Inwood Women’s Residence

Roux is proud to have supported the Bowery Residents’ Committee’s Inwood Women’s Residence, a 32,722 gross square-foot, four-story transitional residential building in the Inwood section of Manhattan that provides 116 beds for adult women experiencing homelessness. The approximately 10,000-square-foot site, located at the southwest corner of 10th Avenue and West 212th Street, was formerly occupied by an auto-body repair shop, aboveground hydraulic vehicle lifts, waste oil and fuel oil storage, and a paint-spraying area. Remediation of the former brownfield included excavation and off-site disposal of more than 2,000 tons of impacted soil/fill, endpoint sampling to confirm attainment of Track 2 Residential Soil Cleanup Objectives, construction of a composite cover system, installation of a vapor barrier, and installation of an active sub-slab depressurization system to support long-term site protection.

The redevelopment transformed a former auto repair business into a purpose-built shelter with community facility areas, communal and back-of-house spaces on the first floor, and congregate shelter dormitories with support and social spaces on floors two through four. A defining aspect of the project is its integration of a Sacred Space that memorializes the Site’s history as a former Lenape ceremonial site and cemetery for enslaved Black people, which was destroyed during the construction of elevated infrastructure in 1903. After learning of this history, BRC paused its plans and led an inclusive engagement process with descendant communities, local residents, historians, spiritual leaders, elected officials, land-use staff, staff, clients, and other stakeholders. That process informed a project that pairs urgently needed shelter capacity with public memory, education, reflection, and community stewardship.

A Track 2 Residential Use Cleanup under the New York City Office of Environmental Remediation Voluntary Cleanup Program was achieved for the project with a Notice of Satisfaction obtained in 2025. The cleanup also satisfied the remedial requirements of New York City Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation (NYC OER) for the Hazardous Materials E-Designation assigned to the Site. The following services were provided by Roux:
• Phase I ESA and Phase II ESA Due Diligence;
• Remedial Investigation;
• Preparation of Remedial Action Work Plan (RAWP) and Remedial Design;
• In situ soil characterization and on-site soil and environmental management;
• Bid support and construction support for soil excavation;
• Community Air Monitoring Plan (CAMP) implementation; and
• Design of an active sub-slab depressurization system (SSDS) for vapor intrusion mitigation.

The Inwood Women’s Residence demonstrates how brownfield redevelopment can deliver environmental cleanup, essential social infrastructure, and restorative community engagement within a single project. The completed shelter expands BRC’s capacity to serve adult women experiencing homelessness while honoring the site’s layered history through a Sacred Space designed for remembrance, education, and reflection. The project was recognized with the 2026 Big Apple Brownfield Award for Community Advocacy, Outreach, and Engagement.