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A rendering of the Arverne East development, which will be lined by a boardwalk on the south side. 

A rendering of the Arverne East development, which will be lined by a boardwalk on the south side. 

Credit: Bernheimer Architecture/Local Office Landscape & Urban Design 

CityLab
Environment

NYC’s First Net Zero Community Brings Housing to Storm-Ravaged Neighborhood

A swath of oceanfront land in the Rockaways will become a test bed for climate and economic policies, promising affordable housing and other amenities to a region hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy. 

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Along 116 acres of vacant oceanfront land, development has begun on what could become New York City’s first and largest community to reach a goal of net zero carbon emissions.

The roughly $1 billion project on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens could be a proving ground for a host of climate and economic policies. The development will incorporate geothermal heating, passive house design to optimize energy efficiency, and a plan to raise the storm surge elevation, given the land’s vulnerability to flooding. 

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