Urban farms, communal kitchens and outdoor terraced pools aren’t usually associated with Staten Island. But Urby, a new way of living, plans to change that. Under the watch of developer David Barry, whose firm Ironstate will also launch a similar living concept in Jersey City soon, the Dutch architecture firm Concrete created what can only be described as friendly living. In the words of Barry, the ‘thoughtful and not random’ development is a somewhat new concept: an urban community with premier amenities, with the health, happiness and wellness of its residents in mind.
With some 570 rental units in three distinct housing blocks (and another 430 units to come still), Urby sits on the North Shore waterfront, in Stapleton, a neighbourhood overlooking downtown Manhattan, just two train stops away from the Staten Island Ferry.
‘There's a bunch of industrial buildings, and it's a little scrappy still and kind of coming into its own. It's not one of those neighborhoods that has like, wow, gorgeous architecture,’ says Barry. ‘Like, you know, what Soho once was.’
In fact, the Stapleton Waterfront was a $32 million dollar undertaking by the city government, a note that Barry points to as a sign of urban regeneration, citing Battery Park, Williamsburg, and Astoria as other waterfronts that prompted neighborhood facelifts. With 380-sq-ft studios ($1,508), one-bedroom ($1,933) and two-bedrooms ($2,507) apartments, Urby has so far attracted a mix of renters, including about 50 per cent Staten Island locals, 40 per cent ex-Downtown Manhattan residents, and 10 per cent newbie New Yorkers. 'It’s an authentic vibe,’ he says.
The complex certainly has a Dutch touch. Concrete designed with community in mind, where public spaces prompt social interaction, whether from the interconnected public pathways or the filtered water pump (glass jugs are given to each tenant), echoing medieval European water troughs in city centres.
On-site, there’s a variety of dining options, pulling in local businesses, including Red Hook’s famed Hometown Bar-B-Que. But the locus of Urby is its public coffee house, designed to ‘metaphorically be a house’, says Barry. It’s run by Queens-born Coffeed, which also oversees the Bodega, both stocked with goodies made from Urby’s own farm produce. The farm also provides bounty for a weekly farmer’s market, with aisles of kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, sunflowers and some other 50 varieties. Urby just might be the proof that amid the pizza and red-sauce, the oft-forgotten borough of Staten Island can be a creative place to live for those from across the Harbor (and beyond).
Designed by the Dutch architecture firm Concrete, the development is focused on growing an urban community with premier amenities, with health, happiness and wellness in mind. Pictured: a view of the communal kitchen
Concrete designed with community in mind, creating public spaces that prompt social interaction
Urban farms, communal kitchens and outdoor terraced pools are just some of Urby's distinguishing features
The farm (pictured) provides bounty for a weekly market, with aisles of kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, sunflowers and some other 50 varieties
A view of the surrounding Stapleton Waterfront, which has been redevloped by the city at a cost of $32 million dollars
Urby's 570 rental units are divided into 380-sq-ft studios, one-bedroom and two-bedrooms apartments, perfect for city living
INFORMATION
Urby is now available for leasing. For more information, visit the Urby website
ADDRESS
Urby
7 and 8 Navy Pier Court
Staten Island, NY 10304
-
A true super saloon in look, feel and power, the Lotus Emeya is an EV to savourThe Emeya manages to punch high above its hefty weight, offering a genuine alternative to German equivalents with a style that’s all of its own
-
This perfectly-compact sauna blends the best of Scandinavian and Japanese expertiseThe Kupu Sauna from Maruni merges exquisite craftsmanship with a celebration of Japanese and Finnish bathing cultures
-
Côte&Ciel’s new ‘Stratus’ bag collection captures the essence of a rain cloudCoinciding with the launch of its A/W 2025 collection, the Parisian accessories company has partnered with architect Alberto Simoni and photographer Gabriele Rosati on a tactile installation turning bags into sculpture
-
Meet Studio Zewde, the Harlem practice that's creating landscapes 'rooted in cultural narratives, ecology and memory'Ahead of a string of prestigious project openings, we check in with firm founder Sara Zewde
-
The best of California desert architecture, from midcentury gems to mirrored dwellingsWhile architecture has long employed strategies to cool buildings in arid environments, California desert architecture developed its own distinct identity –giving rise, notably, to a wave of iconic midcentury designs
-
A restored Eichler home is a peerless piece of West Coast midcentury modernismWe explore an Eichler home, and Californian developer Joseph Eichler’s legacy of design, as a fine example of his progressive house-building programme hits the market
-
We'd happily move into this super-stylish New York architecture officeMichael K Chen’s newly expanded Midtown workspace is a calling card for his intuitive style and inclusive approach
-
How LA's Terremoto brings 'historic architecture into its next era through revitalising the landscapes around them'Terremoto, the Los Angeles and San Francisco collective landscape architecture studio, shakes up the industry through openness and design passion
-
Inside the Waldorf Astoria's dazzling restoration, from cigar smoke to snowy owlsHow a team of architects from SOM and a group of art conservators brought New York's grand dame back to her original Art Deco splendor
-
Inside a Donald Wexler house so magical, its owner bought it twiceSo transfixed was Daniel Patrick Giles, founder of fragrance brand Perfumehead, he's even created a special scent devoted to it
-
The Pagani Residences is the latest ultra-luxe automotive apartment tower to reach MiamiRising up above Miami, branded apartment buildings are having a renaissance, as everyone from hypercar builders to crystal makers seeks to have a towering structure bearing their name
