Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
These seven mixed-use developments show practical ways to combine affordable homes with retail, services, culture, education, transit, and energy-conscious design without treating affordability as an afterthought. The examples are not proof that every mixed-use scheme can control costs, and several figures remain proposals reported in February 2023. They are useful case studies because they use different affordability models—from permanently affordable and supportive housing to mixed-income buildings and veteran-targeted homes.
The roundup below draws primarily on Building Design + Construction’s 2023 project collection, supplemented by current public records for Bronx Point and 425 Grand Concourse. Read proposed unit counts, leasing information, and energy projections as dated claims unless a later source confirms completion or certification.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchAt a glance
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bronx Point | Large-scale permanently affordable housing with culture and public space | NYCEDC currently lists 540 permanently affordable homes; BD+C reported 542 planned homes | November 2026 |
| 2. 425 Grand Concourse | Affordable housing combined with health, grocery, and student services | 277 homes; PHIUS+ 2015 certification; up to 70% energy-use reduction recorded by NYC | November 2026 |
| 3. 43 Green | Transit-oriented mixed-income housing in Chicago | Phase I: 99 homes and 5,500 sq. ft. retail; half planned at or below 60% AMI | November 2026 |
| 4. 87th & Western | Supportive housing with neighborhood-serving retail | Proposed 160 homes, including 50 supportive-housing units and about 6,800 sq. ft. retail | November 2026 |
| 5. The Rollins | Veteran housing linked to a regional transit district | 80 affordable homes for residents with Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers | November 2026 |
| 6. Fifth & Dinwiddie West | Mixed-income housing using a high-performance energy strategy | Proposed 20% affordable units; project team anticipated 70% less energy use | November 2026 |
| 7. 508 Pershing at Oakwood Shores | Budget-constrained mixed-income development with small-format retail | 53 homes, including 36 LIHTC units, plus 3,500 sq. ft. street-level retail | November 2026 |
Order is an editorial guide to the range of strategies, not a ranking of affordability outcomes. The sources do not provide comparable development costs, operating costs, household bills, or long-term affordability terms.
1. What makes Bronx Point a large-scale affordability and community-services model?
Bronx Point combines a substantial permanently affordable housing component with cultural, educational, supportive-service, retail, and open-space uses on the Harlem River waterfront. It is the clearest example in this group of mixed-use planning being used to create a neighborhood-scale public destination rather than simply placing shops below apartments.
Popular on Amazon
- Ergonomically Designed: Work in tight areas with a compact design that gets into tough spots
- Both tools are designed to fit into difficult to reach spaces
- Complete a wide range of applications with a high-performance motor that delivers up to 300 UWO, and an impact driver delivering up to 1,400 in-lbs of torque
- Both the DEWALT impact driver and drill driver feature integrated LED work lights with a convenient 20-second delay, ensuring enhanced visibility in dimly lit or challenging work areas
- One-Handed Loading - Keep one hand free with a 1/4 in. hex chuck that accepts 1 in. bit tips
- Housing: BD+C’s 2023 profile described 542 permanently affordable homes. The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) currently describes 540 permanently affordable homes and marks the project as ongoing. A 2024 Bronx Borough President report lists 542 units, so the count should be tied to the source and date rather than silently combined.
- Community uses: The development includes community facilities, retail, public open space, and pedestrian-safety improvements.
- Services and culture: BronxWorks is identified as providing supportive-housing services; the profile also describes early-childhood education, outdoor education programming, and the planned Universal Hip Hop Museum.
- Why it matters: Permanently affordable homes are paired with services and civic destinations that can serve residents and the wider South Bronx. The public record does not, however, establish final delivery of every use or the project’s operating-cost performance.
2. How does 425 Grand Concourse integrate affordable homes with essential services?
425 Grand Concourse puts 277 affordable homes in a mixed-use, mixed-income building that also accommodates health care, a supermarket, community support space, and a CUNY Hostos student-services center. It is the strongest example here of locating everyday needs in the same development as housing.
- Program: BD+C and NYSERDA’s case study describe a 277-unit affordable project within a roughly 300,000-square-foot mixed-use development.
