Courtesy TF Cornerstone
In Long Island City, TF Cornerstone is building a recreation area as big as a football field.
FORGET the deluxe apartment in the sky — now two luxury developments are building parks up there.
The blockbuster projects — each costing more than $1 billion — are turning roof space into green amenities that rival the best athletic facilities in the city.
In Long Island City, TF Cornerstone’s 4545 Center Blvd. has a football-field-sized outdoor area with two lit tennis courts, beach volleyball court, a pond, benches, barbecue grills, private cabanas, dog run, sun deck, children’s’ jungle gym, and grass field.
“You can forget the summer house and stay in the city all summer and be outside in this paradise,” said TF Cornerstone Executive Vice President Sofia Estevez. “I’m mesmerized myself and I built it.”
The 820-unit rental building is part of a six-tower master plan designed by Arquitectonica, architects of the Bronx Museum. The development has studios, one-, two, and three-bedroom rentals starting at $2,300. More than 160 apartments have rented even before the start of a marketing campaign.
For the first year, the space, which also includes a full gym and lounges, will cost renters $50 per month to use.
“When we first starting building huge projects in ‘fringe’ neighborhoods, we realized if you couldn’t say ‘location, location, location,’ then we better be able to say ‘amenities, amenities, amenities,’” said Estevez.
Flushing’s Sky View Parc brings in people from across the region. In addition to a 4-acre park that connects three towers, the condominium complex includes a shopping center with Best Buy, Sky Foods, a Restoration Hardware furnishings outlet, and a Korean cosmetic chain called Amore.
The 7 subway train at Main St. and the Long Island Rail Road are two blocks away.
The signature outdoor space has views of Citi Field. It includes bamboo trees, two lighted tennis courts, a basketball court, landscaped gardens, a large putting green, outdoor barbecues, a dog run and a jogging track where 10 times around equals one mile.
The $20 million sixth-floor park attaches to a health club and gym. The entire space is free to anyone who owns in the complex. Only 55 of 448 units remain for sale. Studios start in the $400,000 range.
The outdoor space is a huge plus, said residents.
“Flushing can be chaotic so it’s great to be able to have this peaceful space,” said Alan Cheng, who owns a one-bedroom with his wife. “We walk our dog after dinner and it’s safe. I play basketball there every Saturday with my neighbors. Most cities are convenient, but this is like another level.”
Outdoor space is the top amenity for househunters, so it’s no surprise that builders are finding new ways to include it, experts have long known.
“It can’t be replicated,” said Citi Habitats President Gary Malin. “With these two spaces in Queens, you’re talking about making these buildings destinations in and among themselves. You can actually escape your own living space and find a suburban-style oasis in your own living environment.”
