Bergen Saratoga Apartments

Located in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, Bergen Saratoga Apartments is a five-story, 73,000-square-foot building comprised of 80 affordable housing units for low-income working families at 50 percent and 60 percent of area median income, along with units set aside for formerly homeless individuals under the New York III initiative. Space for dedicated supportive services is found on the first floor. Amenities include a community room with a kitchen, a library/computer room, a tenant garden, and a children’s play area.

The building also features a 24/7 front desk and there is off-street parking for 15 cars, along with indoor bicycle parking. This project is a true public-private partnership, with land contributed by the City of New York coupled with subsidies provided by the State of New York and private bank financing.

The building was constructed using insulated concrete forms (ICFs), which provide a continuously insulated cast-in-place concrete structure that significantly enhances thermal efficiency and performance when compared to traditional concrete masonry units (CMUs) or cast-in-place structures. Other green features include micro co-generation, Energy Star appliances, and energy-efficient LED lighting fixtures.