The Lee
In September 2007, Common Ground celebrated the groundbreaking on The Lee, New York City’s first LEED Silver supportive housing. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a designation accorded by the U.S. Green Building Council.) The Lee was a winner of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection’s 2005 Green Building Design Competition.
Located on Pitt and Houston Streets on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, The Lee is named for Lee Larson, president of the Larson Family Foundation. At the groundbreaking, Ms. Larson’s husband, Peter Larson, spoke of the aptness of the nautical meaning of “Lee”: a place where vessels can take shelter from the wind and stormy seas, gain strength, and then sail back into the world.
The new state-of-the-art facility will be home to 263 residents, including adults with special needs and low-income working adults; 54 units will be reserved for young adults aging out of foster care and at risk of homelessness.
The residence will incorporate environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient design, construction, operation, and maintenance practices. Key green design features include a high performance condensing boiler; drought-resistant landscaping; individual temperature control; water-saving fixtures; high efficiency lighting; and a green roof. The Lee is being designed by Kiss + Cathcart Architects, chosen for their leadership in environmentally sustainable design. We also are working with the Community Environmental Center on certain technical aspects of the planning.
