Starbuck island, in the heart of the Hudson River, has been used for various functions throughout history. For nearly 100 years, up until 1918, it contained an iron foundry. After that, it was a petroleum storage farm until abandoned approximately 13 years ago. Since the closure of the petroleum storage facility, the property was an eyesore in community. Working closely with our client, this abandoned property was rejuvenated by remediating the contaminated site and building a mixed used development comprised of commercial space and above market, high end multi-family residential apartments. Through use of public grants and carefully selected engineering approaches, a potentially prohibitively expensive project was successfully completed within our client’s budget.

The resulting community now offers a multi-tenant, 2-story 26,300 s.f. commercial building that contains office, retail, and restaurant space with an outdoor seating area; and four, 4-story multi-family residential buildings with a total of approximately 276 units. These residential buildings include their own patio or outdoor balcony space overlooking the Hudson River. Property amenities include private gyms, clubhouse and pool, a public outdoor amphitheater, floating docks, and boat slips. Along the entire east side of the island is a boardwalk that connects the amphitheater to a seasonal restaurant at the southern tip of the island.

McFarland Johnson provided SEQR documentation, civil/site engineering, structural retaining wall design, site plan and permit approvals. Significant environmental approvals and permits were required, including coordination with USACE, NYSDEC, NYSDOS, NYSOGS and FEMA. MJ provide the foundation design that supports the 1,700 lf seawall that protects the community from the flood waters from the Hudson River. The innovative use of 625 wooden structural support piles was provided to ensure the wall will withstand the rise and fall of water levels for this waterfront development.

• 2022 ACEC-NY Engineering Excellence Award – Special Projects Category