louis Turco, Lieutenants Benevolent Association; and, Roy T. Richter, Captains Endowment Association.

New York City Fire Department Pension Fund: Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Representative, John Adler; New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro (Chair); New York City Finance Commissioner Jacques Jiha; James Slevin, President, Gerard Fitzgerald, Vice President, Edward Brown, Treasurer, and John Kelly, Brooklyn Representative and Chair, Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York; John Farina, Captains’ Rep.; Paul Ferro, Chiefs’ Rep., and Jack Kielty, Lieutenants’ Rep., Uniformed Fire Officers Association; and, Thomas Phelan, Marine Engineers Association.

Board of Education Retirement System:  Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña; Mayoral: Issac Carmignami, T. Elzora Cleveland, Vanessa Leung, Gary Linnen, Lori Podvesker, Stephanie Soto, Benjamin Shuldiner, Miguelina Zorilla-Aristy; Michael Kraft (Manhattan BP), Debra Dillingham (Queens BP), Geneal Chacon (Bronx BP) and Peter Calandrella (Staten Island BP); and employee members John Maderich of the IUOE Local 891 and Donald Nesbit of District Council 37, Local 372.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Files Civil Rights Suit And Enters Settlement With Real Estate Developer To Enhance Accessibility At Three Buildings With More Than 2,400 Rental Apartments

   Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that the United States has settled a federal civil rights lawsuit against SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES, INC. (“SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES”) and two of its affiliates, RIVER PLACE I, LLC and RIVER PLACE II HOLDING, LLC, by consent decree. Under the settlement, SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES has agreed to make retrofits at two large rental complexes in Manhattan – One River Place and Silver Towers – to make them more accessible to individuals with disabilities. SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES also has agreed to inspect a third rental complex in Manhattan, One Freedom Place, and, where necessary, make retrofits at that building as well. Additionally, SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES must establish procedures to ensure that its ongoing and future development projects will comply with the accessibility requirements of the federal Fair Housing Act (“FHA”). Finally, SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES has agreed to provide up to $960,000 to compensate aggrieved persons and pay a civil penalty of $50,000. The consent decree was approved yesterday by U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “This lawsuit demonstrates our commitment to fulfilling for all New Yorkers the promise of the Fair Housing Act — that people with disabilities have the same access to housing as everyone else. Today’s settlement requires Silverstein Properties to adopt procedures to ensure accessibility at its current and future development projects, making retrofits at buildings that it has already developed, and compensating aggrieved parties.”

The FHA’s accessible design and construction provisions require new multifamily housing complexes constructed after January 1993 to have basic features accessible to persons with disabilities. According to the allegations in the Complaint, One River Place and Silver Towers, two rental complexes located in Manhattan that together contain more than 2,200 rental units, were designed and constructed with numerous inaccessible features, including excessively high thresholds interfering with accessible routes in the public and common areas as well as into and within individual units, insufficient spaces in bathrooms and kitchens for people in wheelchairs, and bathroom configurations preventing installation of grab bars. The inaccessible conditions at One River Place were first brought to the attention of the United States Attorney’s Office by testing performed by the Fair Housing Justice Center.

Under the settlement, SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES agrees to make extensive retrofits at One River Place and Silver Towers to make them accessible. SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES also agrees to arrange for inspection of a third rental complex in Manhattan, One Freedom Place, and, where necessary, to make retrofits at that property as well. Together, the three properties contain more than 2,400 rental apartments.

The settlement also requires SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES to establish procedures to ensure FHA compliance at its ongoing and future development projects. These include retaining an FHA compliance consultant to ensure that each residential building developed by SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES will, as constructed, comply with the FHA’s accessibility requirements. The FHA consultant also will conduct a site visit to identify non-compliant conditions and recommend appropriate solutions prior to the completion of construction. In addition, SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES agrees to institute policies and training to ensure that its employees and agents will comply with the FHA’s accessibility requirements.

Finally, the settlement requires SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES to provide up to $960,000 to compensate aggrieved persons. SILVERSTEIN PROPERTIES also agrees to pay a civil penalty of $50,000.

The government’s lawsuit also asserts claims against the architect of One River Place and Silver Towers, COSTAS KONDYLIS & PARTNERS, LLP. Those claims remain pending.

