How about getting an apartment in an eco-friendly building overlooking the East River and a 13-acre park, while having fresh vegetables and fruits grown on the roof-top at affordable rent?
It may look incredible for people with low and moderate incomes in New York, where rented space comes at a premium, but a unique Government –private partnership has made this possible, a model that could be replicated in Indian cities.
Hunter’s Point South Living has two buildings with environmentally sustainable features — 32-storey Hunter’s Point South Crossing with 306 apartments and 37-storey Hunter’s Point South Commons, with 619 apartments in Long Island City. Built on a parcel of post-industrial land, the two buildings were completed last year. “The apartments range from studio to three bedrooms, with equal mix of low and moderate income group families selected through a rigorous process,” says Luke Falk, Assistant Vice President, Related Companies, that took up the project as part of affordable housing programme. “All the lessons we learnt when superstorm Sandy hit New York have been incorporated in these two buildings”.
All apartments have fittings rivalling high income group housing, that includes dishwasher in the kitchen, while amenities range from lounge with outdoor terrace, tech lounge, fitness centre, children’s playroom. The icing on the cake, of course, is the urban farm on the 14th floor terrace irrigated by a storm water retention tank and pollinated by the bees in the apiary. The vegetables grown include eight varieties of tomatoes, five varieties of peppers, two varieties each of eggplant, radishes, turnip, roots and beets and three varieties of cucumbers. Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries from the fruit basket while the herbs range has chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, lemon verbena, rosemary and three varieties of basil, mint and thyme.
The two buildings have silver and gold Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) rating for its green, sustainable, energy-efficient, healthy and cost-effective design features. The residential complex has also won the 2016 ULI NY Excellence in Development Award for best housing project. “It has all the conceivable sustainability and resilient features one could think öf — from energy efficient lighting to storm resistance”, said Charlotte Mathews, Vice President of the Related Companies.
The support from the local government and civic authorities include tax credits and subsidies, the details of which Mr. Falk was not prepared to share.
But he says such projects are economically feasible and had good future given the difficulties faced by low and moderate income groups in expensive cities like New York where per square foot space could go up to $ 500. “We have provided apartments at almost half the rent with all the amenities of high- end apartments”.
( The author was in the U.S. at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy)
