07/09/2019

CAMBA Gardens Phase II is Award Winning

CAMBA Housing Ventures, Inc. is pleased to announce that CAMBA Gardens Phase II, LEED Gold-rated, has been awarded the 2018 Outstanding Affordable Housing Development award by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as a part of the LEED Homes Awards. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the world’s most widely used green building rating system. The award is an annual honor in celebration of residential projects, developers and builders that use LEED to improve quality of life for residents, reduce a building’s impact on the environment, and create healthier and more resilient communities.

CAMBA Housing Ventures is also honored to be named a 2018 LEED Homes Power Builder for its commitment to LEED and the green building movement.

“LEED is known for setting the highest standards for the sustainability and performance of buildings, and it plays an even more important role when it’s applied to our personal spaces – our homes,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO, USGBC. “We are seeing more and more homeowners and builders make the important decision to pursue LEED, and USGBC is committed to continue building on the success of the residential market.”

“We are honored to receive this award for CAMBA Gardens Phase II from the U.S. Green Building Council for our efforts in building affordable and supportive housing

that provides sustainable and healthy homes for 293 households,” said Joanne M. Oplustil, President and CEO of CAMBA/CAMBA Housing Ventures. “This recognition of our innovative work underscores our commitment to environmental stewardship, resiliency and design excellence.”

The winners of the LEED Homes Awards include multi-family, single-family and affordable housing projects and companies who utilized innovative and effective sustainability methods in residential spaces in 2018.

HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Under Governor Cuomo’s strong leadership, New York is reducing the impact of climate change with progressive environmental initiatives. By funding housing developments that are not only affordable but sustainable and energy efficient, we are furthering our mission to improve the health and quality of life for all New Yorkers. We are proud to be a partner on CAMBA Gardens II. Congratulations to all for this well- deserved award.”

State financing for the development included $18 million in tax-exempt bonds, federal low income housing tax credits that generated $40.3 million in equity, and a Medicaid Redesign Team subsidy loan from New York State Homes and Community Renewal; $6 million through the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance's Homeless Housing and Assistance Program and $300,000 from New York State Energy Research and Development Agency.

“We commend CAMBA Gardens Phase II for winning this prestigious affordable Housing Development award from the U.S. Green Building Council. CAMBA Housing Ventures’ ability to provide critical affordable housing in Brooklyn amid other support systems is why they are one of the leaders on this united front to fulfill a need within the 43AD,” said New York State Assembly Member Diana Richardson.

“Heartfelt congratulations to CAMBA Housing Ventures and the development team for the tremendous work done on the CAMBA Gardens II development,” said New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Louise Carroll. “This project is a wonderful example of thoughtful and efficient design that integrates desperately needed affordable supportive housing. I would like to thank our partners in city and state government for their support in making this development a reality.”

A national model for co-locating housing and healthcare, CAMBA Gardens Phase II (CGII) is a continuation of the successful CAMBA Gardens Phase I, which created an innovative partnership between a public hospital, nonprofit community developer, social service provider and community stakeholders to redevelop underutilized hospital property into much-needed supportive and affordable housing.

“Congratulations to CAMBA House Ventures for this deserving award,” said Mitchell Katz, MD, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals. “We recognize the role CAMBA has played in

ensuring New Yorkers’ homes, like the ones on the NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County Campus, are safe and sustainable, qualities that contribute to a family’s overall health and wellbeing,”

New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Mike Hein said, “We are pleased to see that CAMBA Gardens II is receiving this well-deserved recognition. This project reflects how strong public-private partnerships can lead to smart, environmentally friendly development that also addresses a strong need within a community. Our hope is that others will use this development as inspiration to plan similarly sustainable projects that are aimed at helping vulnerable New Yorkers achieve stability in their lives.”

“I want to commend the leadership of CAMBA Housing Ventures for being recipients of the Outstanding Affordable Project Awards by the U.S. Green Building Council. CAMBA Gardens Phase II is an innovative housing development made possible through a partnership between the private and public sector and non-profit organizations. It is a powerful example of how we can provide quality housing resources for our underserved residents, while also benefiting the environment. When we make an investment in the infrastructure of our neighborhoods, we also must invest in protecting the air we breathe and conserving the energy we use. I believe that CAMBA Gardens Phase II represents the long term value that strong community partnerships bring to the great city of New York,” said Council Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene.

