L+M Development Partners

Fully occupied mixed-income property pursues façade retrofit as a pathway to decarbonization and aesthetic refresh.

The Heritage, developed by L+M, showcases a multifamily retrofit project that eliminates fossil fuel usage, improves resident comfort, and minimizes occupant disruption using innovative retrofit methods, materials, and technology. The 34-story, three-building complex, which was built in 1974, next to Central Park, contains 600 housing units, of which 402 are affordable, with 134 set aside for the formerly unhoused.

The Heritage is an affordable housing development with poor insulation and high utility costs due to outdated heating and water heating systems. This project dramatically cuts heating and cooling needs thanks to major building envelope improvements. Packaged terminal heat pumps for heating and cooling will reduce energy use and costs from the current electric resistance heating system. The retrofit project also pilot-tests state of the art heat pump water heaters and electric laundry dryers.

This project will offer a pathway to decarbonization for low- to moderate-income properties across New York State. The proposed measures are designed to eliminate fossil fuel usage, improve resident comfort, and minimize disruption in occupied multifamily properties using innovative retrofit methods, materials, and technology.

L+M is a pioneer in mixed-income, market-rate, and mixed-use developments that revive and transform neighborhoods. The company has acquired, built, or preserved nearly 35,000 residential units and more than 1.2 million square feet of retail and community facility space, representing approximately $10 billion in development and investment.

The Empire Building Challenge

The Empire Building Challenge (EBC) is a $50 million investment by New York State to demonstrate different pathways for achieving carbon neutrality in tall buildings. Through the establishment of a private-public partnership with leading real estate owners and their engineering experts, exciting approaches to cold climate decarbonization are being tested in the New York market. The EBC’s new Retrofit Playbook for Large Buildings includes step-by-step guidance and real-world case studies for decarbonizing and modernizing a range of building types. With the potential to replicate these solutions across real estate controlled by the first cohort of Empire Building Challenge partners and beyond, the impact of each project will accelerate New York’s progress toward the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s (Climate Act)  goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2050.