By Bill Parry
As construction workers completed its 50th story, Rockrose Development Corp. celebrated the topping out of The Hayden, its 974-unit residential tower at 43-25 Hunter St. in Court Square last week. When construction is completed next year, The Hayden will be the fourth tallest structure in Queens, reaching 509 feet.
It will also be the city’s largest “80/20” project constructed outside of Manhattan, meaning that 20 percent of its units will be offered as affordable housing.
“I am very excited,” Rockrose President Justin Elghanayan said. “Like Linc LIC this building is packed with amenities like four different roof decks, a fitness center with a full basketball court, a screening room, a library and a children’s playroom.”
More than 12,000 new apartment units are planned for Court Square in the next five years. Rockrose alone is constructing over 2,500 units in the neighborhood.
“More apartments will be constructed in Court Square in the next five years than in Downtown Brooklyn, Hudson Yards, or any other emerging neighborhood in NYC,” Elghanayan said. “The area also offers tremendous opportunities for retailers, especially restaurateurs, in a community that is currently underserved.”
Meanwhile, the Long Island City hotel boom continues with the opening of the 160-room Marriott Courtyard Hotel at 29-15 Queens Plaza North next to the Hilton Garden, which opened last year. The Courtyard becomes LIC’s 28th hotel, with 30 more in the construction or planning stage, according to the LIC Partnership.
The building is part of a mixed-use property that also houses 132 apartments with a separate lobby and services, and a parking garage. The Courtyard features a 1,200-square-foot gym as well as several meeting rooms, a computer library and a Starbucks, according to Marriott.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
