The Peninsula LLC, Gilbane Development, The Hudson Companies, and Mutual Housing Association of New York (MHANY), are honored for the Peninsula, a mixed-use development bringing 740 units of affordable housing to the Hunts Point neighborhood at the former site of the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center.

The Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, The Peninsula is the redevelopment of the former site of the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, a facility notorious for its harsh treatment of youth and substandard living conditions throughout 50 years of operation. After community organizing efforts finally led to its closure in 2011, the shuttered center stood as a daily reminder to local residents, of harms inflicted upon their community and detainees, the majority of whom were young males of color, and of the negative stigma associated with South Bronx neighborhoods faced with the impacts of disinvestment and decades of municipal neglect.

In 2016, the site of the former center was awarded for redevelopment to Gilbane, Hudson, and MHANY, along with their community partners The Point CDC and Urban Health Plan, through an RFEI competition hosted by the NYC Economic Development Corporation and NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The project team’s winning submission reflected the priorities and needs of the Hunts Point community, as had been expressed by local residents and stakeholders through extensive community engagement.

Along with affordable housing for a diverse range of New Yorkers, The Peninsula includes a mix of uses that will drive local business growth and job creation, support critical neighborhood service providers, and help anchor Hunts Point as New York City’s primary hub for food manufacturing. Many anticipated retail, commercial, and industrial tenants are Bronx-based organizations operating in and around Hunts Point, including Il Forno Bakery, Bascom Catering, Hunts Point Brewing Company, and Lightbox New York film studio. The expansive campus will preserve and expand an on-site Head Start facility, including a dedicated new playground, and provide space for higher education, co-working, and small business incubation. Lead community sponsor Urban Health Plan will operate a new, 18,000 sf health and wellness center out of the new space, connecting residents with quality primary and specialty health care services and employing emerging health-tech professionals.

The Peninsula team broke ground on the project in Fall of 2019. With construction now underway, The Peninsula is slated for development in three phases and expected for completion in 2024.

Thank you to our luncheon sponsors: