ABTS’ The Tides Now Offers Seasonal Stays
By Katie McFadden
Arverne by the Sea, in the making for more than two decades, keeps on making progress. With homes, condominiums, rentals, and its own retails and restaurants, it’s like a mini city within the Rockaway peninsula. And now they’re offering folks who want a taste of The Tides to try urban beachside living for themselves with seasonal rentals.
As part of the Arverne Urban Renewal Plan, after a Request for Proposals went out, in December 2001, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development awarded Benjamin-Beechwood, LLC the opportunity to develop the large Arverne by the Sea land, essentially creating a new community on the Rockaway peninsula in an undeveloped area. With plans for more than 2,300 residential units in one to two-family houses, mid-rise apartment buildings, commercial and retail space, a charter school and more, the property that stretches from Beach 81st Street to Beach 62nd Street began to be developed in phases starting in 2003.
More than 20 years later, Arverne by the Sea has woven itself into the fabric of the community. The entire project has faced a few challenges including the 2008 recession, Hurricane Sandy and the covid pandemic, that have delayed or altered some plans, but within the next five years, it is expected to be complete. The charter middle school, expected to be complete by the end of the year, is underway, and just three other sections of The Tides portion of the development remain. However, since the first Tides building was completed in 2018, and the second in 2021, many residents have already been enjoying all that the area has to offer.
Gerry Romski, senior project executive and general counsel for Arverne by the Sea, he himself a resident of The Tides, recently took The Rockaway Times on a tour of the beautiful new apartment buildings’ rooms and amenities. While more than 95% of The Tides is leased, Romski is looking to give folks a chance to experience it on a short-term basis with three to six-month seasonal rentals now available. The Tides has a few fully furnished studio and one-bedroom units available, with the possibility of a two-bedroom available, for those who may want somewhere to live for the summer.
And The Tides have plenty to offer beyond modern, clean living spaces in a building with private security. The development offers amenities that are hard to come by on the peninsula. One of the big draws is a large outdoor pool and deck that residents can enjoy in the warmer months. However, there’s plenty to take advantage of year-round.
Throwing a little party or gathering? There are community grill and kitchen spaces to rent. Want a change of pace from working from your living room? Try the community co-working space. Need to get a workout in? The YMCA is just around the corner, but even closer, a gym complete with cardio and weight machines is right in the building. Feeling bored? Head to the game room and play some pool or shuffleboard or watch TV with friends. Or perhaps head out to the side deck to play some cornhole outside. Want a personal big screen viewing experience? Rent out the small movie theater space with real movie-theater style seats and even a popcorn machine to have a movie night with your loved ones. The Tides even offers unique experiences monthly where you can enjoy trivia nights, sip and paints or other activities with neighbors. Got a bike or a surfboard? The Tides offers storage facilities, so they don’t take up your living space. All of these offerings are available to those who call The Tides home, whether year-round, or now, seasonally.
This is in addition to the many amenities that Arverne by the Sea has brought to the area for the entire neighborhood to enjoy. From a pizza place to a nail salon, sandwich and coffee spots, a barbecue joint, a burrito shop, a wine store, a tiki bar, the YMCA, and Stop & Shop, all of your needs are in one area at Arverne by the Sea. And Romski says there’s even more to come with a gastropub opening where Bar Marseille was, and kid-friendly activity spaces in discussion for the future.
However, it’s close enough to a variety of transportation modes to take you elsewhere. The A Train, now boasting a brand-new ADA accessible elevator at Beach 67th Street, is right there, offering a 45-minute ride into Manhattan or a 10-minute ride to the AirTrain that gets you to JFK airport. A few buses also stop in the area, including the express bus that takes commuters to Manhattan. The NYC Ferry shuttle also makes a stop at ABTS to bring locals to the ferry landing. And for those who drive, there’s parking available on site.
Romski says it’s the ideal place for those who want to experience living in New York City, with a waterfront view and beach access. “There isn’t really anything like this in Rockaway. It’s sort of its own community. It has its retail, it has a bunch of restaurants, Stop and Shop, the YMCA, it’s pretty self-contained and it’s pretty close to the city for being out on Long Island. You’re right down by the beach. Unlike a lot of these developments that have views of the water, not only do you have a view, you can use the water. Whether you’re surfing, whether you want to swim, whether you want to walk along the boardwalk with your dog, there’s a lot to do out here. If you work from home, it’s a cool place to work. You’re close to the city, you get the benefits of the city if you want to go to Manhattan, but you also have the benefits of the beach lifestyle. If you like that beach life, why wouldn’t you want to live here?” Romski said. “It’s a great place to live.”
The Tides has a few year-round units available, plus a limited number of seasonal units now available. For the seasonal units, a studio is $3,500 a month for a six-month stay or $3,700 a month for a three-month stay and a one bedroom is $4,500 a month for six months or $4,750 a month for three months. There is also the possibility to rent a two-bedroom for a seasonal stay. All seasonal and full-time rental information is available at www.TheTidesNYC.com or call 718-550-1894 or stop by the leasing office at 6804 Tides Road in Arverne, seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for more info.
