South Bronx residents offered a fresh start.

What began in 1992 from the accidental discovery of an urban renewal plan to displace more than 6,000 residents of a blighted South Bronx neighborhood, has inspired an international model of community empowerment.

As of November 20th, that community's dream of self-determination started to become bricks and mortar, as Plaza de Los Angeles broke ground.

The first of several new residential developments to be built in the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area of The Bronx, Plaza de Los Angeles, with help from Larson Shein Ginsberg + Magnusson Architects (LSGM), begins a process that will ultimately see more than 2,000 new housing units being built in the area. Including new commercial, community and health-care centers, the revitalization plan represents more than $500 million in anticipated public and private investment.

Located on Elton Avenue between East 156th and 159th streets, Plaza de Los Angeles will consist initially of 26 high-quality, three-family homes. Nine more homes are slated for construction at Plaza de Los Angeles by the end of the year 2000, for a total of 35 new homes, or 105 individual units, with residents assuming occupancy as units become available. Its sister site - the mid-rise La Puerta de Vitalidad - is expected to break ground by March 1999.

The driving force behind this breakthrough process is the community group We Stay/Nos Quedamos Committee, led by its charismatic executive director, Yolanda Garcia, who has moved tirelessly to recreate the community in away that joins community interests with good urban planning. Nos Quedamos is comprised of tenants, homeowners, property owners, institutions, and business persons who are resolved to remain a part of the Melrose community and become equal partners with the City of New York in their community's redevelopment.

Formula for Success

Since being recruited in 1989 by the Bronx Borough President's Office for the "New Directions in the Bronx" project, LSGM Architects design partner Magnus Magnusson, AIA has worked consistently on a pro-bono basis to realize the goals of the community. In 1992 Petr Stand, a principal at LSGM Architects, was asked to chair the housing and urban design working group of the Bronx Center project, a plan for the redevelopment of the downtown Bronx.

As an outgrowth of the Bronx Center plan, Nos Quedamos asked Magnusson and Stand to provide design and technical services for the collaboration on the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Plan. "Architecture isn't just about forms and materials, light and shadow," said Stand. "We worked with the neighborhood's cultural and historical identity to create a distinct, self-sustaining community that connects to the larger city."

According to Garcia, previous attempts to revitalize the Melrose community met with failure because community residents were not consulted in the planning process. Nos Quedamos fought fiercely for community representation and won, becoming part of the collaborative team with the City and Borough agencies and elected officials that finalized the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Plan.

"This kind of collaboration is the way to rebuild not only this community but every community," said Garcia. 'We want to achieve sustainable development. That will be our legacy to our children. And Plaza de Los Angeles is just the beginning."

The People Behind Melrose Commons

Since its inception in the 1980's, the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Plan has undergone several transformations. In 1994, it successfully passed through the City's public review process. With planning, urban design and architectural services provided by LSGM Architects, Nos Quedamos continues its collaborative work with the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Bronx Borough President's Office and Community Boards 1 and 3. Recently, with the assistance of Congressman Jose Serrano, Melrose Commons received a $750,000 federal ISTEA award.

The team responsible for Plaza de Los Angeles includes: Community sponsor, Nos Quedamos; Sponsoring agencies, NYC Housing Partnership with the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development; Developer, Elton Associates; Builder, Procida Realty & Construction Corporation; Architect/planner, Larsen Shein Ginsberg + Magnusson Architects; Structural engineer, Albert P. Kung Consulting Engineers; Mechanical engineer, Athwal and Associates Engineers; Civil engineer, Bohler Engineering; Financing, Chase Community Development Corporation