Far Rockaway has spent years as one of New York City’s most overlooked waterfront communities — a narrow peninsula at the southeastern tip of Queens, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Jamaica Bay, with more beach access than almost anywhere in the five boroughs and a fraction of the investment that other waterfront neighborhoods have received. That story is changing, and construction that began in April 2026 is the most concrete proof yet.
Arverne East Building D: What’s Actually Being Built
Governor Hochul announced the groundbreaking for Arverne East Building D on April 24, 2026 — a $278 million affordable development on a vacant oceanfront site that was damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The building will deliver 318 total units: 89 cooperative homeownership apartments and 229 rental units.
The co-op units will be affordable to households earning up to 100% of Area Median Income. The rental units will be affordable to households earning up to 90% AMI. Thirty-five rental units are reserved as supportive housing for young people aging out of foster care, with services provided by Camba. The building includes one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.
What makes this development stand out beyond its numbers is the engineering. Arverne East Building D is designed to Passive House standards. It will be all-electric and fossil fuel-free, with rooftop solar and connection to an Arverne East geothermal loop that provides heating, cooling, and hot water to the entire development. All ground-floor residential and commercial spaces are positioned above the 500-year flood elevation. In a neighborhood that remembers Sandy vividly, that’s not a footnote — it’s the whole point.
The Bigger Picture: New York’s First Net-Zero Community
Building D is the third phase of the larger Arverne East project, which is being developed by L+M Development Partners, Triangle Equities, The Bluestone Organization, Mega Development, and Urbane Development on a 116-acre oceanfront site. When fully complete, Arverne East will have 1,650 homes — roughly 80% affordable — along with 270,000 square feet of commercial space, 76,000 square feet of community facilities, a nature preserve, an urban farm, a Coastal Conservation Center, and a future aquatic center.
The first two phases are already complete and include a nature preserve and the reconstruction of Edgemere Avenue. Building D is the first and largest residential phase of the development.
State financing includes $17.3 million from HCR’s Affordable Homeownership Opportunity Program, $25.9 million from HPD’s Open Door program, and $94.1 million from HPD’s ELLA program. Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group served as tax credit equity investor.
Far Rockaway: What Else Is Changing
The Arverne East groundbreaking doesn’t exist in isolation. Far Rockaway and the broader Rockaway Peninsula are seeing a range of investments right now. The MTA serves the area with the A train (via the Rockaway Branch) and the S shuttle, and transit access — while improved — remains a genuine constraint on daily life for residents. The completion of the Arverne East Aquatic Center, planned for a future phase, would add a major public amenity to a neighborhood that currently has more ocean than indoor recreation options.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, who contributed $1.5 million to this project, called the groundbreaking “another massive step forward in fundamentally changing the Rockaway Peninsula.” Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers, who contributed $1 million and has pushed for expanded homeownership provisions, called the co-op component “a meaningful pathway to ownership” for working families.
What You Need to Know
- Construction began in April 2026 on Arverne East Building D — a $278 million, 318-unit affordable development in Far Rockaway.
- 89 units are co-op homeownership opportunities (affordable up to 100% AMI); 229 are rentals (up to 90% AMI).
- The building is built to Passive House standards, is all-electric, and is positioned above the 500-year flood elevation.
- It connects to the Arverne East geothermal loop, reducing energy costs and carbon footprint for all residents.
- When fully complete, Arverne East will be New York’s first net-zero community — 1,650 homes on a 116-acre oceanfront site.
- For those navigating NYC’s affordable housing system, see our guide to finding affordable and accessible apartments through Housing Connect.
