16 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Development accelerates on Rockaway Peninsula
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e Rockaway Peninsula is poised to
be the borough’s next real estate development
Downtown Far Rockaway $139M renewal project breaks ground
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Downtown Far Rockaway will get its
long awaited extreme makeover.
City offi cials, elected leaders and community
members joined together to break
ground on a $139 million project that will
transform and revitalize a 25 block area
of the neighborhood which has not seen
any large infrastructure investments in
decades.
“Th is historic $139 million investment
in Downtown Far Rockaway’s infrastructure
is a critical component for the future
success of our community,” Councilman
Donovan Richards said.
“Th ese long overdue investment will
bring new streetscapes, plaza space, green
infrastructure and improved stormwater
drainage that will ensure a more pedestrian
friendly Far Rockaway that can better
manage future storms while also beautifying
the commercial corridors and
the transportation hub of the peninsula,”
Richards continued.
Construction on the project gets underway
next week and is scheduled to take
three years to complete. Th e neighborhood
had been rezoned to allow for more housing,
increased economic opportunity and
better transportation options.
“Today is an exciting day. Being born
and raised in Far Rockaway, I can tell
you this is an area in desperate need of
revitalization,” Assemblywoman Stacey
Pheff er Amato said. “Aft er years of persistent
advocacy and work from community
stakeholders we are fi nally getting the
investment we so desperately need and
deserve.”
Th e work will be centered around the
local business district and transportation
hub at Mott and Central avenues, where
the new library is already under construction.
Th e project was designed and
phased to closely align with more than
2,000 aff ordable housing units under construction
and planned over several development.
“Th is plan will help Downtown Far
Rockaway thrive by addressing so many
of the issues that have held the community
back,” state Senator James Sanders Jr. said.
“Th e time for tackling the crumbling roadways
and persistent fl ooding is long overdue,
but thanks to the collective eff orts of
my colleagues in government and numerous
city agencies, we are going to see some
progress. Rockaway has so much potential
and now with new infrastructure, pedestrian
friendly spaces, gardens and greenery,
and improved storm drainage, this
community will have the opportunity to
shine like the jewel of Queens that it is.”
Streets throughout the downtown area
will be completely rebuilt and the landscape
will be further transformed with
new green infrastructure including rain
gardens to help absorb stormwater and
other measures to minimize fl ooding from
Jamaica Bay.
“Th is $139 million investment by the
city isn’t just an investment in new sidewalks,
streets, sewer pipes and other infrastructure,
it is an investment in the people
and the community of Far Rockaway,” state
Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. said. “Aft er
slowly declining for decades, Downtown
Far Rockaway will once again be a thriving
and bustling area for everyone to enjoy.”
The Department of Design and
Construction is managing the project and
it has assigned two community liaisons
who will work on-site to keep residents
and business owners apprised of construction
progress, coordinate street closures
and utility shut off and arrange special
requests such as deliveries to local homes
and businesses.
“Th is very large project is going to have
a transformational eff ect on Far Rockaway,
bringing better streets and better infrastructure
to a community that could really
benefi t from this type of investment,” DDC
Commissioner Lorraine Grillo said. “A
project of this scale would normally take
seven years to complete, but we’re planning
to fi nish it in three years.”
boom following the growth of Long
Island City and Flushing in recent years.
In addition to seven projects bringing
more than 2,000 aff ordable units as
part of the $139 million Downtown Far
Rockaway revitalization project, numerous
other plans are in the works to the
west.
A massive new development, Edgemere
Commons, promises to revitalize the site
of the former Peninsula Hospital with
2,200 units of mixed-income housing, a
supermarket, retail and community space
and hundreds of jobs to what is currently
a vacant lot.
“I’ve spent many, many days in the
Rockaways trying to have my ear to the
ground,” Arker Companies Principal
Daniel Moritz said. “We’ve spent the last
three years working with the Department
of City Planning and City Councilman
Donovan Richards trying to develop a
plan that will serve the community best.”
Th e mixed-use development will include
11 buildings, built in phases, along six
new streets, with completion scheduled
for 2034. Th e project was approved by the
City Planning Commission Wednesday
as part of the city’s public review process,
which now moves on to the City Council.
In Rockaway Beach the St. Camillus
Catholic Academy has closed on Beach
99th Street will be put on the market. A
boutique hotel is under development at
108-20 Rockaway Beach Blvd.
In Rockaway Park, Th e Marcal Group
has recently purchased Community
House, the restaurant and bar located
at Beach 102nd Street and is planning
a residential property for the site and it
has completed the model residences in
One Sixteen, an eight-story luxury condominium
with 86 units at 133 Beach
116th Street. Th at project will bring new
life to a blighted commercial corridor that
has struggled aft er the neighborhood was
devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
“One Sixteen off ers a rare opportunity
to own a modern beachside residence
close to New York City,” Marcal Group
Founder and CEO Mark Caller said. “We
are thrilled to be a part of the community,
with neighbors who really appreciate
what we are doing for the area. We see
the immediate opportunity of buying a
home in the Rockaways and the potential
long-term gains of this exciting neighborhood.”
Th e Marcal Group is planning a project
similar to One Sixteen right across the
street from it at 202 Beach 116th Street.
“Th e Rockaways is a small community
and people who live there love it,” Caller
said. “We are very happy to help write a
new story for the area.”
An area that is expected to grow increasingly
popular.
“As the Rockaways continues to add
more services and activities that are available
all year, people are naturally gravitating
towards the relaxed waterfront environment,”
said Maxine Resnick, a broker
representing One Sixteen. “For city dwellers
looking for a convenient beachside
escape, Rockaway Park is an increasingly
popular alternative to more distant shores
such as the Hamptons, which is a much
longer commuting distance.”
Courtesy of Arker Companies
Edgemere Commons will rise at the old Peninsula Hospital site if it clears the city’s public review
process .
Courtesy of Matthew Lapiska
City Councilman Donovan Richards (c.) advocated for years to have Downtown Far Rockaway revitalized and now the $139 million project is about to begin.
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