Officials broke ground on the first phase of a 1,650-unit housing development at Arverne East in the Rockaways on Friday. Rendering via the Department of Housing Preservation and Development
By Ryan Schwach
Officials broke ground on a new Queens housing development on Friday at a site nearly the size of similar housing projects at Creedmoor and Willets Point combined.
Shovels were put in the dirt for the residential part of Arverne East, a 1,650-unit, public-private project in Rockaway, a major milestone for a development two decades in the making.
Arverne East sits along the Atlantic Ocean in the Edgemere section of the Rockaway peninsula and spans from Beach 56th Street to Beach 30th Street, totalling 116-acres. Although more units are set for both planned housing developments at Creedmoor and Willets Point, both of those sites are around 60 acres.
Of the 1,650 units,1,320 of them are planned to be rented “to formerly homeless, low, moderate and middle-income households,” according to the project’s website.
The housing aspect of the plan will be built in phases over the next decade. On Friday, officials broke ground on the first phase, Building D at Beach 36th Street, which will contain 320 total housing units. Around 230 of Building D’s units will be affordable and 90 units will be available to own.
Rockaway elected officials and private developers put shovels in the ground for the housing portion of the massive Arverne East development on Friday. Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach
In January, the private developers behind the site, L+M Development Partners, Urbane Development, The Bluestone Organization, Mega Group Development and Triangle Equities Development Company, closed on $278 million in financing for the construction of Building D.
The overall Arverne East development will also include retail space, a hotel and green space.
A nature preserve and multi-purpose community building associated with the project have already been completed.
The project is also set to be the first net-zero community in New York City, using geothermal and solar energy to offset power usage.
Similar to Willets Point and Creedmoor, Arverne East will be built on a previously empty spot of land that has long been an eye-sore in the area. Local Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson called it “one of the largest urban blights in our city.”
“Now that period is coming to a close, so that’s something to celebrate,” he said. “We’re stepping up into a new future, and that’s very, very moving.”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richard compared the empty land to the “Valley of Ashes,” being replaced by the ongoing development at Willets Point.
“It was just a dump, literally a vacant dump,” he said. “We always saw a valley of opportunity at this site.”
“This community has rightfully always felt the sting of disinvestment, but today, we’ve turned trash into a treasure,” added Richards.
Officials also lauded Arverne East for its energy priorities, which may be particularly meaningful to the community that has historically borne the brunt of the effects of climate change in New York City.
“This building is setting a new standard for sustainability and environmental responsibility, something especially critical for a waterfront community like ours,” said City Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers. “Following the devastation of Superstorm Sandy we know firsthand the importance of building not just more housing, but smarter and more resilient housing.”
Arverne East is one of several large developments going up in Rockaway, and one of many planned for Queens.
The Creedmoor development, which will bring 2,022 new homes to Eastern Queens, was approved in December. Willets Point Commons, the first 880 units of the 2,500 planned for the new neighborhood at Willets Point, closed its housing lottery last month after overwhelming demand. It’s expected to begin welcoming residents this month.
