Peloton to Boost Fitness Space at South Bronx Housing Development

The South Bronx nonprofit Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco) is partnering with Peloton and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) NYC to activate the 2,450 sq. ft. fitness space in WHEDco’s Bronx Commons housing development with Peloton equipment and programming. The equipment will be installed later this year, as will resident and community health and wellness programming.

Through synergies with the housing, health, education, cultural and small business retail components of Bronx Commons, this three-way partnership will directly benefit residents of Bronx Commons and local community members, artists, entrepreneurs, and public and nonprofit partners. The partnership is part of Peloton’s four-year, $100M investment in both the fight against racial injustice and inequity, and the promotion of health and well-being for all, which the company announced last year.

“We applaud Peloton for its commitment to racial equity and to helping connect communities of color – here in the Bronx and across the globe – to life-changing health and wellness opportunities,” said Davon Russell, President of WHEDco.

In a statement on its blog, Peloton said:

“In New York City, we are working with LISC, a nonprofit dedicated to closing racial health, wealth and opportunity gaps, and their partner The Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco), a Black-led affordable housing developer and community development organization. WHEDco will activate a new fitness space in their Bronx Commons housing development with Peloton equipment and programming. Together, we will establish a dynamic center for health and wellness, encouraging active living throughout the Bronx.”

Bronx Commons is located in the South Bronx’s Melrose Commons neighborhood, in the nation’s poorest urban congressional district and an area with some of the highest rates of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and asthma in New York State. WHEDco works to address these disparities in all of its housing developments and programs. Bronx Commons features not only the fitness center, but also bike parking, a green roof, a rooftop garden, and the largest solar panel array on any multifamily building in the Bronx.

Developed by WHEDco and BFC Partners, Bronx Commons opened in February 2020. The 12-story building is 100 percent affordable with 305 studio, one-, two-, and three- bedroom apartments serving formerly homeless families and individuals, including victims and survivors of domestic violence, as well as low- and moderate-income households earning between 30 percent and 110 percent of area median income.

In December 2020, Bronx Commons was selected from among 55 submissions as the winner of the New York Housing Conference’s 2020 Community Impact Competition, which recognizes affordable housing developments that epitomize high standards in design, health, environmental sustainability, and affordability, and that have positively impacted their communities during COVID-19.

While all of Bronx Commons’ apartments are now leased, the final stages of construction on the development’s cultural, educational, and commercial components continue. In 2021, WHEDco will open the 14,000 square-foot Bronx Music Hall at the site, featuring a flexible performance space with approximately 250 seats, rehearsal and exhibition areas, a multi-purpose classroom, and two outdoor plazas for performances and recreation. The Bronx Music Hall will be the permanent home of WHEDco’s Bronx Music Heritage Center, which promotes the cultural legacy of the Bronx, supports Bronx artists to perform in their own borough, and provides free and low-cost cultural programs for the local community.

Bronx Commons will also feature a 150-seat, New York City Department of Education-operated 3-K program, street-facing commercial space for small businesses and community programming, and the Melrose Community Access Support and Training (CAST) Center, a 2,200 square-foot hub for small business, family support services, and community engagement.

Bronx Commons is located at 443 East 162nd Street, occupying half a city block on the west side of Elton Avenue, between East 162nd and East 163rd Street.