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Affordable housing building in the Bronx mostly powered by solar panels

A mixed-use, 176-unit affordable housing building that is powered by green energy opened in the Bronx last week.

The 15-story building at 655 Morris Ave. in Mott Haven is mostly set aside for tenants who make about 60% of the area medium income, about $54,360 annually a for family of 4, and there are 35 apartments that will be set aside for formerly homeless New Yorkers, according to the developer Omni New York.

Sixteen formerly homeless veterans have moved into those units already and they, along with the other formerly homeless tenants yet to be chosen, will have access to social services, Omni New York said.

The building also boasts other features such as 9,500 square feet of ground-floor retail and 8,500 square feet of community facility space.

The most innovative component is its LEED Silver-certified energy systems.

Most of the building is powered by rooftop solar panels while a microturbine cogeneration unit will power the common areas and retail space.