Beach 21st Street

Organization Name: The Community Builders, Inc.

Project Title: Beach 21st Street

Project Location: Far Rockaway, Queens, NY

Project Description:
In June 2018, The Community Builders, Inc. was designated developer by the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to transform a 42,500 sq. ft. parking lot into a 10-story, 224 unit, mixed-income, mixed-use development in Downtown Far Rockaway. Beach 21st was developed using HPD’s Mix and Match term sheet, with 60% of the units reserved for households at or below 60% AMI and the remaining 40% available to households earning 80-100% AMI. 23 units are reserved for the formerly homeless and receive services on-site from CAMBA, Inc. Resident amenities include landscaped terraces, community gardens, playgrounds, a community room with terrace access, a fitness room, a laundry room, and a rooftop walking track with ocean views. The development provides on-site parking, bicycle storage, and a dynamic ground floor with 21,600 sq. ft. of commercial storefront, including at least two restaurant tenants and a daycare. Beach 21st meets Enterprise Green Communities standards, featuring rooftop solar panels and efficient VRF heating and cooling systems. The project was financed with tax exempt bonds, low-income housing and brownfield cleanup program tax credits, and NYC HDC and NYC HPD subsidy.

Community Impact:
Beach 21st is one component of the 2016 Downtown Far Rockaway Roadmap for Action, a neighborhood-led revitalization initiative which led to a rezoning of Downtown Far Rockaway to allow larger, denser, mixed-use buildings, coupled with public investments by the City. New York City, with the support of (then-Councilman, now) Borough President Donovan Richards, has spent over $288 million towards the overall revitalization plan, aimed at returning Downtown Far Rockaway to its historic use as a bustling village center. This plan led to improved infrastructure, storm preparedness, and connectivity while creating new housing and commercial opportunities for local residents.

In addition to creating 224 new affordable apartments, Beach 21st has a dynamic ground floor which will attract a mix of commercial and community uses to activate the existing Beach 20th Street and new Beach 21st Street plazas. Throughout construction, TCB partnered with Rockaway Development & Revitalization Corporation for job training opportunities and, in partnership with Mega Contracting Group, achieved 40% MWBE contract utilization. A local artist is providing murals and artwork within the building.

Organization Description:
The Community Builders, Inc. (TCB) is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit housing organizations. Our mission is to build and sustain strong communities where all people can thrive. We realize our mission by developing, financing and operating residential communities, neighborhood amenities and resident opportunity programs. Since 1964, we have constructed or preserved thousands of affordable and mixed-income housing developments and secured billions of dollars in project financing from public and private sources.

Team Members:

Development: The Community Builders, Inc., Developer;
Urban Architectural Initiatives, Architect;
Mega Contracting Group, Contractor
Financing: TD Bank; Boston Financial, HPD, HDC

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