Aggrieved individuals may be entitled to monetary compensation from the fund created through today’s settlement. Aggrieved individuals may include those who were:

• Injured by a lack of accessible features at One River Place, Silver Towers, or One Freedom Place;
• Discouraged from living at One River Place, Silver Towers, or One Freedom Place because of the lack of accessible features;
• Required to pay to have an apartment at One River Place, Silver Towers, or One Freedom Placemade accessible;
• Prevented from having visitors because of a lack of accessible features at One River Place, Silver Towers, or One Freedom Place; or
• Otherwise injured or discriminated against on the basis of disability due to the design or construction of One River Place, Silver Towers, or One Freedom Place.

People who may be entitled to compensation should file a claim by contacting the Civil Rights Complaint Line at (212) 637-0840, using the Civil Rights Complaint Form available on the United States Attorney’s Office’s website http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/civilrights.html, or by sending a written claim to:

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York

86 Chambers Street, 3rd Floor

New York, New York 10007

Attention: Chief, Civil Rights Unit

Manhattan Woman Pleads Guilty In Manhattan Federal Court To Commodities Fraud In Connection With Scheme To Defraud Investors Of More Than $23 Million

   Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that HAENA PARK pled guilty in Manhattan federal court today to commodities fraud. The charge relates to PARK’s scheme to defraud more than 40 individual investors out of more than $23 million. PARK solicited investments for the purpose of trading in a variety of securities and commodities, including off-exchange foreign currency contracts, through the use of false and misleading statements about, among other things, her historical trading performance. PARK was arrested on June 2, 2016, in Manhattan, New York, and pled guilty today before United States District Judge Ronnie Abrams.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Through her guilty plea today, Haena Park has admitted to commodities fraud, lying about her rates of return and trading expertise to lure prospective investors to her fund and then losing almost all of the $23 million she raised through her lies. To keep her fraud scheme alive, Park sent fake account statements to her investors and used new investor money to pay back old ones.”

According to the Indictment and statements made at today’s plea hearing:

From September 2009 through June 2016, PARK raised more than $23 million from more than 40 individual investors, purportedly for the purpose of trading in a variety of securities and commodities, including equities, futures, and off-exchange foreign currency (“forex”) transactions, through the use of her firms, Phaetra Capital Management LP and Argenta Group, LLC. In connection with the scheme, PARK made a series of false and misleading representations to investors, including that PARK was an accomplished forex trading adviser earning annualized returns as high as 48.9 percent for her investors. In truth and in fact, PARK was not an accomplished forex trader, her trading was consistently unsuccessful, and the trading results emailed to investors by PARK were false and did not reflect the trading losses actually incurred by PARK. Rather, from September 2009 through June 2016, PARK lost approximately $19.5 million of the $20 million that she traded, including in commissions and fees, principally in highly leveraged futures and forex transactions.

To prevent or forestall redemptions by investors, and to continue to raise money from investors to fund her scheme, PARK generated fictitious account statements, which she sent to investors on a monthly basis. Instead of accurately reporting the trading losses PARK was suffering, the account statements indicated that the investors were making money nearly every month. To hide her trading losses, PARK used new investor funds to pay back other investors in a Ponzi-like fashion. In total, PARK distributed approximately $3 million back to investors from funds deposited by new investors.

PARK, 41, of Manhattan, New York, faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. PARK is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Abrams on April 28, 2017, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. Bharara praised the work of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the El Dorado Task Force. He also thanked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission for their assistance.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine I. Magdo is in charge of the prosecution.

U.S. Attorney Files Civil Rights Suit Against National Developer To Remedy Pattern And Practice Of Inaccessible Construction Of Rental Buildings

   Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that the United States has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against EQUITY RESIDENTIAL and its affiliate ERP OPERATING L.P. (together, “EQUITY RESIDENTIAL”) to require them to remedy conditions at 170 Amsterdam Avenue, a large rental complex in Manhattan that was completed in 2015, to make the building accessible to people with disabilities and to ensure that EQUITY RESIDENTIAL will take steps to make accessible the multiple rental complexes that it is currently developing.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “With today’s lawsuit, we seek to ensure that a national developer, Equity Residential, not only will fix the inaccessible conditions at 170 Amsterdam Avenue, but also do what is necessary to ensure accessibility at its ongoing construction projects. This is one of more than a dozen suits this Office has brought in recent years to fulfill the Fair Housing Act’s promise of accessibility for people with disabilities.”

