Located between New York City’s wholesale food markets and a residential neighborhood, The Peninsula replaces a former juvenile detention center with a vibrant, live-work campus. The project establishes a new neighborhood development model by embedding quality manufacturing alongside entrepreneurial arts spaces, health, wellness, childcare, and open space into a 100% affordable housing development, providing 740 new homes and 175 permanent jobs.

Few comparable precedents integrate new affordable housing and low-cost workspaces on a unified campus. Transforming the former prison site into an open, public-facing hub required overcoming significant barriers to access and connectivity. High gates and fences had long isolated the site, cutting off neighbors from work and transit.

Each phase of development features unique architecture that fits together to create a connected urban district with step streets and public gardens shaded by new and restored trees. Public seating, visible access, and well-lit areas link the streets, sidewalks, and public spaces with local businesses and cultural organizations. Phase 1 includes two streetscapes, two buildings, and a landscaped plaza. Building 1B, an affordable apartment complex, sits above Inspiration Point, a black box theater. Its design uses two brick textures to evoke a sense of layered construction. Building 1A, an industrial structure, supports local businesses with sustainably designed spaces and a shared biodigester for organic waste. Each element of the design integrates energy-efficient systems, planted terraces, and photovoltaic panels to reduce environmental impact. A central landscaped plaza connects the development, while step-streets and public gardens weave through the architecture, creating seamless movement and gathering spaces. 

The success of The Peninsula project stemmed from deep collaboration with community leaders, local advocacy groups, and public agencies. Over decades, groups like Bronx Community Board 2, THE POINT, and BronxWorks spearheaded efforts to rebuild Hunts Point, advocating for job creation, housing, and the arts.  By weaving this entrepreneurial vision into the design, the project reimagined the possibilities of public development and created a new model deeply rooted in the community’s wants and needs. 

The Peninsula’s transformation of the former Spofford Youth Detention Facility into a dynamic mixed-use campus brings 740 permanently affordable housing units, addressing the Bronx’s housing crisis. The development creates new economic opportunities while enhancing the quality of life for residents with 52,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space and 50,000 square feet of light industrial space.