- Energy standard: The building was designed to the PHIUS+ 2015 standard. NYC’s Mayor’s Office of Environmental Coordination records PHIUS+ 2015 certification and an energy-use reduction of up to 70%.
- How to read the number: “Up to 70%” is a project certification outcome or comparison recorded by the city, not a promise that every household’s utility bill will fall by 70%. Actual bills depend on rates, behavior, apartment size, and utility-metering arrangements.
- Status: The city record lists the project as complete, providing firmer evidence than the original 2023 article’s expected-performance language.
3. Why is 43 Green a useful transit-oriented mixed-income example?
43 Green centers housing on Chicago’s CTA 43rd Street Green Line station in Bronzeville, pairing transit access with retail and resident amenities. Its structure illustrates how a project can reserve a substantial share of homes for lower-income households while retaining market-rate homes in the same development.
- Phasing: BD+C described approximately 300 apartments across three phases. Phase I was planned as a 10-story building with 99 homes and 5,500 square feet of retail.
- Affordability: Half of Phase I’s apartments were planned for households earning up to 60% of area median income (AMI); the balance was market rate. The article does not provide affordability terms for every phase.
- Resident facilities: The reported program includes a community kitchen, rooftop terraces, a business center, a green roof, and storage.
- Transit value: Being next to the Green Line can reduce the need for car trips, but the available data supplies no household transportation-cost study. Transit proximity should therefore be treated as a design and location benefit, not a measured savings claim.
- Status caveat: These phase counts and schedules are the February 2023 report’s project details, not a current construction or leasing verification.
4. What affordability strategy did 87th & Western propose?
87th & Western was proposed as a 160-home affordable mixed-use project in Los Angeles’s Westmont neighborhood, with deeply targeted units, supportive housing, and community-serving space. Its value proposition depends as much on services and safer connections as on the apartment count.
Also popular on Amazon
- Valued Carpenter Pencil Set: You will get 2 pcs solid carpenter pencils with 26 piece 2.8 mm refills, 1 replaceable sharpener, 1 plastic storage box.The complete carpenter pencils combination allows you to finish your work faster and more easily
- Deep Hole Marker Pencil: The deep-hole construction pencils adopts 45mm elongated tip design, which is more convenient to mark in the small hole or in other tight areas that other carpenter markers cannot reach
- Carpenter Pencils with Sharpener: The sharpener is screwed into the top of the work pencil, which won't get lost either. Built-in pencil sharpener that keep the lead with pointed and smooth to Improves line of sight in fine work
- Stronger Solid Lead: This work pencil is matched with a 2.8 mm thick lead , which is much thicker and stronger during the drawing process of construction work, it will not break or damage easily
- Marks on Various Surfaces: 3 colors solid construction pencil can marks on various surfaces,such as metal, plastic, wood, paper etc. Ideals for woodworkers, contractors, craftsmen, builders, merchants and masons
- Income targeting: Most units were planned for households at 30% to 60% AMI, a range that reaches lower incomes than a typical workforce-housing program.
- Supportive housing: Fifty homes were planned as supportive housing with onsite services. The profile does not specify the service provider, operating funding, or length of subsidy.
- Shared and public uses: The proposal included about 6,800 square feet of ground-floor community-serving retail, community rooms, a courtyard, and a green alley.
- Access improvements: The article described city commitments related to electric vehicles and safer walking and cycling connections.
- Do not overstate delivery: Because the source calls it proposed, the 160-home count, retail area, and mobility commitments should not be presented as completed facts.
5. How does The Rollins serve veterans within a transit-oriented district?
The Rollins is an 80-home building dedicated to veterans using Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers. It sits within the larger Gateway at Millbrae Station transit-oriented development, where regional transit, offices, hospitality, retail, and restaurants are nearby.
- Target population: All 80 affordable homes were described as serving veterans with VASH vouchers, making this a population-specific affordability model rather than a general AMI set-aside.
- Building form: BD+C described a five-story building with shared and supportive spaces.