The Fair Housing Act’s (“FHA”) accessible design and construction provisions require multifamily housing complexes constructed after January 1991 to have basic features accessible to persons with disabilities. According to the allegations in the Complaint, EQUITY RESIDENTIAL has engaged in a pattern and practice of FHA violations by designing and constructing numerous rental buildings that contain inaccessible conditions, including 170 Amsterdam Avenue as well as earlier constructions like the 1210 Mass Apartments in Washington, D.C., and The Veridian in Silver Spring, Maryland.

According to the Complaint filed today in Manhattan, in 2015, EQUITY RESIDENTIAL designed and constructed 170 Amsterdam Avenue, a 236-unit rental complex on the upper west side of Manhattan, with inaccessible conditions similar to those present at the 1210 Mass Apartments and The Veridian. As alleged, the inaccessible conditions at 170 Amsterdam Avenue include excessively high thresholds from individual apartments to private gardens, insufficiently wide doorways within individual apartments, and insufficient clear width at the entrance to the on-site fitness center. The Complaint also alleges that EQUITY RESIDENTIAL currently is actively involved in designing and constructing several other rental buildings, including in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Seattle.

In the Complaint, the United States seeks a court order requiring EQUITY RESIDENTIAL to make appropriate retrofits at 170 Amsterdam Avenue and to take steps necessary to ensure that the rental buildings EQUITY RESIDENTIAL is currently developing will be designed and constructed in compliance with the FHA’s accessibility requirements.

EQUITY RESIDENTIAL was previously sued in 2006, in Maryland, for not complying with the FHA in constructing rental buildings like the 1210 Mass Apartments and The Veridian. In March 2016, the court presiding over the Maryland lawsuit issued a decision finding that EQUITY RESIDENTIAL had violated the FHA’s accessibility requirements in constructing seven rental buildings, including the 1210 Mass Apartments and The Veridian. In December 2016, EQUITY RESIDENTIAL settled the Maryland lawsuit and agreed to remedy inaccessible conditions at the 1210 Mass Apartments and The Veridian and the other five rental buildings. However, the settlement of the Maryland lawsuit did not address the lack of accessible features at 170 Amsterdam Avenue, which was designed and constructed even while the Maryland suit was pending.

Next Club Event is this Thursday, January 19th

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIOANNOUNCES M/WBE FIRMS WIN BIDS TO BUILD HUNDREDS OF AFFORDABLE HOMES AT SIX CITY-OWNED SITES

City land in three boroughs to become 100 percent affordable housing M/WBE projects; developments include space for a local farm, leadership academy, LGBT community center, tech incubator

   Mayor Bill de Blasio, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Richard Buery and Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Vicki Been today announced the selection of eight Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise teams to lead the construction of six new 100 percent affordable housing developments on vacant City-owned land. The developments will include about 440 homes for seniors and other New Yorkers with a variety of income levels, including extremely-low income and formerly homeless households.

The sites are located in the Bronx’s Melrose and Crotona Park East sections, Brooklyn’s East New York and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods, and Central Harlem.

“These Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise firms are offering first-rate projects that will serve a diverse set of New York communities and New Yorkers. I congratulate them, and expect to see important work from each of them as we continue to work together in the future to protect affordability and quality of life in all our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"Just shortly after announcing a 25-year high of affordable housing stock in New York City, we're enlisting the talent of Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses to continue building the equitable, affordable city we envision – a city that works with everyone and for everyone," said Richard Buery, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives and Citywide M/WBE Director. “These skilled entrepreneurs will create new homes for more than 400 families while putting us well on track to fulfill the Administration's bold commitment to increase contracting opportunities for M/WBES."

Aimed at increasing contracting opportunities for M/WBE firms in City housing and economic development projects, HPD issued a Request for Qualifications to create a pre-qualified list of M/WBE developers. The development of these properties was specifically restricted to respondents from that list through a Request for Proposals. In addition to hundreds of homes, these developments will incorporate community space for a green market, a high school capacity building program for STEM students, a tech center and an LGBT community center.

With the creation of the Mayor’s Office of M/WBE’s, the City made a commitment to award at least 30 percent of the value of City contracts to M/WBE’s by 2021 and to double the number of certified M/WBE firms by 2019. The new office is working toward these goals by helping City agencies build and improve their M/WBE programs, increasing access to capital for M/WBEs, capping interest rates at 3 percent on City-financed loans, providing resources for additional capacity-building and technical assistance programs, and streamlining the M/WBE certification process.

