A little more than three weeks after Rockrose’s plans were rejected for their 43-25 Hunter Street project,1 the Department of Buildings has again turned the development corporation away. A series of permits were stamped “PLAN EXAM – DISAPPROVED 06/02/2014 (J)” earlier in the week, including the most critical “CEL,ROF 001 thru 050″ permit.2
Construction was originally slated to begin on the 50-story, 907,000-square-foot, 500-foot-tall building with 975 units in the fourth quarter of 2013.3 But we’re now half way through 2014, and there has been zero activity on the lot.
A project insider submitted fresh renderings for Rockrose’s development at 43-25 Hunter Street, in Long Island City’s Court Square neighborhood. The architect is SLCE, and permits were partially approved late last week.
The insider also has the latest details regarding scope, and 43-25 Hunter Street will be very substantial, with a gross measurement totaling 970,000 square feet. Ground-floor retail will comprise 19,400 square feet, and the remainder of the project will be divided between 974 apartments, with 20% set aside as affordable; the development will also be split between two components, with a 14-story building rising next to the larger tower.
43-25 Hunter Street’s mid-rise component, image by SLCE
The project will include a host of amenities, including basketball courts, a billiard room, and a yoga studio. A setback above the tower’s 38th floor will be used as the roof deck, and views overlooking Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn will be comprehensive.
43-25 Hunter Street will also become one of the tallest buildings in Long Island City, standing 50 stories and 509 feet to its pinnacle. Among residential towers, only Heatherwood’s new skyscraper at 42-12 28th Street will be taller, and both developments should rise concurrently. While the Citigroup Building has long anchored Court Square’s skyline, it will soon be joined by several apartment projects that will add substantial heft.
43-25 Hunter Street, image by SLCE
Large-scale developments like 43-25 Hunter Street will be essential to Court Square’s success, especially as the area will eventually become the densest neighborhood in Queens. Projects that fill out the streetscape and the skyline are key to future vibrancy, and Rockrose’s latest high-rise will do both; the firm has plans for over 1,500 additional units in the vicinity, which will further catalyze Long Island City’s evolution into a 24-hour Downtown.
Completion of 43-25 Hunter Street is tentatively slated for 2017.
Rockrose Development is taking over Long Island City, and today, YIMBY has fresh renderings for the firm’s newly topped-out 50-story tower at 43-25 Hunter Street, which has been named The Hayden.
When we last checked in with the project in March, it had hit 35 stories. By mid-April, it had gained another 10 floors. Now, the building has officially topped out, reaching 50 stories and 509 feet. When Rockrose finishes construction, it will rank as the fourth tallest tower in Queens. The three buildings higher up on the list are One Court Square (aka the Citigroup Building), 42-12 28th Street, and Rockrose’s other huge development at 43-22 Queens Street.
The finished structure will have 974 apartments. Twenty percent of them, or 195 units, will rent for below-market rates to families who earn no more than 60 percent of the Area Median Income, or $54,360 for a household of four. The skyscraper will also become the largest 80/20 project outside of Manhattan, thanks to the now-defunct 421-a tax exemption program.
The finished tower will span 970,000 square feet total, including 19,400 square feet of retail on the ground floor. Apartments will break down into 348 studios, 459 one-bedrooms, and 167 two-bedroom apartments. There will also be a familiar list of luxury amenities, including a yoga room, basketball court, Zen garden, “rooftop solarium,” screening room, and library.
Work on The Hayden expected to wrap sometime in 2017.
