ARK Development, a subsidiary of real estate firm Racebrook Capital, has released its final project renderings and schematic development for The ARK animal terminal at John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, USA.
Construction work for the US$48m animal cargo and veterinary facility began earlier this year following the approval of a 32-year lease agreement between Racebrook and the airport operator, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).
Alongside the construction work, ARK Development has begun its pre-operational business phase with the identification, employment and training of staff for the new facility.
Pat Foye, executive director for PANYNJ, said, “Redeveloping cargo infrastructure and growing the cargo piece at New York and New Jersey’s airports is vital to supporting thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity for the region. ARK’s investment of US$48m into JFK will transform an airport structure that has been vacant for nearly 10 years into a world-class specialty cargo facility, and the agreement guarantees the Port Authority more than US$100m in revenue without any additional capital investment.”
The latest design renderings show the exterior of The ARK at JFK with bright multi-colored walls and animal designs on the façade. The outside area also contains two dog runs, relief areas, benches and picnic tables for clients and employees. The Ark will also have an original three-dimensional mixed media artwork created by renowned and award-winning artist Charles Fazzino in the main lobby.
Dr Aaron S Perl, managing director and general counsel of ARK Development, said, “With demand for pets and animals of all kinds to be transported by air escalating year after year, we recognized the need for a more user friendly, humane and efficient model for this significant segment of the air travel industry.
“A world-class facility with more than 650,000ft² of property on the runway system at JFK already gives us pride of place in New York, the northeast, and the predominant gateway into North America. We couldn’t be more thrilled that Charles Fazzino has agreed to provide his time and considerable talent to memorialize The ARK at JFK in a skyscraping vista and urban jungle landscape, created in his own inimitable style.”
