Rendering of Beach 21st Street. Image Credit: HPD
Over 1,380 new affordable apartments were added to Far Rockaway since it was rezoned in 2017. On January 15, 2020, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced a new plan to add 793 affordable apartments to revitalize and strengthen neighborhoods in the Downtown Far Rockway area of Queens. Units will be spread across three properties – RadRoc, Beach 21 and Rockaway Village, and will include units set aside for the formerly homeless and individuals with extremely low to moderate incomes. These units will be built in addition to the 590 units financed following the New York City Council’s vote to rezone in Far Rockaway in September 2017. (more…)
Mayor Bill de Blasio visits Rockaway Beach to announce that it will reopen in time for the summer. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography
The stretch of beach was closed last summer due to heavy erosion. On May 14, 2019, Mayor Bill de Blasio along with U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced the completion of the East Rockaway Inlet maintenance dredging project. The completion of the project will allow for the reopening of the stretch of beach from Beach 92nd Street to Beach 105th Street. The portion of beach was closed last summer due to erosion and lack of sand. (more…)
Rendering of Queens Far Rockaway Branch Public Library by Snøhetta. Image credit: NYC EDC
City Council approved a 22-block rezoning of Downtown Far Rockaway, Queens. On September 7, 2017, the City Council approved a large-scale rezoning and development plan for Downtown Far Rockaway by a vote of 46-0. The resolutions will create a Special Downtown Far Rockaway district, a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area, and an Urban Renewal Area. $288 million has been secured to grant amenities this community has been requesting for over 40 years. (more…)
“The Beach House” Fire House at 257 Beach 116 Street, Rockaway Park. Image credit: FDNY
The City Planning Commission approved the relocation of a Rockaway Park FDNY station. On August 23, 2017, the New York City Planning Commission issued a favorable report on the FDNY’s application to purchase property located at 116-11 Beach Channel Drive to construct a new firehouse. Engine 268/Ladder 137 of the New York City Fire Department currently operates at 257 Beach 116th Street in Rockaway Park, Queens. The three-story, 10,098-square-foot building was built in 1913 by Frank J. Helmie in the Colonial Revival style. After damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, the FDNY determined that the building was past its useful life as a firehouse. In 2013, the building received landmark status. (more…)
Rendering of Queens Far Rockaway Branch Public Library by Snøhetta. Image credit: NYC EDC
The City Planning Commission approved the 22-block development plan for the Far Rockaway neighborhood in Queens. On July 10, 2017, the City Planning Commission approved an application by the New York City Economic Development Corporation for the Downtown Far Rockaway Development Plan. The Development Plan includes the designation of the Downtown Far Rockaway Urban Renewal Area, the disposition of city-owned property, and zoning text and map amendments. The community planning process was led by Council Member Donovan Richards. Currently, $110 million of public investments are transforming Downtown Far Rockaway with streetscape reconstruction, sewer upgrades, park improvements, storefront improvement, and library upgrades. (more…)