- District approach: The surrounding Gateway development supplies the broader mix of uses and transit connections; not every amenity is inside The Rollins itself.
- Status: The article’s leasing description was a 2023 snapshot. It should not be used as a current occupancy or availability statement without a newer source.
6. Can Passive House design support affordability at Fifth & Dinwiddie West?
Fifth & Dinwiddie West proposed using Passive House design near a Pittsburgh Bus Rapid Transit stop, with the project team anticipating substantially lower energy use and dedicating one-fifth of homes to affordable households. The concept links capital design choices to residents’ potential operating costs, but the reported energy figure is a projection.
- Scale and setting: BD+C described a proposed 190,000-square-foot mixed-use, mixed-income development near a BRT stop.
- Affordability mix: Twenty percent of units were planned as affordable across three AMI tiers: 2.5% at or below 20% AMI, 7.5% at or below 50% AMI, and 10% at or below 60% AMI.
- Energy design: The design had PHIUS pre-certification, and the team anticipated 70% less energy use from the Passive House approach.
- Evidence limit: “Anticipated” describes a project-team expectation in the 2023 article, not measured post-occupancy performance. Pre-certification is also different from final certification.
- Affordability question to ask: A developer evaluating this model should confirm whether projected savings are modeled against a defined baseline, how ventilation and heating loads are calculated, and who captures any utility savings.
7. What does 508 Pershing show about budget-conscious mixed-use construction?
508 Pershing at Oakwood Shores is a smaller Chicago example that combines 53 homes with street-level retail while using reported material and system substitutions to stay within a strict budget. It shows that affordability can depend on detailed value engineering, not only on subsidy levels or building size.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Also popular on Amazon
- 【Great Compatibility】This Katerk 1/4 inch hex shank bit holder is specifically designed for 1/4 inch hex shank drill bits. It's compatible with most 1/4 fast hex handles, hex sockets, various electric screwdrivers, and handheld screwdrivers. The bit holder makes it a valuable addition for any handyman.
- 【Secure and Safe】Built with a secure backup nut design, each drill bit holder securely locks onto your bits, ensuring they stay firmly in place. Additionally, our bit holder incorporates a high-quality steel ball rolling design that holds up to several kilograms of weight, ensuring your various drill bits don't fall off.
- 【Easy One-Handed Operation】The bit holder for impact driver allows you to change bits single-handedly, simplifying your workflow. Its multi-color design further allows for quick identification of the drill bit you need.
- 【Compact and Convenient】Thanks to its compact size, this 1/4 inch bit holder is easy to carry around. The bit holder allows for easy attachment to various tools, making this a convenient addition to your construction accessories. The Katerk bit holder is cast from high-quality alloy material, promising a long product lifespan. Despite its rugged strength, the bit holder remains lightweight, making it portable.
- 【Cool Christmas Gift For Men Stocking Stuffers】 This screwdriver bit holder, driver bit holder, impact bit holder, can be given as a gift to your loved one, especially for anyone involved in construction or electrical work. It's a must-have for stocking stuffers for men and women, tools gifts for dad, tech gadgets for men, gifts for dad, gifts for him, gifts for husband, gifts for boyfriend, cool gadgets for men, and cool gifts for dad.
- Program: BD+C described a 55,000-square-foot mixed-use, mixed-income building with 50 one-bedroom homes, three two-bedroom homes, amenity space, management offices, and 3,500 square feet of retail.
- Affordability: Thirty-six of the 53 homes were Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units for households earning up to 80% of area median household income; 17 were market rate.
- Reported cost tactics: The project team said it found savings through alternative facade materials, framing, finishes, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
- What is missing: The profile provides no audited cost breakdown or causal comparison proving that one substitution produced a particular saving. The tactics are a case-study lead for design review, not a universal recipe.
What affordability models appear across the seven projects?
