The Kalahari is a 249-unit mixed-income development on 116th Street in Harlem designed and built to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Certification standards, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance 'green' buildings.

The Kalahari is located in Central Harlem within walking distance of two major subway lines. It includes green features such as a fresh-filtered air delivery system that purifies air quality at a constant rate, Energy Star appliances that will help to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent below the New York State Energy Code, twenty-five percent of the building's energy from renewable sources such as solar and wind, green roofs, and landscaped public courtyards featuring native plants.

Half of the apartments (120 homes) in the Kalahari will be affordable to households earning middle- and moderate-incomes, ranging between $63,810 to $131,165 for a family of four and $44,640 to $91,760 for a single person.

A Harlem-based urban youth enrichment program, called StreetSquash, will occupy ground-floor space along 115th street, and ground-floor retail and a movie theater will occupy the commercial space along 116th Street.

The Kalahari's architectural team (GF55 Partners, LLP and Frederic Schwarz Architects) incorporated bold colors, textures and patterns inspired by African art work throughout the building's façade along 115th and 116th streets.

The Kalahari was developed by Full Spectrum of NY and L&M Development Partners through the Department of Housing Preservation and Development's (HPD) Cornerstone program which builds multifamily, mixed-income housing on City-owned land. The financing included: a grant of about $2.7 million from the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation, $8.2 million in mezzanine financing from the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group, and $95 million in construction financing JPMorgan Chase, with a bank group syndicate including Washington Mutual, Deutsche Bank, Capital One Bank, Carver Bank, and Commerce Bank.

Source: nyc.gov. see also www.kalahari-nyc.blogspot.com