Rain gardens will capture excess water, and solar panels will provide part of the electricity. The area surrounding the former hospital was badly damaged during Superstorm Sandy. The de Blasio administration launched a special planning initiative in 2015 to rebuild parts of the neighborhood with more resilient designs.

"Edgemere Commons will not only rebuild the Rockaway Peninsula," said Arker Principal Daniel Moritz, "but will also revitalize the neighborhood and bring in a new era of economic growth."

Peninsula Hospital closed in 2011, buried by millions of dollars in debt.

The 11 buildings will include apartments for people making between 30% and 130% of area median income. There will also be 270 units for senior housing.

Neighbors expressed concerns during the review of Edgemere Commons about the density required to build the thousands of units—which Arker representatives say is necessary to support the project's retailers.

Local Community Board 14 made recommendations against the project during the summer, but Edgemere had the backing of Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.

Most important, the project won the support of local Councilman Donovan Richards. During a zoning subcommittee meeting this month, he called the Edgemere Commons plan "a template for what a resilient mixed-use development should look like in the 21st century."

Edgemere Commons will be built during the next 15 years in five phases, its developer said.