The projects are not interchangeable. “Affordable” covers several legal and operating structures, and the roundup does not provide comparable affordability duration or household-cost data for all seven.
| Model | Examples | Reader’s due-diligence question |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent affordability | Bronx Point | What legal instrument preserves affordability, and which homes are included? |
| AMI-restricted mixed-income housing | 43 Green; Fifth & Dinwiddie West; 508 Pershing | What income tiers, rents, utility allowances, and renewal rules apply? |
| Supportive housing | 87th & Western; Bronx Point services | Who funds services, and is operating support secured for the full term? |
| Population-specific voucher housing | The Rollins | How do VASH vouchers, property management, and resident services coordinate? |
| Mixed-use affordable project with civic services | 425 Grand Concourse | Are the medical, grocery, and student-service uses open to residents and neighbors under defined leases? |
What does “mixed-use” mean in these case studies?
Here, mixed-use is not one building formula. It includes several combinations:
- Retail below apartments: 43 Green, 87th & Western, and 508 Pershing include specified ground-floor retail areas.
- Health, education, and social services: 425 Grand Concourse adds a medical facility, supermarket, community support space, and student services; Bronx Point includes early-childhood and outdoor education programming.
- Cultural space: Bronx Point’s planned Universal Hip Hop Museum gives the project a regional cultural role.
- Open space and safer streets: Bronx Point, 87th & Western, and the Chicago and Los Angeles examples connect housing to courtyards, waterfront or alley space, and pedestrian improvements.
- District-scale transit integration: 43 Green, The Rollins, and Fifth & Dinwiddie West rely on rail or BRT access as part of the overall development strategy.
Each added use has a cost, management, and leasing implication. The source material does not prove that mixed-use square footage itself lowers costs; it shows how teams chose to allocate space and pair it with affordability commitments.
Also popular on Amazon
- Toolwiz 17-inch magnetic sweeper maintaining a load capacity of up to 8.8 pounds provides a perfect solution to the problem of clearing small ferrous metal objects, such as nails, tacks, bolts, and metal shavings from workshops or garage floors.
- Convenient and portable：17” is good for home, small workshop, or small yard as it is space-saving and more reachable for narrow areas. Perfect for collecting nails or small parts in the car, under the table, and in other nooks or crannies.
- Upgraded Handle Design: The handle features a sturdy, non-telescopic design to completely prevent slipping during use. By simply adding or removing the extension poles, the height can be adjusted to 3 different lengths: 18.9" (48 cm), 32.5" (82.5 cm), and 42.5" (108 cm) from ground to top. This customizable height helps prevent back bending and muscle strain, making your cleaning tasks effortless
- Flexible wheels: Upgrade wheel screws to avoid being too tight to spin or too loose. More comfortable 3-inch rubber wheels roll smoothly on carpet, grass, concrete, and hardwood floors. Just push and pull this rolling magnet-sweeper to pick up metal nails easily.
- Lightweight materials: The magnetic nail sweeper's compact and lightweight design makes the sweeping can be done anywhere you want, Push or pull it under the furniture, passing through the workshop floor, driveway, mud, grass, and gravel.
How should a developer evaluate a similar project?
- Define the affordability promise. Specify AMI bands, unit count, subsidy or voucher source, rent and utility assumptions, and the legal term of affordability before fixing the mixed-use program.
- Separate building and district uses. Identify what is inside the housing building, what is in an adjacent phase, and what depends on a wider transit-oriented district.
- Model operating costs, not only construction cost. For high-performance designs, publish the baseline, modeled energy use, ventilation assumptions, and who receives savings. Do not convert a projected percentage into a guaranteed resident bill reduction.
- Plan service funding. Supportive housing, education, cultural programming, and community rooms need operators, leases, staffing, and long-term budgets.
- Test ground-floor economics. Retail frontage, loading, kitchens, medical fit-outs, and public-space requirements can change the residential budget. Confirm tenant demand and tenant-improvement responsibilities.
- Use value engineering carefully. As 508 Pershing illustrates, substitutions can involve facade, framing, finishes, and MEP systems. Review durability, maintenance, code compliance, and embodied impacts before accepting an initial saving.
- Verify status and certification. Distinguish proposed, pre-certified, certified, complete, leased, and occupied. Recheck unit counts when public agencies publish later figures, as Bronx Point demonstrates.
