The Long Island City
waterfront has come a long way since the substantially abandoned hot mess it was just two decades ago. Privileged with some of the best-designed new parkland in the city (flood resilient too) and magnificent views of Manhattan, a dozen prosaic high-rises have sprouted since the waterfront's first tower Citylights opened in 1996. After a four-year hiatus since the completion of Hunters Point South A and B
(Related Companies with SHoP Architects), the next flurry blizzard of elevated domiciles comes from TF Cornerstone in their two-towered Hunters Point South Parcel C development.
Designed by ODA Architecture
with SLCE, the 46- and 56-story towers will not only be Hunters Point's biggest buildings, but also the city's tallest waterfront buildings outside of Manhattan.
The project will also be New York City's biggest affordable housing project in 40 years, and an affordable lottery has launched for 185 units in the south tower. Individuals and households earning 50 to 165 percent of the area median income ($26,126 - $168,960) have until November 23, 2020 to apply for apartments ranging from $698/month for studios to $2,704/month for two-bedrooms. Full criteria and applications may be found here.
Lottery criteria via Housing Connect
Sixty percent of the total apartments will be earmarked as permanently affordable, and 100 will be reserved for seniors. In case you forget how dire the need for affordable housing is, when the lottery opened for Hunters Point South phase one in 2014, 93,000 people applied for the chance to rent one of 925 permanently affordable/rent-stabilized apartments.
If you do not qualify for this particular lottery, the Sunnyside Post notes that leasing for the affordable units in the north tower is expected to begin in summer 2021. Until then, a full list of ongoing affordable lotteries may be found here.
If you do not qualify for this particular lottery, the Sunnyside Post notes that leasing for the affordable units in the north tower is expected to begin in summer 2021. Until then, a full list of ongoing affordable lotteries may be found here.
Renderings credit of TF Cornerstone / ODA Architecture
The scope includes building a 22,000-square-foot park designed by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects and a community center to be operated by Sunnyside Community Services. Residents will have access to bike parking, ground-floor retail, on-site parking, and a daycare. Additionally, residents-only amenities will include a fitness center with yoga/dance studio, a business center, a children's playroom, a lounge, a party room, and a roof terrace. As for transport to other parts of the city, the 7 train subway station at Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue is within short walking distance. Additionally, the New York Ferry essentially departs from the building's front door.
Renderings credit of TF Cornerstone / ODA Architecture
Published renderings and a recent trip to the construction site reveal the enormity of the project. Set to bring to market a whopping 1,194 apartments in all, the 1.2 million-square-foot development rises from a city-donated block bounded by Center Boulevard, Borden Avenue, 2nd Street, and 54th Avenue. Initial plans announced in 2013 called for a single cascading structure anchored by 41 and 36-floor towers on opposing sides, but that vision was stymied due to concerns from Amtrak and the New York Power Authority that the development would cause harm to their assets below grade. In response, the development team adjusted plans so that the center remains tower-free. Thus, TF Cornerstone is building two separate taller towers on opposite sides of the contested property.
Courtesy of TF Cornerstone
While the tower designs are rather bland, especially compared to the previous iteration, it is understood that providing this unprecedented level of affordability comes at a cost. The firm explains, "ODA designed a blueprint to meet affordable housing needs without compromising innovative design, community development, or accessibility."
The shorter 491-foot-tall south tower at 52-41 Center Boulevard topped out in recent weeks. It will stand above and beside a 572-seat elementary school. The taller 588-foot-tall north tower at 52-03 Center Boulevard is nearly half-way up and will serve as a high point to Long Island City's emerging skyline.
Delivery is anticipated in late 2021 according to site postings. Just south of the site near Hunters Point's point, the Gotham Organization and RiseBoro Community Partnership Inc. have begun building another pair of apartment towers with 1,100 apartments between them, much of which are 'affordable.'
The shorter 491-foot-tall south tower at 52-41 Center Boulevard topped out in recent weeks. It will stand above and beside a 572-seat elementary school. The taller 588-foot-tall north tower at 52-03 Center Boulevard is nearly half-way up and will serve as a high point to Long Island City's emerging skyline.
Delivery is anticipated in late 2021 according to site postings. Just south of the site near Hunters Point's point, the Gotham Organization and RiseBoro Community Partnership Inc. have begun building another pair of apartment towers with 1,100 apartments between them, much of which are 'affordable.'
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