A mega-development that would bring four 24-story towers plus 11 other buildings to the Rockaways has begun the official environmental review, the first step in a long process before the project becomes reality. But locals have questions about the builders’ poorly maintained properties elsewhere in the city.
The proposed development, by Alma Realty, will create an enormous amount of new housing on the peninsula — and possibly serve as a resiliency hub during future extreme storms.
It’s planned to be constructed around Alma’s three existing 13-story buildings, known as Surfside Apartments, that together contain almost 800 units, surrounded by parking lots and some green space, just east of the Rockaway Hotel.
The new complex would bring 1,560 new apartments — with at least a fourth of them income-restricted units — to the peninsula.
The city’s planning department will host an initial public hearing on the project on Thursday, following Alma submitting an environmental assessment statement for the project. The environmental review takes place before the start of the lengthy citywide review process required for the proposal, which will necessitate changes to the city’s land use rules. To move forward, the mayor and City Council must vote for it to proceed.
According to the developer, the towers will help address the city’s housing shortage. But Alma’s reputation has some locals worried.
Last year, New York City sued Alma for allowing 13 buildings in its portfolio to “fall into dangerous states of disrepair, posing an imminent threat to the health, life and safety of hundreds of residential tenants and the public,” the lawsuit’s complaint said.
It went on to detail how the buildings, located in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, amassed over 800 violations with five city agencies, including for lead paint, vermin, illegal basements, unsafe wiring, mold and missing or broken fire doors.
The parties in the case have come to an agreement about repair deadlines.
The lawsuit did not involve the Surfside Apartments, which Alma purchased about two decades ago out of bankruptcy and “has had tens of millions of dollars for repairs and equipment replacement since then, including elevators and boilers,” according to Alma.
Still, some Surfside residents continue to complain about conditions in the apartments, including inconsistent heat and hot water and elevator problems.
“They do the band-aiding. It’s haphazard in maintaining a lot of the essential services,” said Karen Nevirs, a Surfside resident for over 40 years, who opposes the development.
Council Member Also Critical
Ken Fisher, a government relations consultant with the firm Cozen O’Connor that Alma hired for the project, said the area is well-suited to accommodate the project, which would be located across from a subway stop and the ferry terminal.
In addition to the four 24-story residential towers, the project features 10 four-story townhouses, one-story buildings with retail, a public recreation center and amenities for residents, as well as nearly 1,200 parking spaces.
The development includes a private outdoor pool for residents of the new and existing buildings, and public open space about as nearly as large as the field Yankee Stadium, with a central plaza, lawn and pedestrian path.
“I think over time the notion is this will be one community,” Fisher said.
The area is at risk of flooding from storm surge and high tides. With that in mind, the development will be designed 13 feet above the floodplain. Fisher said the developers will also reserve space about as large as a tennis court for the city to use as a “resiliency hub,” where officials could store supplies and operate a command post after an extreme weather event.
“It’s designed to withstand 100-year storms. It’s designed to contribute to the recovery after a 100-year storm,” he said, referring to a major storm that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year.
In all, the project is expected to bring in over 4,200 new residents, according to documents Alma filed with the city. The development would be built in phases over seven years, with construction beginning as early as 2026 and completed by 2032.
But Alma will have to contend with organized opposition from some locals before the project moves forward.
Queens Community Board 14, which makes advisory decisions on zoning changes as part of the citywide review process, is against dense development in the area. The board in 2022 voted for a moratorium on projects over six stories high.
“Every project we oppose for the reasons of: where are the schools, where are the roads, where’s the evacuation?” said board chairperson Dolores Orr.
David Rood-Ojalvo, who was the only member of the board who voted against that moratorium, wants more housing — but not by Alma.
“I would definitely support more housing, if it were with a developer that has a track record of being responsible,” he said.
Councilmember Joann Ariola (R-Queens), who represents that area of the Rockaway peninsula has been critical of the proposed development, too. Though her vote represents just one in the 51-member Council, she could have outsize influence: the body could go along with whatever she as the local member decides on the project in a custom known as “member deference.”
“I have never supported this particular project nor will I support this particular project, especially in its current form,” she said. “The peninsula just cannot withstand more residents, more buildings, taller buildings.”
Ariola cited the lack of a nearby hospital as one of the reasons she stood against the development — but pointed to Alma as a prime reason for her opposition.
“As far as I’m concerned, they do not have the trust level that’s necessary for me to support anything that they would want to build on the peninsula,” she said. “When my constituents are so vehemently opposed to it, that means everything to me as to how I have to make the decision.”
According to Fisher, the opposition may not be representative of all local sentiment, pointing to a 2022 survey by Matt George Associates of 152 Surfside residents where 52% indicated “very” or “somewhat positive” feelings about new developments nearby.
“I think that a lot of the folks that have moved to the Rockaways are looking for additional amenities,” Fisher said. “They’re not terrified by density. They didn’t run away to the Rockaways as many people did in the ‘80s because their neighborhoods were changing.”