Arlington Suites in Riverdale will offer amenities designed to appeal to Orthodox Jews.
The 13-story, 26-unit condominium planned at 3220 Arlington Avenue in the Bronx will have a Sabbath elevator, which is programmed to stop on each floor from sundown on Fridays through sundown on Saturdays.
The elevator will automatically stop for approximately 30 seconds on each floor every 15 minutes, allowing Orthodox Jewish residents to use the elevator without pressing a button. This type of elevator is necessary because the Bible prohibits work on the Sabbath, which Orthodox Jews interpret to include not using electricity.
“The elevator is common in Israel,” said Shmuel Jonas, the developer of the project. There are also Sabbath elevators in some of the Grand Street co-op buildings on the Lower East Side.
Twenty-two of the 26 kitchens in the Arlington Suites units also include double sinks and double-drawer Viking ovens. To help Kosher cooks keep dairy and meat dishes separate, Kosher kitchens typically have two sets of sinks and ovens.
According to Jonas, about 20 percent of the population in Riverdale is Orthodox, though the project will be marketed to non-Orthodox buyers as well.
Marketing will begin in early 2007 and occupancy is scheduled for early 2008. Meltzer/Mandl Architects designed the project.
“We are the only one in the area,” Jonas said of the project’s Orthodox Jewish amenities. “There is not a huge need for it but a want for it.”
The development will also have a pool, gym, media room and cold storage room. Units, which range from two- to four-bedrooms, will run from $800,000 to $2.5 million.