New condo to bring feng shui to LIC

Clockwise from top left: Modern Spaces CEO Eric Benaim, an early rendering of the common recreation room, a master bathroom, 44-15 Purves Street (credit: PropertyShark) and an early rendering of the lobby

It’s not for a lack of balconies that residents of a forthcoming Long Island City condominium won’t be able to gaze out on their outdoor space from the comfort of their living rooms. Rather it’s because of an abundance of feng shui.

Tomorrow morning, Vantage Partners will break ground on a 15-story, 48-unit condominium at 44-15 Purves Street in LIC that will benefit from a feng shui consultant. As a result, the groundbreaking ceremony will include the burial of nine red envelopes, with wishes enclosed, underneath the cornerstone. Once complete, the building won’t have a fourth floor (four is to feng shui enthusiasts as 13 is to Americans), units won’t have balconies adjacent to the living room (the developer will build separate entryways) and the entrance to each unit won’t directly face another interior door. These are just some of the feng shui beliefs being incorporated into the building, dubbed Vista Court.

The building is getting the full feng shui treatment at the suggestion of LIC-based brokerage Modern Spaces, which Vantage commissioned to market the property. Modern Spaces has been encountering many buyers who covet a feng shui home at the Yard, a nearby condo developed by Chess Builders that the brokerage is also marketing, according to Eric Benaim, the firm’s president.

There, Chess Builders has worked to change the units to accommodate those buyers. But rather than endure the same revision process at this location, Modern Spaces decided to integrate feng shui features beforehand.

“What we’ve seen, especially with the Yard, is that buyers in the neighborhood are really feng shui-conscious,” Benaim said. “Most of it has to do with the demographics, but it’s also probably part of a general lifestyle trend.”

Benaim said the Purves Street condo, which should be complete in about 18 months, is playing up the feng shui theme in its amenities, too. There will be a yoga studio in the building and the lobby will use the mirror placement and flowing water typical of the feng shui concept. More standard amenities in the building will include a fitness center, free wi-fi and a common roof deck.

Though Benaim could not discuss the price point yet, he said the building will be designed by architect Gene Kaufman and have an all glass facade with unique bay windows. The units will be a mix of studios and one- and two-bedrooms, where three-bedroom combinations are a possibility, and it will be part of the 421a tax abatement program.