8 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 27, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
New aff ordable housing development opens in Far Rockaway
BY TODD MAISEL
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Th e city’s goal to create 300,000 aff ordable
housing units and keep them truly
aff ordable took a step in that direction
with the ribbon cutting at Beach Green
Dunes II in Far Rockaway.
Ayesha Hameed, a mother with three
young children, received a three-bedroom
apartment in the development
for $1,900 a month at the same cost
she was paying for a one bedroom on
Beach 26th Street. Her reaction when
she toured the new space overlooking the
Atlantic Ocean and a block from the A
train was, “Perfect!”
“Our rent for a one-bedroom went from
$1,500 to $1,900 in an apartment that was
so tight, I couldn’t breathe,” said Hameed
as she held her 7-month-old son Ayfan
while her two children, Ayan, 8, and
Ayat, 6, played in their new separate bedrooms.
“My husband, Ahsan Altaf applied
to Housing Connect and three months
later, they called us up and said we got the
apartment.”
She and 127 other families will live
in the new Beach Green Dunes, which
has resilient and eco-friendly apartments
meant to keep mostly residents
of Rockaway with very low to moderate
incomes in the community.
Mayor Bill de Blasio cut the ribbon with
city offi cials and developers of the stateof
the-art project on Rockaway Boulevard
and Beach 45th Street on Feb. 19, proudly
showing that his administration was in
the right direction of their goals to create
the promised aff ordable housing under
their program entitled “Your Home New
York City” to “keep New Yorkers in New
York.”
“I know New Yorkers feel as if they are
losing their grip on this city and fear their
children will no longer be able to aff ord to
call New York home,” said Mayor Bill de
Blasio. “We are changing that reality, and
with Your Home NYC, will be in the corner
of every family fi ghting for neighborhoods
they can aff ord.”
Aff ordable housing has been a hallmark
of the administration, requiring
developers in some cases provide aff ordable
apartments in their projects to get
permits.
“I get a sickly feeling when I see signs
for luxury condos starting at $3-5 million
and it is clear they are not for any of us,”
de Blasio said. “Th is is a place meant for
working people rather than force working
people out of New York. If we make
this city just for the elite, we will lose the
heart and soul of this city and this is part
of fi ghting back.”
He pointed out that the unchecked rising
rents are leading to illegal evictions,
stealing security deposits, and forcing
Mike Domenici, senior project manager for the developer L&M Builders, shows off the solar array
on the roof.
people to take illegal and dangerous basement
apartments.
Beach Green Dunes II features geo-thermal
energy generation from ground water
taken from 36 wells 450 deep into the
ground — water that is already more than
50 degrees — city water can be close to
freezing, thereby reducing energy to heat
the water. Th is results in a 75 percent savings
on water heating. Th e development
also features extensive use of solar panels,
both on the roof and in the courtyard.
During Hurricane Sandy, most of this
community was under several feet of
water. Th e new developments have no
basements, are slightly elevated from the
street and most of the utilities are located
on the second fl oor. “And because the
building is tiled permeable surfaces, the
water might come in, but then, it will
drain right out and includes bioswale gardens
to treat and retain stormwater,” one
offi cial said.
Beach Green Dunes II features 2,600
square feet of ground-fl oor retail, 49
parking spaces for residents, and outdoor
recreation space which includes a play
area for children. Th e eight-story building
is also anticipated to receive Passive
House certifi cation. Passive House design
emphasizes super-insulation, airtight
envelopes, energy recovery ventilation,
high performance windows, and eff ective
management of solar gain in order
to regulate heating and cooling through
passive measures and reduce the need for
mechanical systems.
Councilman Donovan Richards toured
the site with state Senator James Sanders
where they both agreed this was the right
direction for new housing in the community.
“Housing instability creates a snowball
eff ect of issues for anyone, anywhere
in Queens. We know this already,” said
Richards. “Th is project is a crucial step
in revitalizing Rockaway sustainably.
Geothermal energy in aff ordable housing
is a smart way to heat buildings, generate
electricity and save money. Th at is
how you revitalize a neighborhood and
an economy at large: by starting with the
home.”
“Aff ordable housing is critically important
as more and more people struggle
to put a roof over their heads,” said state
Senator James Sanders Jr. “I am proud to
welcome the new Beach Green Dunes II
apartment complex to Arverne, which will
be environmentally friendly and will contain
more than 100 new aff ordable housing
units, giving priority to Community
Board 14 residents as well as municipal
employees and the disabled. Now, let’s go
beyond this.”
Beach Green Dunes also earned nearly
$112,000 in rebates from PSEG Long
Island for installing energy effi cient
options in the new building. Collectively
residents are expected to save approximately
$30,000 per year on their electric
bills as a result of the effi cient geothermal
system and LED lighting throughout.
Beach Green Dunes II was fi nanced
under the city’s Extremely Low and
Low Income Aff ordability (ELLA) program.
Th e NYC Housing Development
Corporation (NYC HDC) provided
$19,790,000 million in tax-exempt bonds
and $8,255,000 million in subsidy to the
project. Th e NYC Department of Housing
Preservation & Development (NYC
HPD) provided $18,415,000 million in
city capital fi nancing. Th e City Council
has also awarded the project $250,000 in
Resolution A funds.
Photos by Todd Maisel
Mayor Bill de Blasio and offi cials cut the ribbon on new aff ordable housing in Far Rockaway.
Ayat Hameed, 6, sits on her own bed in her own
room that she doesn’t have to share with her
siblings.
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