A series of initiatives specifically to increase the role of M/WBEs in City housing and economic development projects includes the establishment of a $10 million predevelopment loan fund to help emerging firms secure financing to purchase land and get projects underway, and an additional $10 million fund to help those firms secure the bonds they need in order to qualify for City business.

Winning proposals in Brooklyn:

1921 Atlantic Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant will be developed by a team of M/WBE firms, Dabar Development Partners, LLC and Thorobird. The 25,762 square-foot site will be transformed into a mixed-use project with 183 affordable homes for seniors, and low- and moderate-income households. The project will feature a community facility operated by Oko Farms and NHS. A new fresh food grocery store will be created.

1510-1524 Broadway in Bedford-Stuyvesant will be developed by MacQuesten Construction Management. Partnering with the not-for-profit East Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation, the M/WBE will create 59 affordable homes for extremely-low income individuals on the 20,059 square-foot parcel.

461 Alabama Avenue in East New York will be developed by CB Emmanuel Realty. In partnership with the non-for-profit Services for Underserved, the M/WBE firm will transform the 10,000 square-foot lot into a supportive housing development, with 55 homes for formerly homeless and low-income households. The nonprofit will provide onsite supportive services for the homeless. The building will feature a recreation room, a landscaped yard and roof for resident use.

Winning proposals in the Bronx:

1490 Southern Boulevard Crotona Park East will be developed by Type A Real Estate Advisors, LLC, into a 95-unit senior housing development, affordable to senior households with incomes between $25,400 and $38,100. Working with the LGBT Network and the Jewish Association Serving the Aging, the project will offer support services for senior residents and a community space with programing for the LGBT community of all ages.

359 East 157^th Street in Melrose will be developed by Infinite Horizons, LLC. With MBD Community Housing Corp., the M/WBE firm will build 20 affordable homes on the 4,700 square-foot parcel. The homes will be affordable to individuals with incomes between $50,750 and $63,500, and families with incomes between $65,250 and $81,600. The development will feature a green roof and solar panels.

Winning proposal in Manhattan:

263-267 West 126^thStreet in Harlem will be developed by M/WBE firms Lemor Realty Corporation and Apex Building Group. The companies will build a passive-house development with 29 affordable homes on the 8,492 square-foot property. The project will house a restaurant and space for the tech incubator company Silicon Harlem, which offers the Apps Youth Leadership Academy, a seven-week course for high school students focused STEM education and enrichment.

“This is the first group of developers to take advantage of the City’s expanded resources for M/WBEs through our new innovative initiative, and to come out of our training programs with actual contracts for affordable housing projects,” said Jonnel Doris, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to do business with these entrepreneurs. It’s a big day for the City, making clear that an investment in M/WBEs is a benefit to all New Yorkers.”

“This administration is deeply committed to expanding the pool of developers helping us create and preserve affordable housing,” HPD Commissioner Vicki Been said. “The six M/WBE teams selected to develop these City-owned sites reflect the diversity of our great city and its neighborhoods. The winning developments will create 440 affordable apartments, including supportive housing, senior housing, and housing for the homeless in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan. I want to congratulate CB Emmanuel Realty, Dabar Development Partners, MacQuesten Construction Management, Infinite Horizons, LLC, Type A Real Estate, and Lemor Realty and Apex Building Group on their designation and their partnership in developing quality affordable housing that will strengthen our neighborhoods.”

Housing Development Corporation President Eric Enderlin said, “HDC applauds HPD’s selection of M/WBE firms to develop six vacant City-owned sites into dynamic mixed-use affordable housing complexes. HDC is proud to support initiatives that increase opportunities for M/WBEs in the City’s affordable housing efforts. These latest designations will further strengthen the capacity of M/WBEs and diversify the affordable housing industry – key goals of the Mayor’s Housing New York plan.”

“Mayor de Blasio has made a historic commitment to Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises and our Department is proud to support this work. Under the Mayor’s leadership, our Department has helped the City reach a new all-time high of 4,500 M/WBE firms certified to contract with the City and our goal is to double this figure by 2019,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “City contractors should reflect the rich talents and diversity of our people and the firms hired today for these six affordable housing developments reflect the City’s ongoing commitment to this principle.”

MAYOR DE BLASIO, CITY AND STATE OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND BRONX MUSIC HALL

The Bronx Commons Development will introduce 305 affordable apartments and a new 300-seat arts and cultural center and performance space.

