April 5, 2019 - TF Cornerstone, Selfhelp Community Services, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development, NYC Housing Development Corporation, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, and Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan today broke ground on the newest phase of Hunters Point South, a mixed-use, mixed-income master-planned community and waterfront park situated along the East River in Long Island City, Queens.
The new project to be developed by TF Cornerstone will bring 1,194 new residential units across two buildings, with a mix of studios, one, and two-bedroom apartments. Sixty percent (60%) of the apartments will be permanently affordable to low, moderate, and middle-income residents with 100 apartments set aside for low-income seniors. Selfhelp Community Services, the oldest and largest organization in North America serving Holocaust survivors, will provide on-site support services for the senior units and will also program senior-focused events in the community center space.
The project will include an 8,000-square-foot community center run by Sunnyside Community Services and TF Cornerstone. During the day, Sunnyside will utilize the space for home healthcare aide training. After 5 p.m. and on weekends, TF Cornerstone will offer the space to the community for programming focused on the arts, wellness, youth and education, and civic engagement.
The project will include more than 8,900 square feet of street-front local retail and 150 parking spots. HPD worked with the School Construction Authority to construct a 572-seat K-8 school onsite which will begin construction in 2020 and will open in 2023.
The buildings were designed by the award-winning international architects ODA, and SLCE is the architect of record. The project will be anchored by a 22,000-square-foot publicly accessible open space designed by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects.
The development is made possible by funding from the NYC Housing Development Corporation and NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development as well as lenders Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, M&T Bank, and PNC Bank.
“Long Island City is rapidly growing, attracting new residents, companies, and thriving local shops and restaurants. This project will serve to foster that growth with a diverse mix of housing and community amenities to ensure new and old residents can stay in the community they love,” said TF Cornerstone principal Jeremy Shell.
“We are proud to partner with the City and Selfhelp on this transformative project, bringing affordable housing, an extension of the area’s beautiful waterfront esplanade, and a community center to Long Island City,” said TF Cornerstone principal Jake Elghanayan.
“Hunter’s Point South is the type of transformative project we see once in a generation. Through tremendous vision and hard work, these thirty vacant acres of public land gave rise to a dynamic new neighborhood featuring beautiful parkland anchored in affordability,” said Acting HPD Commissioner Eric Enderlin. “This latest phase brings another 1,100 new apartments, including 700 permanently affordable homes, as well as retail, community space, public open space, and a new school. I want to thank TF Cornerstone and all of our development partners as well as our local elected officials for all the dedication and hard work that is driving this important project forward.”
“HDC is proud to have contributed critical permanent financing and an allocation of low income housing tax credits towards this latest phase in the comprehensive development of Hunters Point South,” said HDC Acting President Richard Froehlich. “I would like to thank all our elected officials, and our many public and private partners as well as the innovative and creative team at HDC, for their ongoing support and commitments that helped to start the building of this important resource for the Long Island City community.”
“I am pleased to celebrate the ground breaking of the newest phase of Hunters Point South, which includes much-needed affordable housing and amenities that will benefit LIC and its residents for many years to come. Hunters Point South has become a vibrant and diverse community, and this new phase will expand options for people who want to live in this extraordinary community,” said Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.
"Congratulations to all involved," said Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan. "The completion of this phase of Hunters Point South will provide open space, further access to the waterfront, and provide more classroom seats with the opening of a new local school. The affordable housing will include space reserved for our seniors, and with it, a new community center which will be operated by our wonderful Sunnyside Community Services, which has a long history in running highly effective programs in my assembly district. My thanks also to EDC president James Patchett, NYC Mayor's Albany representative Simonia Brown and TFC's John McMillan for always being available to answer questions. The success of this development shows the importance of collaborative partnerships."
"For decades, Selfhelp has been providing seniors and other vulnerable New Yorkers with critical services to age with independence and dignity in the neighborhoods they call home. We are so excited to partner with TF Cornerstone on this new project. With brand new affordable housing and access to services through the Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model (SHASAM), we will be able to touch the lives of older adults at Hunters Point South and throughout Long Island City," said Stuart Kaplan, CEO of Selfhelp Community Services.
“Sunnyside Community Services (SCS) looks forward to expanding our work in Long Island City. Our award-winning home health aide training program connects job-seekers to a career in healthcare and our compassionate support services help caregivers of people with dementia cope with daily challenges and plan for the long-term. Our partnership with TF Cornerstone provides SCS with the opportunity to provide programs in the heart of LIC and have a real impact on the lives of local residents,” said Judy Zangwill, Executive Director, Sunnyside Community Services.
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