626 First Avenue

Two-Towered, 800-Unit Residential Complex Tops Out At 626 First Avenue, Murray Hill

It was in December that YIMBY last brought you a construction update on the two-towered, 800-unit residential development under construction at 626 First Avenue, between East 35th and 36th streets in Murray Hill. The residential towers – now standing 41 and 48 stories – have since topped out, as seen in photos by Tectonic. The apartment units should average 906 square feet apiece and will be accompanied by 94,700 square feet of amenities, including a 38,000-square-foot public park. There will also be 4,100 square feet of ground-floor retail space. JDS Development Group is the developer of the 825,000-square-foot complex, and SHoP Architects is behind the design. Completion is expected in early 2017.


Long Island Offshore Wind Farms

81,000 Acres of Ocean South of Long Island Designated for Offshore Wind Farming

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has proposed an 81,000-acre swath of the Atlantic Ocean located 11 miles south of Long Beach, Long Island, to be the site of future wind energy development. The area could be turned into an offshore wind farm, but not before a lengthy approval process is complete, according to the LI Herald. A developer would first have to design plans to build a wind farm, then lease a given area, trek through the required review steps, and obtain the proper approvals, at which point construction could finally begin. The entire process is estimated to take 10 years from start to finish. At this point, BOEM will conduct an environmental assessment to study the impacts of leasing the area. In 2013, BOEM launched a Request for Interest to gage the desirability to build wind farms. Multiple developers, including the New York Power Authority, have expressed interest.