Yesterday the city's Economic Development Corporation sealed the $100 million deal on the 30 acres of waterfront Long Island City land known as Hunters Point South, clearing the way for work to soon begin on a massive 5,000-unit housingpalooza, 60% of which will be reserved for middle-income tenants (households banking between $55,000 and $158,000 per year). Now via ArchPaper we're seeing some new Hunters Point South renderings, not of the towers that will be built on the barren strip of industrial land?those can be glimpsed right here?but of the planned 11 acres of waterfront open space. While Hunters Point South can't possibly live up to the trippy Morphosis-designed Olympic Village that was going to be built on this plot had NYC been awarded the 2012 games, the park space is, dare we say, awesome.
Co-designed by Weiss/Manfredi and landscape architect Thomas Balsley, who worked on the Queens West master plan and Gantry Plaza State Park immediately to the north, the open space will have beaches, athletic fields galore?including "The Green," a massive oval-shaped lawn?get-downs into the water and a tree-lined connector from the waterfront to a Newtown Creek kayak launch (don't forget to shower!). The designers also decided to preserve the 25-foot promontory that was created with infill back when a Daily News printing plant called this address home. With the new section of Gantry looking pretty snazzy itself, the Hunters Point waterfront is making Manhattan's coast on the other side of the river look like amateur hour. As for a completion date? We're penciling this in ~2156.
· A Park Fit for Queens [ArchPaper]
· Hunters Point South coverage [Curbed]