Office of Design & Architecture (ODA) has been selected to design the largest affordable housing scheme in New York for more than 30 years. Parcel C is Phase II of the Hunters Point South development on the Long Island City waterfront and will be overseen by developers TF Cornerstone with Selfhelp Community Services.
The 1,200,000 sq ft project will provide 1,193 brand new apartments across two towers and a series of vertical modules which ‘will cascade up and down the towers like foothills surrounding the peaks’. 796 of these residential units will be affordable and 696 available to moderate and middle-income families. Of this portion, 100 units will be reserved for senior citizens who meet set financial criteria.
Making the announcement of the design team, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said: “From our most vulnerable populations to those in our middle-class, the challenges of finding an affordable home and the cost of living with rent burden are experiences that many New Yorkers share.
“This second phase of Hunter’s Point South will create nearly 800 affordable apartments, in a mixed-income community, new space for local arts and community groups, and new opportunity for economic growth. But most important, it will be a place where our senior citizens will have rents they can afford and supportive services, and where hardworking moderate- and middle-income New York families can put down roots and grow with this vibrant and flourishing neighbourhood.”
Supporting the 41- and 36-storey towers will be 20,000 sq ft of commercial space, healthcare facilities, a gym, yoga studios, 10,000 sq ft of parking space, a pre-kindergarten and children’s playroom, restaurants and open terraces. There are also plans to incorporate two urban farming plateaus for use by the residents. Sustainable and resilient features have been integrated into the design, with passive cooling/heating throughout and flood proofing for the ground floor retail units.
