HPD and Briarwood celebrate final phase of Waters Edge: $42m project

The N.Y.C. Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) joined The Briarwood Organization in celebrating the final phase of construction at the 210-unit Waters Edge development. The 40 two-family homes of the development's first phase, completed in 2001, represented one of the first new housing projects built in the Arverne in 25 years and the additional 130 middle-income condo units of Waters Edge at Arverne Condominium contribute to the continuing revitalization of an area that was once a beach resort. The creation and preservation of affordable housing is part of the Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan. HPD and Briarwood were joined by borough president Helen Marshall; Marian Zucker, executive VP of "nyhomes;" and representatives of J.P. Morgan Chase and the Housing Partnership Development Corp. With phase II construction costs totaling $42 million, development was financed in large part by a $24.7 million construction loan from J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. HPD, the Queens borough president and DEP each contributed $3 million, $1.8 million and $430,000, respectively, to help defray the costs of the development's substantial infrastructure work. The development received $2.8 million in NYS Affordable Housing Corp. (AHC) funds. Located on four "infill" sites between Beach 59th St. and Beach 62nd St. across from the Rockaway Boardwalk and Rockaway Beach, this second and final phase consists of 130 newly constructed two and three-bedroom condominiums. "Waters Edge at Arverne is yet another example of the way in which public-private partnerships can have such a positive effect on our city and its many communities," said HPD commissioner Rafael Cestero. "These once vacant lots now contain quality, affordable homes for our city's working families, adding a shot of energy to the surrounding community and strengthening the borough and the city as a whole." "Today's ribbon-cutting at Water's Edge opens another chapter in the continuing story of growth, quality housing and infrastructure improvements on the Rockaway Peninsula," said Marshall. "Thanks to the Briarwood Organization, the city department of HPD and other agencies, including my office, the borough has a new stock of affordable housing that is not only attractive but comes with a waterfront view. This could not happen without collaboration - the private and public sectors working together - on a combined goal to provide quality housing that strengthens neighborhoods and broadens horizons." "Days like today make the colossal efforts that go into developing affordable housing in the city all worth it," said Vincent Riso, managing member of Briarwood. "The opportunity to celebrate this milestone with one of the New Yorkers who has bought at Waters Edge is tremendously rewarding. Thanks to the generous subsidies of our partners, a hard working school psychologist and her two young daughters will now be able to call the new revitalized Rockaways home." "Being a mother of two and having a wonderful job at 27 years old is a blessing. But living in a city in which expenses are ever growing is not easy," said Arwina Vallejo, an owner of one of the Waters Edge condos. "Then I discovered the HPD affordable housing program. And today I am the proud owner of a condo at Waters Edge. This is what affordable housing is all about." During the first half of the twentieth century, Rockaway was an affluent beach resort, but through the 1950s the area declined until over 300 acres along the shoreline were designated an Urban Renewal Area in 1964 and eventually cleared by city-sponsored demolition. With the help of HPD, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), The Partnership and the office of the Queens Borough president, Briarwood transformed this long vacant property by investing millions of dollars in infrastructure work, including the construction of a new storm sewer system. "The Housing Partnership is always proud to see the efforts of our long working relationship with organizations such as Briarwood come to fruition," said Daniel Martin, the President and CEO of the Partnership. "We were excited to collaborate with the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation in bringing affordable housing like Waters Edge to the communities that need it the most." Marian Zucker, executive VP of "nyhomes" of which AHC is a part, said, "We at 'nyhomes' were happy to partner with New York City, the Housing Partnership Development Corporation and The Briarwood Organization to build the Waters Edge at Averne Condominium. New York State is dedicated to promoting sustainable homeownership, which will help build neighborhoods and revive our economy. That is what Waters Edge will do and we congratulate our partners for bringing these new homes to the Averne community." The Waters Edge at Arverne development is part of HPD's Large Scale Arverne Program consisting of Water's Edge and two other developments in the Arverne Urban Renewal Area (URA): Arverne by the Sea and Arverne East. The Arverne URA in southeast Queens spans 308-acre and is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. The URA is bounded by Beach 32nd St., Beach 84th St., Beach 74th St., Rockaway Freeway, Rockaway Beach Blvd., and the Rockaway Boardwalk. HPD is overseeing a comprehensive neighborhood development plan for the area that will bring a mix of housing types, commercial development, a community school, a nature preserve and recreational opportunities for area residents and visitors. When it is finished, it will have created over 4,000 units of new housing, 1,136 of which will be reserved for households earning up to 175% of HUDIL. The Large Scale Arverne Program is part of mayor Michael Bloomberg's $7.5 billion New Housing Marketplace Plan (NHMP) to create and preserve 165,000 units of affordable housing. The NHMP is part of the mayor's Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan aimed at bringing New York City through the current economic downturn as quickly as possible. To date, the NHMP has created or preserved over 85,000 units of affordable housing.