“I want to congratulate CAMBA Gardens II on its recognition by the U.S. Green Building Council. This award shows that sustainability and affordability don’t have to be mutually exclusive – in fact, over the lifespan of a building, installing sustainable features is a sound investment. I have been proud to support initiatives to make our buildings more environmentally friendly, such as programs to install green and blue roofs and encourage passive housing design, among others. I hope other housing developments around the borough take a cue from CAMBA Gardens II,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams.

 CAMBA Housing Ventures has a strong commitment to innovation in sustainability and design, which is evident throughout CAMBA Gardens Phase II, representing $100 million in public and private investment. Designed and built to achieve NYSERDA, Enterprise Green Communities, and LEED Gold standards, the development features Energy Star appliances and lighting to reduce utility costs; healthy indoor air quality; high-efficiency building systems; low/non-toxic finishes; bike parking on site; high efficiency flow showers, sinks, and toilets for water conservation; and day-lit common areas and energy-efficient windows.

Situated on the campus of New York City Health + Hospitals’ Kings County Campus, CAMBA Gardens Phase II provides 293 units (a mix of studios, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms, and three-bedrooms) of permanent, supportive and affordable housing, including 110 units for families and individuals in the community making no more than 60 percent of the area median income and 182 units for formerly homeless families and individuals. CAMBA Housing Ventures provides on-site supportive services and 24/7 security. CAMBA Gardens Phase II is transit oriented and provides healthy indoor air quality, non-toxic finishes, local and culturally relevant art, and green spaces for all ages.

“At every stage of development, CAMBA Gardens Phase II has shown New York how high- quality affordable housing can benefit residents and communities alike,” said Judi Kende, Vice President and New York market leader, Enterprise Community Partners. “CAMBA Gardens Phase II is an exemplary model of green affordable housing and Enterprise is honored to have played a role in its development. This award is much-deserved and we congratulate the entire team at CAMBA Housing Ventures and the many partners who made Phase II possible.”

“CAMBA Gardens II is a great example of the impact public and private collaboration can make to help the most vulnerable in our communities,” said Maurice Coleman, Senior Vice President of Community Development Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. “The bank participated in $25 million letter of credit, but, more importantly, worked closely with state and local agencies and Enterprise Community Investment, to create safe, affordable housing and services for the formerly homeless with special needs here in New York.”

“The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York congratulates CAMBA Housing Ventures on its LEED Homes Award,” said José R. González, President and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York. “It was our honor to help support CAMBA Gardens II with Affordable Housing Program grant funding, and we are excited that CAMBA Housing Ventures has been recognized for its innovative ability to bring much-needed housing opportunities to Brooklyn.”

Deborah De Santis, President and CEO of Corporation for Supportive Housing said, “CAMBA Gardens II continues to shine as an example of high-quality supportive housing. CSH considers CAMBA Housing Ventures’ developments some of our best investments and their commitment to building sustainable and green homes that contribute to healthy communities where residents thrive is just one of the many reasons why we enthusiastically embrace them.”

“CAMBA Gardens II is an example of how beautiful, thoughtful and green design can help address the health and wellbeing of formerly homeless tenants by providing safe and inviting space for them to rebuild their lives,” said Laura Mascuch, Executive Director of the Supportive Housing Network of New York. “Congratulations to CAMBA Housing Ventures on another beautiful project and on being honored with such a prestigious award.”

CAMBA Gardens Phase II was financed by leveraging $100 million in public and private investment New York State Homes and Community Renewal, New York State Medicaid Redesign Team, TD Bank, Enterprise Community Investment, Bank of America, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, New York State Homeless Housing and Assistance Program, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York and member bank HSBC; Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and New York City Councilmember Dr. Mathieu Eugene; New York State Energy and Research Development Agency, Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) and Enterprise Community Partners. Additional support provided by: Ameriprise Financial, Capital One, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase and HSBC.

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