Community Church Finds New Life Designing a Reuse for the La Milagrosa Church in San Juan, Puerto Rico Project Summary Community: Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico Technical Assistance: Site Reuse Design Former Use: Catholic Church and Nun House Future Use: Community Gallery, Residential and Artist Workspace The Rio Piedras neighborhood is a densely developed, mixed-use neighborhood southeast of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. While it used to be a main transportation and shopping hub, other development across San Juan has captured some of the neighborhood's past vitality. Today, Rio Piedras is experiencing a rebirth with successful businesses openings and new housing development. The La Milagrosa Catholic Church and Private School covers about 2.6 acres in Rio Piedras initially constructed in 1901 and opened in 1910 as an all-girls school. Later, the school became co-ed and operated until 2009. The Rio Piedras Development Trust (RPDT) was created to support rehabilitation and economic development in the neighborhood and has ownership over La Milagrosa. The Community's Challenge La Milagrosa is both a recognizable physical landmark and a cultural touchstone for the Rio Piedras neighborhood. While the RPDT has plans to turn the original chapel building into a community gathering space and gallery, the question remains about the best use of the other buildings on the site. The RPDT requested assistance to help plan for the successful reuse of the La Milagrosa site to support the continued improvement of the Rio Piedras neighborhood. EPA's Land Revitalization Technical Assistance The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Brownfield and Land Revitalization (OBLR) and EPA Region 2 provided technical assistance to the RPDT to support the site reuse and revitalization planning for the La Milagrosa Church and School site. Previous environmental site assessment work found asbestos-containing materials, lead-based paint, and fluorescent light bulbs that may contain mercury, among many of the buildings. Further cleanup and abatement of these hazardous building conditions is needed before redevelopment can commence. The final site plan for the La Milagrosa site includes new residential construction to support housing options in the neighborhood, the redevelopment of the Nun House into a live workspace for local artists, and commercial space opportunities. The site plan includes solar installation above parking canopies to provide an onsite, resilient source of energy. The main chapel of La Milagrosa remains as an open gallery, community space, and museum for local history. The plan provides a vision for the redevelopment of La Milagrosa that catalyzes further investment in Rio Piedras while preserving a cultural landmark in the neighborhood. An aerial rendering of the La Milagrosa site shows the solar parking canopies, green roofs: and additional residential development. For more information, contact Zolymar Luna, EPA Region 2 Brownfields Program, at Luna.Zolvmar@epa.gov or Sadira Robles, EPA Region 2 Land Revitalization Project Manager at Robles.Sadira@epa.gov. United States Environmental Protection ^*^1 M * Agency Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization 560-F-23-315 ------- |