On the Edge

Williamsburg waterfront gets an edgy new look.

Since the departure some time ago of heavy industrial waterfront use in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, only a small portion of the East River has remained accessible to residents.

But things are changing.

Project team Douglaston Development and Levine Builders, both of New York, broke ground in May on The Edge, making it one of the first new residential projects to capitalize on the city’s recent rezoning efforts to enhance the Williamsburg waterfront. In addition to residential and retail uses, the Edge will consist of public open space, a promenade on the water, resident amenities within each building and new piers that include a new water taxi stop.

The $390 million mixed-use complex, located on Kent Avenue between North Fifth and North Seventh streets, will consist of four buildings and incorporate both affordable and market-rate units. Two high-rise, market-rate towers approximately 653,000 sq ft with 575 units will join two mid-rise affordable buildings, which will be approximately 287,000 sq ft with 350 units. In total, including 60,000 sq ft of retail and a 550-car parking garage, the Edge rests at almost 1 million sq ft of space. The eventual addition of phase two will bring the total number of residential units to 1,500. 

No leases have been signed yet for retail space at the development. However, Jeffrey Levine, president of Levine Builders and principal of Douglaston Development, the team is currently considering gourmet food markets, major banks and boutique pharmacies as possibilities. “The retail will be selected with the goal of enhancing the quality of life for residents and providing additional amenities,” he adds.

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The project team chose materials with the goal of offering residents healthy, green spaces. Low or no VOC-emitting materials were selected, and low-flow water fixtures and low-energy building systems will be used.

Levine says the team plans to pursue LEED certification and is hopeful the project will reach a silver rating. Construction is on schedule for completion in 16-18 months, he adds.

“We made a commitment to make the project environmentally friendly,” adds Stephen Jacobs, president of New York-based Stephen B. Jacobs Group, the project architect.

That firm, in conjunction with landscape architects Archipelago Architects, also of New York, worked to develop a final scheme for the buildings that will be both unique yet situated on the site in a way that will take advantage of its waterfront surroundings and work in tandem with the existing fabric of the neighborhood. 

“The buildings are sited to maximize the relationship with the promenade and to maximize the flow of indoor/outdoor space to the promenade,” Jacobs says. “Our approach to the design of the buildings goes from the inside out so the form of the buildings, the shape of the buildings, the flow of the buildings all grew out of their inside organization, which is the primary driver of our design.”

Jacobs adds that the facades and finishes of the buildings vary depending on scale and location. The towers utilize stone and glass, while the low-rise buildings utilize brick, which reinforces the existing context of the neighborhood. The scale is also reduced as buildings move farther away from the water. The towers are at the water’s edge, while the low-rise buildings reach closer to the fabric of the low-rise existing streets.

The site plan and landscaping are expected to help strengthen the aesthetic. “We tried to create a more durable landscape, meant to withstand salt, rain and people, says Dragana Zoric, architect and designer at Archipelago Architects. “The site used to be a railyard. With that in mind, we tried to retain the integrity of materials and to create a landscape that was simple, industrial and clean.”

Zoric says the design for the piers is somewhat untraditional. Instead of meeting the buildings at a 90-degree angle, perpendicular to the shoreline and parallel to each other, the piers will be oriented at angles that point to specific views. One will point toward the Empire State Building, while the water-taxi piers will face the Williamsburg Bridge. “We took many facets of traditional landscape design, but tried to turn them on their side a bit,” Zoric adds. 

The Edge boasts a comprehensive set of amenities for residents, Levine says. “We are offering an amazing amenities package everything from indoor and outdoor swimming pools, to spas, to basketball courts, to pilates and yoga studios to Zipcars on premises. We are creating a lifestyle.”

Jacobs agrees.

“We are creating a stand-alone community in one of the most vibrant, dynamic neighborhoods in the city,” he says.

The Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning, approved by the city in May 2005, set forth a plan to redevelop over 2 mi of East River waterfront, as well as some areas farther inland. According to plans available from the New York City Department of City Planning, the governing agency for the rezoning, the zoning changes make way for more density at the waterfront, mixed uses and the creation of an inclusionary housing program to ensure the development of affordable housing.