Williamsburg’s Green Edge Stays on Silver Track, Seeks Retail Tenants

We briefly mentioned Brooklyn’s The Edge early last summer after it appeared at #12 on New York Construction’s list of the top twenty projects started in 2006-2007 (ranked by dollar value). Construction on the $390 million, mixed-used development along the East River waterfront at Kent Avenue between North Fifth and Seventh Streets in Williamsburg is on schedule after breaking ground last April and should wrap up between sixteen and eighteen months from now (in the summer of 2009), according to Jeffrey Levine, head of general contractor Levine Builders and principal of owner Douglaston Development. In this month’s issue of New York Construction, Levine also notes that the project team is still aiming for a LEED Silver rating from USGBC and acknowledges that although his firm has yet to sign any leases for the 60,000 square feet of ground floor retail space that The Edge will offer, it is considering a number of gourmet food markets, banks, and pharmacies; no word as to whether the inevitable Citibank and Whole Foods outlets will implement sustainable business practices (though each chain has certified stores under the LEED system previously).

In addition to 575 market-rate residential units across the two stone and glass high-rise towers, the project will also include 350 affordable units in the two brick-cladded mid-rise buildings. As we noted previously, green design features include energy-efficient mechanical systems, environment-friendly refrigerants, green roofs, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, an enhanced building commissioning program, tobacco smoke control, and low-VOC materials. The development also remediates a former brownfield and includes access to a water taxi pier and waterfront esplanade. The piers will not run perpendicular to the waterfront but instead jut into the East River at various angles designed to frame views of notable landmarks, including the Williamsburg Bridge and the Empire State Building. A second phase to the project could eventually increase the total number of units to almost 1,500.

• The Edge Seeks Silver Advantage in Williamsburg (gbNYC)

Popularity: 20% [?]