Feng Shui-Certified Long Island City Condo Sells Out
The Vista, a 48-unit condo development in Long Island City developed by Lions Group and Emmy Homes, has completely sold out. Feng Shui played a big role.
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Writer
New York—The Vista, a 48-unit condo development on 44-15 Purves Street in Long Island City that began construction in 2011 and was completed last year, has completely sold out. According to the sales agent for the property, Modern Spaces, buying interest in the property was brisk. In less than a half hour after the beginning of its soft opening, 11 units were sold.
Developed by Lions Group and Emmy Homes, the Vista is comprised of 15 floors with studios and one- and two-bedroom residences ranging from 475 square feet to 965 square feet. Prices started at $360,000. The building, which was designed by Gene Kaufman Architect P.C., features solar panels and a glass façade with bay windows and balconies.
Amenities at the Vista include a landscaped rooftop terrace, a fitness center with a yoga room, entertainment room, WiFi, doggie spa, bike storage, and a parking garage for residents. More unusually, the property has been feng shui-certified by consultant Laura Cerrano of Feng Shui Long Island, who advised the developers on every facet of the design and construction of the building since inception.
For example, there is no fourth floor in the building — or to be exact, no floor numbered four — in accordance to feng shui principles. Also, residences don’t have balconies adjacent to their living rooms, and entrances to each unit don’t face other interior doors, again according to feng shui, a set of beliefs that originated in ancient China that are now typically used to situate aspects of the human-built environment.
“We decided to go with feng shui after realizing in one of our previous projects that buyers were making requests to change some layouts for feng shui reasons,” Eric Benaim, president and CEO of Modern Spaces, tells MHN. “Incorporating feng shui helped the building a lot, we were able to capture a whole new audience. It’s interesting to see how every layout, every wall has been meticulously designed to embrace the feng shui beliefs. Not only did buyers resonate with the design of the Vista, but many participated in the feng shui ceremonies that were held onsite of the property.”
