Staten Island Opens New Green Space to Grow Organics, Absorb Stormwater – NBC New York

New York City on Tuesday opened a new rooftop farm on Staten Island that grows healthy organic food and absorbs stormwater.

This in an effort to help reduce flooding in neighborhoods and protect the health of the Big Apple port. The approximately 32,000-square-foot roof is planted with organic wildflowers and vegetables to absorb the approximately 3.5 million gallons of rain that falls on it in a typical year, rather than on a waterproof roof.

By keeping rain out of the local drainage system, this rooftop farm, situated on top of the building Corporate Commons Three by Nicotra Group, helps control stormwater and reduce flooding in the neighborhood. The project was made possible by a $670,000 grant provided through DEP’s Green Infrastructure Grant Program.

The farm Corporate Commons Three includes 23,375 square feet of green roof and 9,500 square feet of vegetated walkway and was designed by Brooklyn Grange. The DEP grant of $669,584 paid for the rooftop farm.

Nonprofits, private property owners and businesses are eligible for funding to retrofit roofs with green roofs to manage stormwater on private properties. DEP accepts applications on a rolling basis throughout the year, and consideration is given to projects that are cost-effective, replicable, and provide matching funds or other contributions. To learn more and apply, New Yorkers can visit DEP’s green infrastructure grants page.

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