Homecrest Tapped For $95M Flood Resilience Project

Residents in Homescrest will soon see the start of a $95 million Cloudburst stormwater management project, where new infrastructure designs will reduce flooding, protect local waterways and strengthen neighborhood resilience as extreme weather becomes more frequent and more severe.

Cloudburst projects use a network of neighborhood-scale infrastructure to move stormwater off streets during short, intense storms without overwhelming the sewer system, city officials said. In Homecrest, the city Department of Environmental Protection will install porous pavement on streets and underground storage systems on public land, managing an estimated 30 million gallons of stormwater each year.

The Homecrest project will relieve pressure on the sewer system during peak rainfall by capturing and storing stormwater before it floods streets or flows untreated into Coney Island Creek. Reducing polluted runoff is essential to protecting water quality and meeting Clean Water Act standards, officials said.

The project will target flooding hotspots across a 350-acre area, including Kings Highway, Coney Island Avenue and Avenues P, R, S, T, U and V.

“We are building a city that protects New Yorkers in the places where flooding hits hardest,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. “This project turns everyday public spaces — our schoolyards, streets and parking lots — into infrastructure that keeps our communities safe. As climate change accelerates, investments like this are not optional. They are how we deliver a city that is resilient, equitable and prepared.”

DEP launched its Cloudburst Management Program in 2023, advancing projects in flood-prone neighborhoods across the city, including Parkchester in the Bronx; Brownsville and East New York in Brooklyn; East Harlem in Manhattan; and Corona, Jamaica, Kissena and St. Albans in Queens. 

“The Homecrest Cloudburst project is a major step forward in protecting this community from the kind of extreme rainfall we know is becoming more common,” said DEP Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia. “By capturing and storing stormwater before it overwhelms local streets and sewers, we’re reducing flood risk, improving water quality in Coney Island Creek and building the resilient infrastructure New Yorkers deserve.”