High resolution renderings of the Bronx Commons and Bronx Music Hall development courtesy of Danois Architects, WXY Architecture + Urban Design can be found in this link.

    Mayor Bill de Blasio, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Vicki Been, Housing Development Corporation (HDC) President Eric Enderlin, and New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) Commissioner Jamie Ruben join WHEDco, and BFC Partners to announce the start of construction on Bronx Commons – a 426,000 square foot, mixed-used development in the Melrose section of the Bronx that will include 305 affordable apartments, retail space, and the Bronx Music Hall, a new 14,000 square foot, 300-seat music venue and arts-centered community hub focused on the deeply-rooted history of cutting edge Bronx music. The affordable housing project received financing through the City’s Mix and Match program and received a special line of funding from the City’s Our Space program.

“As we build more and more needed affordable housing, there is no finer tribute to New York’s deep artistic history than including a music hall in this Bronx development. The projects will transform long-vacant City land into a vibrant cultural mecca and residential community for the borough and the City. I congratulate the Melrose community, and the future residents of this 100% affordable development,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“As we create and preserve affordable housing at record pace, we aren’t just helping people, we are building better neighborhoods,” said HPD Commissioner Vicki Been.  “Bronx Commons represents exactly the kind of dynamic, mixed-use development that Mayor de Blasio envisioned in Housing New York.  The 305 affordable apartments will serve New Yorkers at a range of incomes, while also providing a cultural hub for the Melrose community with open space, quality retail, and a new music venue on land that had long been abandoned.  I want to thank our colleagues at HDC and HCR and our partners at WHEDco and BFC for the hard work and vision that went into this dynamic project.”

NYS Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner James S. Rubin said: “On behalf of Governor Cuomo and the entire HCR team, congratulations to WHEDco and the community for bringing this last piece of the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal plan to fruition. The transformation of what was a collection of vacant and blighted properties into a vibrant and growing community is a remarkable and enduring achievement. The State’s investment in Bronx Commons – including a $2 million Regional Economic Development Council Grant for the redevelopment of the theater – combined with that of our partners, is helping to complete this neighborhood and seal our shared legacy as pioneers of creative affordable housing development and preservation.”

“It’s not every day that we have the opportunity to create more than 300 units of 100% affordable housing serving New Yorkers at a wide range of incomes, let alone in such a unique development anchored by a state-of-the-art music venue and public recreation space,” said HDC President Eric Enderlin.  “This project combines the affordability, diversity, open space, and access to the arts that contributes to vibrant, dynamic neighborhoods – the goal of Mayor de Blasio’s Housing New York plan.  Thanks to our many valued partners at HPD, HCR, BFC and WHEDco, today we are able to celebrate the start of construction on the Bronx Commons and the Bronx Music Hall - a remarkable affordable housing development and cultural center that the Bronx community can be truly proud of.”

“This long-awaited project will bring new housing and new amenities, including the innovative Bronx Music Hall, to the Melrose neighborhood of The Bronx. My office has always been a strong supporter of building affordable units at all income levels, and I was proud to provide this project $300,000 in funding from my capital budget. I congratulate WHEDco on today’s groundbreaking, and for having the vision to meld our borough’s housing and cultural needs into one amazing project,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Bronx Commons will transform long-abandoned, city-owned land -- the final undeveloped parcel of the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area -- into a vibrant center for living, working, learning, shopping and entertainment, honoring the neighborhood revitalization plan created by local residents more than twenty years ago.   The development’s creative financing structure maximizes affordable housing financing and Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity along with public and private grants to create unique non-residential spaces – in addition to badly-needed affordable housing – that will serve as neighborhood anchors of development and revival.

“Bronx Commons will include hundreds of affordable apartments, a landscaped public plaza, places to eat and shop, all anchored by the Bronx Music Hall – a new music venue, gallery, and arts-based community center focused on the Bronx’s heritage of cutting edge music,” said Nancy Biberman, Founder and President of WHEDco. “For more than two decades, WHEDco has designed, with deep neighborhood engagement, civic anchors that not only create stable, affordable homes for Bronx families, but that serve as hubs for small business development, early childhood education, after school programs, healthcare, nutrition, and most especially music and arts education. While working to develop the Bronx Music Hall, WHEDco launched the Bronx Music Heritage Center as a ‘lab’ in a small storefront in our Intervale Green building, where for over four years we were able to test the concept. Raising $2M in philanthropic support and hosting 400 events for nearly 14,000 attendees clearly demonstrated local appetite and enthusiasm for opportunities to hear, learn, and play music, and to dance.”

