Garvies Point temporarily halts construction amid the coronavirus 

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Like many construction projects across the state, work at Garvies Point Development has come to a temporary pause due to a directive from Gov. Andrew Cuomo on March 27 that all “non-essential” construction work be halted to prevent the spread of Covid-19. 

He defined essential construction as a “project necessary to protect the health and safety of the occupants.” Projects should continue, Cuomo said, “if it would be unsafe to remain undone until it is safe to shut the site.” 

Some of the [Garvies] buildings are already nearly completed, said Joe Graziose, the executive vice president of residential development for RXR Realty. Garvies Point is a 56 acre, $1 billion luxury residential and commercial development that broke ground in 2017.  The projects include The Beacon, Harbor Landing, and Village Square.

Garvies Point Development consists of three main component — the infrastructure, amenities and the buildings. Graziose said that the infrastructure of Garvies Point, which includes the roads and underground electricity, is in its final phases and should be wrapped up by the summer. And the buildings, which include Harbor Landing, the Beacon and Village Square, which has retail, residential and commercial space, has also been substantially finished. The amenities — two miles of bulkhead, playgrounds and dog parks, will have its final touches completed by spring 2021, he said.

The Harbor Landing building, on the north side of Herb Hill Road, is 100 percent complete and roughly 103 units have been leased. Although Graziose said that the building on the south side of the street is not completed, there are plans for it to be opened by this summer. 

The Beacon, at 100 Garvies Point Road, is substantially complete and the building is occupied at the moment. The last phase is expected to be finished in July or August. 

In fact, RXR has been doing virtual tours of the units. “We continue to receive a high level of interest in both properties,” Graziose said, “and, in accordance with safety protocols, have moved to virtual touring with our sales and leasing teams.”

RXR has signed a number of leases at Harbor Landing through virtual tours, he added. “There are many aspects that make up the Garvies Point community, and hopefully, the order to halt construction throughout all of New York state will not delay us significantly.” 

For now, it is expected that construction will resume at Garvies Point later in April. “RXR treats the health and safety of all employees, contractors and others involved in its projects with the utmost care, and we will continue to comply with all state requirements at this time,” Graziose. “Aspects of the construction process at Garvies Point continue to move forward in the planning phases, and we intend on resuming construction on a vigorous schedule as soon as it’s safe and we are able.”

Glen Cove City Councilwoman Marsha Silverman agreed that safety should come first during this time, saying that construction workers should stay home time to stay healthy and prevent the spread of the virus. 

“I think Glen Cove is very resilient,” Silverman said. “I think that when it is safe to go back to more normal activities, Glen Cove will bounce back.”