A neglected area of Staten Island will get a fresh batch of new eco-friendly housing
Mayor Eric Adams and the city's Economic Development Corporation announced their chosen developers for the mixed-income housing project on Monday. Artimus and Phoenix Realty Group will head the massive development on two vacant sites along the North Shore's Stapleton waterfront.
'With today's announcement, we are checking another key box of our North Shore checklist,' Adams said. 'We are not only building the affordable homes New Yorkers need but using sustainable materials to reduce our carbon footprint and help turn New York City's waterways into the 'Harbor of the Future.''
5 A rendering of one of the mass timber residences.
GF55 Architects
5 Developers Artimus and Phoenix Realty Group were tapped by the city to take on the 500-unit job.
GF55 Architects
5 An aerial view of the proposed development at the New Stapleton Waterfront.
GF55 Architects
One quarter of the 500 units will be designated as affordable, or available to households earning between 40 to 80% of the area median income. This carve-out makes the project 'one of the largest mass timber residential projects with affordable housing in the entire country,' according to the city's announcement.
Mass timber, according to the city, will reduce the project's carbon footprint and speed up construction time. The engineered wood, made by bonding smaller wood pieces together, is considered a sustainable alternative to other construction materials. In addition to coming from a renewable source, the mass timber also weighs less than steel or concrete.
The project is a piece of the mayor's 2023 pledge to invest $400 million into the borough's neglected North Shore. In addition to monetary investment, the four-year roadmap for the 'Staten Island North Shore Action Plan: Building a Vibrant, Mixed-Use Waterfront Community,' sets out to build 2,400 homes, more than 20 acres of public space, more than 7,500 jobs and $3.8 billion in economic impact over 30 years.
5 A sign at Stapleton waterfront park.
stefano giovannini
5 Adams at Stapleton Houses in Staten Island in 2021.
white
The New Stapleton Waterfront, in particular, is turning a former US naval base into a 38-acre mixed-use neighborhood. The city's Economic Development Corporation broke ground on the next 6 acres of open space and esplanades at the waterfront in September, including the demolition of the old naval buildings.
'For too long, Staten Island's waterfront sat undeveloped and underutilized,' said State Assemblymember Charles D. Fall. 'This project marks a new chapter — one that brings much-needed housing, creates local jobs, and embraces sustainable building to ensure the North Shore becomes a place that serves our community for generations to come.'
The development is the first publicly awarded project to use mass timber at scale in the Northeast United States, according to the city. The use of mass timber plays into another one of Adams' plans. The mayor's 'Green Economy Action Plan,' sets out to, among other things, provide New Yorkers with nearly 400,000 projected 'green-collar' jobs by 2040.
Construction is expected to start in 2027.
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