CBS New York visits NYC's first multi-family project with active geothermal system
NEW YORK -- Towering 26 stories over the playful skyline in Coney Island, a new development at 1515 Surf Ave. promises change to the neighborhood in more ways than one.
"Local Law 97 is regulation coming into effect in 2024. That's going to regulate carbon emissions for all buildings bigger than, I think, 25,000 square feet. So I think it's something that the development community needs to take seriously," said Anthony Tortora, senior vice president and principal of LCOR, the development company behind the project.
The building will house 463 new apartments, 139 of which will be affordable housing. But it's a system of pipes and levers, called a manifold, which makes the development unique.
"HVAC units in the apartments take heat out of the air in the summertime, bring it to this piping. And from this piping it goes into the ground and that cools our space. In the wintertime, that heat that we've put into the ground we extract through the same process in reverse to heat the space," explained Nick Pasquenza, LCOR's director of development and construction.
LCOR claims the development is going to be the first sustainable building of its kind in New York City. The underground wells, located hundreds of feet below, are expected to reduce the building's carbon emissions by more than 60%.
The water dominates the skyline, but from the bird's-eye view at the top of the building, one can also see the high-rises and new developments which have sprouted up in recent years. Residents trace the building boom to a rezoning in 2009. It's a cause of concern for some, like Ann Michelle Valdez, who has lived in a nearby NYCHA development for decades.
"You're talking about bringing in hundreds of residents in that building, alone. Thousands, between all the buildings that are going up here. But nobody is thinking about rebuilding the infrastructure," Valdez said.
Others, like local activist Angela Kravtchenko, are excited for the project, yet worry about the changing community.
"It's an amazing step forward, that we were trying to go to zero emissions, that we're using this thermal energy," she said, adding, "That is a real concern, that people aren't going to be able to afford to live in Coney Island."
LCOR says the building is designed to withstand flooding and storms, and promises thousands of feet of amenities, on-site parking, and retail space.
"We're adding jobs. We're working with the local community board all throughout the construction process, and we think will ultimately be a net benefit to the community," Tortora said.
The project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year.
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