Former Bronx army reserve center will transform into affordable housing

Designed by MHG Architects, the development will have 54 studio units for formerly homeless veterans and 35 for low-income individuals

The former Joseph A. Muller Army Reserve Center at 555 Nereid Avenue will be transformed into an affordable housing development in the Wakefield section of the Bronx, offering 90 affordable residential units. The Doe Fund, a nonprofit serving homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals, will renovate the 51,000-square-foot building.

Designed by MHG Architects, the development will have 54 studio units for formerly homeless veterans and 35 for low-income individuals, with a preference for current area residents. The four-story building will also have a private side yard, a bike room, social services administered by the Doe Fund, and a 123-seat lecture hall theater.

As we reported last week, the Doe Fund is also developing a 15-story building with 355 affordable housing units at 1331 Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, as well as a 10-story building with 68 units at 3188 Villa Avenue.

"Supportive housing is one of the most effective, long-term solutions to the crisis of homelessness," Eric Enderlin, acting commissioner of NYC's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), said in a statement. "By pairing 90 new affordable homes with supportive services, this project will provide greater stability and hope to some of our city's most vulnerable residents, including 54 veterans."

The Doe Fund acquired the former army reserve center in 2013 through the federal government's Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program. The renovation of the center is expected to last two years, the Doe Fund said in a statement.