What are the limits of this seven-project comparison?
The projects were selected from more than 20 affordable multifamily entries collected for BD+C’s broader 2023 roundup, but they are not a controlled study. They vary by city, subsidy program, building scale, target population, transit context, and delivery stage. The available data contains no comparable all-in development costs, operating budgets, measured post-occupancy energy data, household transportation costs, or consistent long-term affordability terms.
Accordingly, the most defensible conclusion is strategic rather than numerical: affordability can be protected when it is specified early and coordinated with services, transit, public space, energy design, and disciplined cost decisions. Whether a particular project succeeds depends on its financing, approvals, operators, construction quality, and enforceable affordability documents.
How were these seven examples selected?
The list uses the seven mixed-use submissions identified in BD+C’s February 23, 2023 roundup. The comparison emphasizes the affordability model, the additional uses sharing the site or building, transit and neighborhood connections, delivery stage, and the difference between projected energy performance and documented certification. It does not rank projects by cost, utility bills, or resident outcomes because the sources do not provide comparable evidence.
Also popular on Amazon
- APPLY TO MOST DRILLS : 6 pieces screw extractors work with any drill and all the screw size or bolt (3-12mm), These extractor tools are used to reverse the damaged screw counterclockwise until it is released
- The DIY Tools for Men-Men won't know they need screw extractor set until they have one! This screw extractor set is GIFTS WRAP AVAILABLE, can be gifted to your loved ones as it reflects a fresh trend with fun and practical. Amazing and Unique tool gifts for men women. The must have stocking stuffers for men, gifts for dad, husband, father, him, guy teens, adult, Boyfriend, son on Birthdays, Christmas, Fathers Day or anniversary. Perfect Holiday Gifts Guide
- HIGH QUALITY - This damaged screw remover tool kit is made from High-Speed Steel H.S.S 4341# , which have high hardness of 63hrc, it's durable and easily to remove any damaged screws.
- EASY TO USE: Just two simple steps to get the job done - drill a hole with a cutting size using the right size screw extractor and easily remove the screw or bolt using the removal tool Hardness 63-65HRC: Titanium hardened steel material, more durable than most screw extractors on the market, better hardness and durability than others, buy with confidence and complete peace of mind
- Cool Gadgets for Men Dad Christmas Birthday Gifts for Men and Women - Men won't know they need screw extractor sets until they have one! Every screw has the potential to rust and break, which can create a situation where it cannot be removed. Owning it, there will be no anxiety about rusty screws. This screw extractor set is GIFTS WRAP AVAILABLE, can be gifted to your loved ones as it reflects a fresh trend with fun and practical. Amazing and unique tool gifts for men women. A must have stocking stuffer for men on birthdays, Christmas, Father's Day or anniversaries, a gifts for dads, husbands, fathers, him, adults, boyfriends, sons. The best and most practical and surprising Christmas gifts
Frequently Asked Questions
What does AMI mean in affordable housing?
AMI is area median income, usually published for a specific metropolitan area and household size. A unit restricted to 30% AMI serves a substantially lower-income household than one restricted to 80% AMI, but the actual rent also depends on program rules, utility allowances, and bedroom count.
Is PHIUS certification the same as a 70% lower energy bill?
No. PHIUS certification concerns a building’s modeled or verified performance against a standard, while a household bill depends on rates, weather, behavior, appliances, and metering. The 425 Grand Concourse record reports up to 70% energy-use reduction; it does not guarantee that percentage for every resident’s bill.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Why do Bronx Point sources list different affordable-home counts?
BD+C’s 2023 profile reported 542 planned permanently affordable homes, while NYCEDC’s current project page lists 540 and marks Bronx Point ongoing. A 2024 borough report also lists 542, so the responsible approach is to attribute each figure to its publication and date.
What should a mixed-use housing pro forma include besides apartment construction?
It should separately model commercial or community fit-outs, tenant improvements, loading and public-realm work, service staffing, reserves, insurance, maintenance, and the timing of nonresidential leases. It should also show which costs are paid by housing financing, another public source, or the eventual commercial operator.