Bronx Commons will be one of the most deeply and broadly affordable new developments in the City,   including 305 apartments that span seven income bands.  The units will be affordable to homeless individuals and families exiting the shelter system, individuals and households with annual household income ranging from $22,032 for a household of three to $89,760 for a household of three.

Danois Architects is the design architect for Bronx Commons. WXY Architecture + Urban Design is the architect for the Bronx Music Hall. Local Projects, a renowned interactive-media design firm, are designing the Bronx Music Hall to serve as a top-tier music venue, performance space, and iconic cultural institution for the South Bronx.

Financing for Bronx Commons came from New York City (NYC) Housing Preservation and Development, NYC Housing Development Corporation, New York State (NYS) Housing & Community Renewal, NYS Empire State Development, the NYC Council, the Bronx Borough President, Citibank, Richman Housing Resources, and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, with predevelopment and working capital provided by the Contact Fund, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, and Enterprise Community Development.

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the nation’s largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. Its mission is to promote quality housing and diverse, thriving neighborhoods for New Yorkers through loan and development programs for new affordable housing, preservation of the affordability of the existing housing stock, enforcement of housing quality standards, and educational programs for tenants and building owners. HPD is tasked with fulfilling Mayor de Blasio’s Housing New York: A Five-Borough Ten-Year Plan to create and preserve 200,000 affordable units for New Yorkers at the very lowest incomes to those in the middle class. For more information visitwww.nyc.gov/hpd and for regular updates on HPD news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/nychpd and www.twitter.com/nychousing.

About the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC)

HDC is the nation’s largest municipal Housing Finance Agency and is charged with helping to finance the creation or preservation of affordable housing under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York plan. Since 2003, HDC has financed more than 120,000 housing units using over $13.7 billion in bonds, and provided in excess of $1.6 billion in subsidy from corporate reserves. HDC ranks among the nation’s top issuers of mortgage revenue bonds for affordable multi-family housing on Thomson Reuter’s annual list of multi-family bond issuers. In each of the last four consecutive years, HDC’s annual bond issuance has surpassed $1 billion. For additional information, visit: http://www.nychdc.com  

About WHEDco

The Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corp. (WHEDco) is a community development organization founded on the radically simple idea that all people deserve healthy, vibrant communities.  Working in the South Bronx, WHEDco builds award-winning, sustainable, affordable homes that serve as anchors for strong communities that residents can be proud of. WHEDco’s mission is to provide the Bronx with access to all the resources that create thriving neighborhoods – from high-quality early education and after-school programs, to healthy food, cultural programming, and economic opportunity. For more information: www.whedco.org

About the Bronx Music Hall

The Bronx Music Hall will be a state-of-the art venue where Bronx residents and visitors from around the city and the world can connect to music and dance through high-quality shows and exhibits; explore Bronx music history and understand its lasting legacy and contributions to today’s popular music; and actively participate in music and art making.  At 14,000 square feet, the Bronx Music Hall will feature flexible performance space with seating for 300 people, a permanent, interactive exhibit that connects visitors to the history and influences of Bronx music, rehearsal and classroom spaces, gallery space for temporary or traveling exhibitions, and an outdoor plaza for recreation and open-air performances.

Cutting-edge music has a deeply rooted history in the Bronx. A thriving Latin music scene gave it’s the nickname, El Condado de la Salsa (The Borough of Salsa) and everyone knows that hip hop, now a global phenomenon, was born in its streets.  The Bronx had not one, but two major centers of early R&B (doo wop) music, Morrisania and Belmont, which produced groups suchh as The Chords, the Chantels and Dion & the Belmonts; and a thriving jazz scene along Boston Road, which was home to many jazz legends (and even some future NEA Jazz Masters) including Jimmy Owens, Valerie Capers, Maxine Sullivan, Lou Donaldson, Herbie Hancock and even Thelonius Monk. The Bronx has also been the place where traditional music, as well as popular music, found a home—young Puerto Ricans have been able to return to their island percussive roots at the casitas that dot neighborhoods such as Melrose. Today the sounds of emerging communities who now make the Bronx their home fill the soundscape—the drums of the Garifuna, the plucked kora strings from the Gambia, and bachata from the Dominican Republic--creating new work, collaborating across genres and generations, and innovating music forms in one of the most diverse counties in the nation.