Halletts Point Esplanade Opens to the Public
The Halletts Point Esplanade is open, restoring public access on this stretch of the Astoria waterfront for the first time in decades. Designed by Starr Whitehouse for the Durst Organization’s Halletts Point Development, the 2.5-acre site features a flexible lawn, waterfront seating, a nautically themed playground and a continuous public walkway framed by native plants and sweeping views across the river to Manhattan. “This part of the East River has been inaccessible for so long, so everything we did here was to bring people to the water,” said Laura Starr. “The design creates generous entrances off the street, aligning the paths to create a journey through native plants and locally sourced boulders to arrive at these incredible vistas. With places to sit, walk your dog, and play with your kids, we wanted people to be able to spend the day here, whether strolling in nature, relaxing, exploring, or enjoying the amazing view.” Read coverage of the project by:
Our Summer 2025 newsletter is out! Putting the park back in Park Avenue, a roadmap to resilience for Coney Island Creek, the Hart Island concept plan, and more.
Starr Whitehouse is thrilled to be on the winning team to transform Queens’ vacant Flushing Airport site into a new community featuring 3,000 units of affordable workforce housing overlooking a 60-acre nature preserve. Cirrus Workforce Housing, LCOR developers, and S9 Architects tapped Starr Whitehouse to develop a landscape design that connects the project to the College Point and Flushing communities, drawing people to experience the beauty and cooling effect of the site’s marshes and woodlands. Low-impact trails and boardwalks meander through the wetlands and lead visitors to a strategically placed recreational plateau created from the development’s excavated material.
Selected as the winning bid by NYC EDC, the proposal will create 1,300 construction jobs, 530 permanent positions, and $3.2 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years. Read more about the project award in:
NYC Parks has officially unveiled the Hart Island Concept Plan, a 20+ year vision for improvements to New York City’s public cemetery in Long Island Sound. Led by Starr Whitehouse for NYC Parks, the concept plan proposes a series of capital projects in response to operational needs and public input, while taking into consideration the ongoing necessity of burial operations on Hart Island.
“For more than 150 years, Hart Island has been an essential part of our city. This concept plan presents a suite of proposals that can improve the physical conditions and resiliency of the island, and provide a better experience for visitors as well as agency staff that manage its daily operations — all through the lens of respectfully honoring those who are laid to rest on this peaceful island,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. “We look forward to working with various stakeholders, fellow city agencies, and partners in government to advance the long-term planning priorities for the island.”
Read more about the concept plan in:
The NYC Department of Transportation has selected Starr Whitehouse to redesign eleven blocks on Park Avenue between East 46th Street and East 57th Street — as part of a commitment to “put the ‘park’ back in Park Avenue.” Read news coverage of the project award in:
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has elevated Stephen Whitehouse as one of 50 ASLA Fellows in 2025. Each year, the ASLA elects a new class of Fellows for their exceptional contributions to the landscape architecture profession and society at large.
“The 2025 Class of ASLA Fellows reflects the very best of landscape architecture—visionary leaders whose work uplifts communities, restores ecosystems, and advances climate-ready design,” said ASLA President Kona Gray, FASLA, PLA.
Stephen’s 40-year career has bridged the public and private sectors. As Chief of Planning for NYC Parks, he advanced initiatives that helped transform New York into a greener city at the forefront of landscape architectural practice. As co-founder of Starr Whitehouse, he has led award-winning projects that realize the forward-thinking policies he helped to develop early in his career and made landscape architecture central to resilience and urban strategy.
ASLA Fellows will be elevated during a special investiture ceremony at the 2025 Conference on Landscape Architecture, which will be held in New Orleans Oct. 10-13. Fellow biographies are available here.
Read our Fall 2024 Newsletter: The Arc of Practice at this link!
6SQFT’s Devin Gannon reports on the opening of Starr Whitehouse’s Arverne East Nature Preserve – New York City’s first net-zero community.
NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue and members of the community celebrated the opening of the new Arverne East Nature Preserve and welcome center on Wednesday, April 24. Arverne East will be the ecological centerpiece of New York City’s first net-zero community—a 35-acre “urban” nature preserve situated between the Atlantic Ocean and a dense residential neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula. Commissioner Sue Donoghue was joined by New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr., Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, New York State Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson, New York City Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers, Managing Director of L+M Development Partners LLC Sara Levenson.
Read our Winter 2024 Newsletter: Greening Urban Infrastructure at this link!