On Wednesday, June 5 more than 50 residents gathered on the beautiful rooftop at One Flushing, our new project in Queens, for the kickoff “Garden Club” event. It was AAFE’s featured activity for NeighborWorks Week 2019. 

Residents of the 100% affordable building in the heart of Downtown Flushing learned about becoming members of the nearly 1,500 square foot community garden. One Flushing is partnering with GrowNYC to implement a gardening program for tenants, who started moving into the building earlier this year. 

AAFE is part of the national NeighborWorks network, an affiliation of almost 250 nonprofit organizations. Over the years, NeighborWorks has supported our affordable housing developments across New York City, bolstered AAFE’s homeownership counseling and loan programs and provided training for AAFE staff and residents. Nationwide, the NeighborWorks network has created more than 41,000 jobs and managed almost 167,000 rental homes. 

On Wednesday evening, residents heard from AAFE Co-Executive Director Thomas Yu and Jennifer Sun. As they pointed out, the One Flushing project and our NeighborWorks affiliation are both all about building a strong and diverse community, in which residents have the opportunity to grow and thrive. 

Community is also what GrowNYC is helping to build on the One Flushing rooftop. The program is meant to engage and educate residents of all ages through eco-friendly farming. Future Green Studio designed eight raised planting beds on the roof. The edible crops are expected to produce around 1,000 pounds of produce per year. During this week’s gathering, GrowNYC staff made a gorgeous salad with greens and edible flowers picked from the garden. They also gave residents a tour of the farm. Thanks to GrowNYC’s Gerard Lordahl, Suzannah Schneider and Sally Law-Berry for helping to make the event a big success!

One Flushing was co-developed by AAFE, Monadnock Development and HANAC. The building, adjacent to the Main Street LIRR Station, is located at 133-45 41st Avenue. There are 231 apartments for low-and middle-income families and individuals, including 66 units for low-income seniors. In addition to the farm, the rooftop includes a 134kW solar array, one of the largest in any multi-family project.

Later this summer, AAFE will open our new community services hub at One Flushing, which includes a senior center, immigration and housing counseling services and small business services through our affiliate, Renaissance Economic Development Corporation. 

AAFE Co-Executive Directors Jennifer Sun and Thomas Yu with Neighborks’ Keith Getter.