Vernon Boulevard

Scope

The project was for the property assessment and site planning of four zoning lots with existing buildings on the waterfront in Long Island City, Queens. The subject property extends street-to-street, encompassing two corners, and is an Inclusionary Housing site. Massing and 3D renderings were prepared. We are currently in schematic design for the new building.

Approach

The size of the site gave us some flexibility, however the existing buildings on the site created constraints. We needed to be sure that our proposed lot merger didn’t create a new non-conformance with yards or distances between buildings. The property also had a portion of the site with a Landmarks designation, and although we were able to work the design around the boundaries, we worked with Landmarks to ensure compliance.

Impact

Ultimately, we determined that the site had approximately 200,000 sq. ft. available and usable, far greater than the owner’s original estimate of 60,000 sq. ft., provided by their previous architect. Yards and courts were carefully navigated to maximize the use of floor area on the site while providing maximum and minimum building dimensions that lend well to the future design of the apartments. The site is in a flood zone, so residential occupancy is not permitted at ground floor, and the site is not on a retail corridor, so we dug in deeper for ground floor use. We utilized the existing occupancy at the ground floor, looking to lower the use from existing manufacturing to public parking, which will be of great benefit with the new ferry opening nearby.