What Is Rockaway Village?
Rockaway Village is a five-phase mixed-use redevelopment in Far Rockaway, Queens, led by Phipps Houses on a former commercial corridor.
The project is planned as an eight-building complex with about 1,700 low-income and moderate-income rental apartments at full buildout. By July 2025, 1,239 units were listed as completed. Current leasing is active through OpenView Vacancies.
Housing is intended for households earning roughly 30 percent to 80 percent of Area Median Income.
Core Components
Rockaway Village combines affordable housing with retail, community facilities, parking, and new public space. Similar mixed-use projects elsewhere have highlighted the value of community facilities in strengthening neighborhood engagement and long-term resilience.
Plans cite roughly 115,000 square feet of commercial and community facility space, plus more than 550 parking spaces. They also include new roadways, well-lit sidewalks, and two public plazas.
Amenities and services are structured to support community resilience and reinforce neighborhood identity.
This is done through shared spaces, social services, and resident-focused design.
Where Is Rockaway Village in Far Rockaway?
Rockaway Village is in Downtown Far Rockaway at 1725 Village Lane, Far Rockaway, NY 11691. Phase 5 is addressed as 1518 Village Lane, Queens, NY 11691.
The development is in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens Community Board 14. It was built on a former commercial corridor between the subway and the railroad.
It occupies an underused site that once contained a dilapidated 9-acre strip mall. The area is part of a mixed-use downtown district.
Rockaway Village sits across the street from public transit. It is very close to the A subway line and the Far Rockaway terminal.
It is also near the Long Island Rail Road station. Nearby bus routes include the Q22, Q113, Q114, N31, N32, and N33.
Its location supports neighborhood revitalization. It also improves pedestrian access to retail, community spaces, and public plazas.
How Many Buildings and Units Are in Rockaway Village?
Beyond its transit-rich location, the project’s size defines its role in Far Rockaway’s redevelopment.
Rockaway Village is best understood as an eight-building complex planned across five phases.
Its building count matters because reports can seem inconsistent when some phases are finished and others are still underway.
Key Figures Driving Attention
- Eight buildings are planned across the full development.
- Roughly 1,700 units represent the full projected apartment count.
- 1,239 units were listed by Phipps as completed or counted by July 2025.
Those unit totals differ by source because completion has occurred in stages, not all at once.
Phase-based reporting has included four buildings in Phase 3 and one major building in Phase 4.
Phase 5 has also included a 325-unit building.
The clearest summary remains eight buildings and about 1,700 affordable apartments.
What Retail and Community Space Does Rockaway Village Include?
Street-level retail and community-serving space are central to Rockaway Village’s mixed-use design. Sources cite roughly 108,000 square feet of commercial space and about 10,000 square feet for community facilities.
Retail programming is concentrated along street-facing edges to increase visibility, support foot traffic, and reinforce the development’s village-center layout.
City materials for the first phase list lower figures. These include about 92,000 square feet of retail and 8,000 square feet of community space.
Public-Facing Amenities
Community amenities include space for early childhood education and other neighborhood services integrated into the mixed-use plan.
The entrance area also incorporates open plaza elements. Sources describe public art, plantings, seating, pedestrian pathways, and up to 23,000 square feet of privately owned public plaza space.
Infrastructure upgrades further connect shopping, services, and circulation. Broader conversations about urban development and public access have also unfolded alongside heightened attention to corporate security following the Midtown Manhattan shooting.
Why Does Rockaway Village Matter to Downtown Far Rockaway?
At a neighborhood scale, Rockaway Village matters because it transforms a nearly 9-acre former strip mall into a mixed-use, transit-oriented center in Downtown Far Rockaway.
It replaces a deserted commercial property with affordable housing, new streets, sidewalks, and public spaces. These improvements strengthen neighborhood identity and reconnect a long-neglected corridor between subway and railroad service.
Why It Reshapes the Core
It adds nearly 1,700 affordable apartments at full buildout, including 457 in Phase 1.
It concentrates growth near major transit, improving transit accessibility and supporting more walkable daily activity.
It signals durable public and private investment in a downtown that has faced decades of underuse.
Assessment
Rockaway Village stands as a major completed housing intervention in Far Rockaway, adding new residential density, retail activity, and community-oriented space to a long-targeted redevelopment area.
Its eight-building scale signals a significant physical and economic shift for Downtown Far Rockaway, where new mixed-use construction has been positioned as a stabilizing force.
The project also reflects broader pressure on New York City neighborhoods to deliver housing, services, and investment in a constrained and closely watched market.
