3 New York City Residential Projects That Feature DIY Urban Gardens

Though its traditionally been unusual to see developers turn over valuable square footage to residents when additional units or an upscale spa amenity can be integrated instead, the farm-to-table trend has now officially infiltrated high-end real estate development. As a result, some new luxury condos and rental projects are giving residents the room to connect with nature and try harvesting crops of their own. 

550 Vanderbilt

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

Part of the Brooklyn project Pacific Park, 550 Vanderbilt features a spectacular 3,500-square-foot landscaped terrace for its residents to enjoy. Located on the eighth floor, the terrace offers residents not only an array of garden plots, but also an outdoor kitchen and grill. Unit owners will be able to sign up for individual plots at the start of each season and use them to grow their own herbs, fruits, and vegetables. To give the gardeners a bit of inspiration, the hot new Brooklyn restaurant Olmsted will be cultivating an additional garden for its own use on the eighth-floor terrace. 

Urby

Staten Island

Staten Island’s massive rental complex, Urby, has created an urban farm with a "farmer-in-residence" to help the people living there grow their own food. A variety of produce is also harvested and sold at the development’s ground-floor marketplace.

Waterline Square

Upper West Side

Located on the Upper West Side, Waterline Square, a residential project by Richard Meier and Partners Architects, Rafael Viñoly Archi, and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, will feature an indoor gardening studio for residents.