Final phase of affordable La Central complex breaks ground in the South Bronx phase of La Central complex breaks ground in the South Bronx

Work began last week on the second, and final, phase of La Central, a five-building affordable housing development in the South Bronx. The $343 million second phase includes two mixed-use buildings with 420 affordable apartments, with more than 60 units set aside for formerly homeless New Yorkers. The development, near Third Avenue and 149th Street in Melrose, a shopping district known as the Hub, has been in the works for years, with a request for proposals for the city-owned vacant lot issued in 2013 and a plan approved by the City Council three years later. Upon its completion in 2028, La Central will include nearly 1,000 affordable homes, retail, community space, and public green space.

The new buildings, “C” and “E,” will offer affordable units for households earning 30 and 80 percent of the area median income. The breakdown is 114 for extremely low-income households, 106 units for very low-income households, and 198 units for low-income households.

Building E will include a rooftop telescope remotely controlled by Bronx High School of Science. The central courtyard surrounding all of the buildings will also be completed in this phase.

Together, the second phase will add 13,000 square feet of community facility space, 1,500 square feet of retail, and 7,000 square feet of new public gardens.

“Making New York City the best place to raise a family means building more affordable homes, and for the past three-and-a-half years, that’s exactly what we have done. We already passed our Bronx Metro North Plan to bring thousands of new homes and jobs to the borough, and with this groundbreaking, we are taking another major step forward in delivering for the Bronx, once again,” Mayor Eric Adams said.

“While this groundbreaking marks the final phase of La Central, it does not mark the end of our administration’s commitment to creating more homes in the Bronx and across New York City. We will continue that work every single day, in every borough.”

The project was jointly developed by the city, Hudson Companies, BRP Companies, ELH-TKC, Breaking Ground, J.P. Morgan, and Comunilife.

“As we embark on bringing Phase II to fruition and move towards final completion of the La Central project, over 1,000 vitally needed affordable residences will have been created for the South Bronx as we strive to help fill the void in housing offerings across the city,” Andy Cohen, managing director, BRP Companies, said.

“This project further underscores our long-standing commitment to ensuring that equitable, sustainable, and community-focused housing opportunities are delivered and provide a lasting impact to residents and the surrounding neighborhood.”

Designed by MHG Architects and FXCollaborative, with the roof garden and courtyard space designed by Future Green Studio, La Central measures a total of 1.1 million square feet.

The first two mixed-use towers at La Central opened in 2021. Buildings “A” and “B” included 500 units of housing, a new YMCA, studio space for BronxNet, and a rooftop farm. A 160-unit supportive housing and low-income project, Building “D,” opened in 2019. The final phase will wrap up in 2028.

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