Construction is complete on Rockaway Village, an eight-building mixed-use complex in Far Rockaway, Queens. Designed by Marvel and developed by Phipps, the project was constructed in five phases and yields a total of 1,700 affordable homes along with 125,000 square feet of commercial and community facility space. The masterplan also features a supermarket, pharmacy, coffee shop, and more than 550 parking spaces, all connected by landscaped public plazas. The development is bounded by Nameoke Avenue to the north, Mott Avenue to the south, Central Avenue to the east, and Redfern Avenue to the west.
The project team held a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 12 to mark the development’s completion. The event was attended by executives of Phipps Houses, including president and CEO Adam Weinstein, as well as public officials including Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., and a representative for Selvena Brooks-Powers, New York City Council Member, District 31.
Photo courtesy of Phipps Houses.
Photo courtesy of Phipps Houses.
The renderings in the main photo and below show the scale of the sprawling complex. Running through its center is Village Lane, a new vehicular thoroughfare. The project site was formerly occupied by a largely vacant strip mall and an underutilized parking lot.
Rendering of Rockaway Village via Marvel Architects
The structures are clad in beige earth-toned brick with sections of gray metal paneling, and all are topped with photovoltaic arrays.
Rockaway Village. Image: Connie Zhou
Rockaway Village. Image: Connie Zhou
Rockaway Village. Image: Connie Zhou
Rockaway Village. Image: Connie Zhou
Rockaway Village. Image: Marvel
Residential amenities include concierge service, fitness rooms, community rooms, children’s playrooms, on-site laundry rooms, and tenants-only courtyards. The seven-year project was made possible through a 2017 rezoning, the first in Far Rockaway since 1961, and represents an investment of more than $1 billion to the neighborhood.
Investment partners included the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the NYC Housing Development Corporation (HDC), Citi, Goldman Sachs UIG, and The Richman Group.
The complex also features the Phipps Opportunity Center, which will support residents and partner with local organizations to address community needs. The development has been certified through the Enterprise Green Communities Program.
The nearest subway from Rockaway Village is the A train at the elevated Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue station to the south. Also nearby to the north is the Far Rockaway train station on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR).
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
This is amazing, congratulations to all!
Labyrinthian; a city within, more interesting than many of the straight line mid-rise projects going up in the boroughs, more of these, please.
have ANY of these apts been listed on nychousingconnect?
Where do you apply?
This is amazing!!! I was born in Far Rockaway & would love to return there to live. How can I apply for an application?
A very impressive project, but I do wish the windows didn’t all match. It has a more medical campus vibe than an urban setting, but this should age well and be a model for similar redevelopments.
Great article Mr. Young but I would love to have seen some of your photographs
Fantastic. Now we need another 200 developments on this scale. Let’s go NYC!
Applying for this to me is a waste of time. Housing Connect blocks off all my previous applications for housing on their web page. I have at least fifty lottery applications that can be ignored. This is housing application discrimination but it is OK because I paid heavy real estate taxes to the City of Need York, so this is what they call housing services. I guess they are going purely with folks who are disabled which is alright. Just let people know what the deal is before they apply.
Amputate your leg for a better shot.