Friday, June 3, 2011

"Anti-Obesity" Housing Unveiled in Bronx

A new Bronx co-op apartment building is designed to help combat obesity.

The building, called the Melody, has a backyard with brightly colored exercise equipment for adults, and climbing equipment for children. It also has both indoor and outdoor fitness centers.

City officials say it's the first in New York to be built with design elements aimed at countering obesity.

Two flights of stairs feature silhouettes of dancing women and jazz playing through speakers and motivational signs posted throughout the building tout the benefits of exercise.

A sign posted between the elevator and stairs, for example, notes that stairs are a healthy choice.

The 63-unit building houses 63 units and is for families with incomes of $90,000 or less. Fourteen of the units will be owned by Habitat for Humanity's New York City chapter families who helped build the project.

It was unveiled Wednesday by Blue Sea Development Company, Habitat for Humanity and city officials. It will be ready for occupancy this summer.

The housing complex in the Longwood section of the Bronx was named in honor of the neighborhood's musical legacy, Mark Naison, co-director of the Urban Studies Program at Fordham University, told WFUV.org.

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