Rendering of the proposed Innovation QNS district. Image courtesy of VERO Digital

The New York City Council on Tuesday voted to approve rezonings Innovation QNS in Astoria and Innovative Urban Village in East New York, two mixed-use districts that will create more than 5,000 units of housing, with 65 percent of them designated affordable. Over 34 percent, or 1,900 of the new housing units, will be deeply affordable for extremely or very low-income households.

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Rendering of the proposed Innovation QNS district. Image courtesy of VERO Digital

Two major housing developments proposed for Brooklyn and Queens are moving forward. The New York City Council Committee on Zoning and Franchises on Thursday voted to approve rezonings Innovation QNS and Innovative Urban Village, which together would create more than 5,000 units of housing, 3,200 of which would be affordable. The two developments also include over 1,600 apartments for extremely or very low-income households.

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Rendering courtesy of Senator Michael Gianaris on Flickr

Queens’ first planetarium will open in Astoria, New York State Sen. Michael Gianaris announced on Thursday. Using a $1 million state grant, the planetarium will be built as part of a major renovation of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens (VBGCQ). Construction on the planetarium will begin next year and is expected to be completed in 2026.

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Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

Applications are now being accepted for 145 affordable units at a major mixed-use project under construction in Astoria. Located at 3-24 27th Avenue, the 100-percent affordable, 14-story building is part of the Durst Organization’s Halletts Point development on the East River waterfront. New Yorkers earning 40 and 60 percent of the area median income, or between $25,372 for a single person and $86,460 for a household of five, are eligible to apply for the rent-stabilized apartments, which range from $665/month studios to $1,601/month two bedrooms.

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Rendering of The Cubes at Socrates Sculpture Park, courtesy LOT-EK

NYC Parks and Socrates Sculpture Park broke ground this week on “The Cubes,” a two-story building that will be the first permanent structure in the Astoria park’s 30-year history. The 2,640-square-foot facility will house programming, administrative offices, community work, and arts education. Designed by architecture studio LOT-EK, the $5,735,000 project will be created using recycled shipping containers to honor the neighborhood’s “industrial roots,” according to a press release. Construction is expected to finish in early 2024.

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Renderings by VERO Digital

A plan to build a large-scale development with 2,800 apartments in Astoria is moving forward. The City Planning Commission on Wednesday voted in favor of Innovation QNS, a $2 billion mixed-use district proposed for five blocks in the Queens neighborhood, spanning 37th Street to Northern Boulevard, between 35th and 36th Avenues. The project will then head to the City Council for a final vote where it may face resistance from the local representative, Council Member Julie Won, who said she wants at least 50 percent of the apartments to be affordable.

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Rendering courtesy of Binyan Studio

Applications are now being accepted for 126 middle-income units at a new residential development in Queens. Developed by Cape Advisors, Astoria West, located on Vernon Boulevard and 30th Drive, includes three buildings across 2.5 acres along the East River. The housing lottery falls under the project’s second phase; a lottery launched at the building in March for 36 units. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $80,572 for a single person and $187,330 for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, priced from $2,350/month for studios to $3,287/month for two-bedrooms.

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Rendering: Binyan Studio

A new three-building development in Astoria with hundreds of apartments officially launched leasing on Tuesday. Developed by Cape Advisors, Astoria West, located at 30-77 Vernon Boulevard faces the tiny urban “beach” Hallet’s Cove and contains 534 rentals and more than 40,000 square feet of amenities. Available units range from studios to two bedrooms, priced from $2,920/month.

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Photo courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

A housing lottery opened this week for 35 very-low-income units at a new development in Queens. Located at 23-11 31st Road in Astoria, the Bishop Valero Residence is a six-story building designed with senior residents in mind. Developed by Catholic Charities and designed by Dattner Architects, the project includes on-site supportive social services accessible through the ground floor’s 200-seat community senior center. New Yorkers who are 62 years or older and earn 40 or 50 percent of the area median income, (no more than $33,440 annually for a single person or no more than $53,700 for a household of three) can apply for the units.

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Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

A housing lottery opened this week for 36 middle-income units at a new residential development in Queens. Developed by Cape Advisors and designed by Fogarty Finger, Astoria West at 30-77 Vernon Boulevard consists of three buildings across 2.5 acres along the waterfront. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $77,143 for a single person to $167,570 for a household of five, are eligible to apply for the apartments, which range from $2,250/month one-bedrooms to $2,950/month two-bedrooms.

Find out if you qualify