Astoria

A diner in Astoria has transformed into a pop-up drive-in

Photo courtesy of The Bel Aire Diner

May 15, 2020

A diner in Astoria has transformed into a pop-up drive-in

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A retro diner in Queens has transformed its parking lot into a drive-in movie theater, giving New Yorkers a way to be entertained safely during the coronavirus pandemic. The Bel Aire Diner, located at Broadway and 21st Street, set up a 25-foot outdoor projection screen in its lot that has enough space for 40 cars. After successful first showings of "Grease" and "Dirty Dancing," the diner plans to keep the movie nights going, possibly with multiple showings per week.
More here
Live in the artsy section of Astoria, from $990/month

Part of the Welling Court Mural Project; via Wikimedia

February 3, 2020

Live in the artsy section of Astoria, from $990/month

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Located just steps from the Welling Court Mural Project and Socrates Sculpture Park, a new rental building in Astoria has launched an affordable housing lottery. Fifteen newly constructed units are up for grabs at the Amana Astoria, located at 14-47 29th Avenue. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 70, 80, and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from a $990/month studio to a $2,770/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify
MTA considers restoring passenger service to freight line between Bay Ridge and Ridgewood

The Bay Ridge Branch crossing Ralph Avenue in Canarsie, photo by Jim Henderson / Wiki Commons

January 23, 2020

MTA considers restoring passenger service to freight line between Bay Ridge and Ridgewood

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Since the 1990s, the Regional Plan Association has been advocating for the restoration of passenger service to a rail line known as the Bay Ridge Branch that runs from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to Astoria, Queens and is now used as a freight line. The MTA has announced that it will begin a feasibility study to "evaluate the potential for subway, commuter rail, light rail or bus service" along the line, which the agency notes would create the potential for reverse commuting and connect to 19 subway lines and the LIRR. In October, the RPA's Kate Slevin explained to NY1, "We don't have unlimited resources here in New York City, as we know, so the fact that we already have tracks there, that are underutilized, really means a lot."
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168th Street and Astoria Boulevard subway stations finally reopen

MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford at the 168 St Station on Monday, December 23, 2019, along with Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Assemblymember Al Taylor. Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit

December 23, 2019

168th Street and Astoria Boulevard subway stations finally reopen

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After a year, the 168th Street 1 train station has finally reopened, marking the first complete elevator replacement at this stop in more than 100 years. In addition, last week, the MTA announced that the Astoria Boulevard N, W station has reopened after nine months and the completion of the first phase of its station modernization.
More info
The 8 best neighborhoods in NYC for holiday shopping

Photo by Josh Wilburne on Unsplash

November 26, 2019

The 8 best neighborhoods in NYC for holiday shopping

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New York is a prime spot for holiday shopping, in large part because of big department stores like Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, designer flagships that line the Upper East Side, and whatever hell awaits you in the Disney Store in Times Square. But true New Yorkers should avoid the major shopping hubs, and instead seek gifts and other goods in some of the city’s slightly less crowded and infinitely more interesting ‘hoods, including the many holiday markets and pop-up shops found across the five boroughs. Find our favorite neighborhoods for holiday shopping this season, ahead.
See the full list
Robert de Niro-funded studio taps Bjarke Ingels to design $400M ‘vertical village for film’ in Astoria

Renderings courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group and Wildflower Ltd.

September 20, 2019

Robert de Niro-funded studio taps Bjarke Ingels to design $400M ‘vertical village for film’ in Astoria

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The star power involved with Robert de Niro’s planned production studio in Astoria continues to grow. The development group—which includes developer Wildflower Ltd, Raphael De Niro, and Jane Rosenthal—has just revealed a first look at the 650,000-square-foot facility designed by Bjarke Ingels Group. The $400 million project, called Wildflower Studios, will establish a hub for the creation of film, television, and other forms of entertainment, including augmented reality and virtual reality. The facility is expected to create more than 1,000 daily union jobs.
Get a first look at the renderings
New 2.5-acre complex will bring 500+ rentals to the Astoria waterfront

30-77 Vernon Boulevard. Renderings by Pax Brooklyn, courtesy of Fogarty Finger

August 22, 2019

New 2.5-acre complex will bring 500+ rentals to the Astoria waterfront

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A sprawling new residential development at 30-77 Vernon Boulevard from Cape Advisors and Wainbridge Capital will bring over 500 rental apartments to the Astoria waterfront area (h/t Yimby). The 522,000-square-foot construction site on two-and-a-half acres of land will be comprised of three adjacent buildings designed by Fogarty Finger. New renderings show a white and gray façade with rooftop recreation areas; amenity spaces will include a private courtyard, indoor and outdoor lounges, a fitness center and a rooftop pool East River and Manhattan skyline views.
Find out more
Astoria food hall opening this fall promises to showcase the diverse cuisines of Queens

Rendering courtesy of EJ Stevens Group

August 7, 2019

Astoria food hall opening this fall promises to showcase the diverse cuisines of Queens

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Last summer, a developer announced plans to convert a restaurant supply store and warehouse in Astoria into a food hall. Now, after some construction delays, the World Artisan Market is officially moving forward, as Eater NY first reported on Wednesday, with an expected opening date in the late fall. Developed by the EJ Stevens Group, the former warehouse at 34-39 31st Street will be converted into a retail space with 18,000-square-feet of storefronts which will offer a diverse mix of vendors, from Korean barbecue to a French-Scandinavian bakery.
Find out more
Robert De Niro wants to build a $400M film studio in Astoria

The Wildflower Studios is part of a large swath of properties owned by piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons; via Google Streetview

July 10, 2019

Robert De Niro wants to build a $400M film studio in Astoria

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As the number of movies and television shows filmed in New York City continues to grow, Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro wants in on the action. De Niro and his son, Douglas Elliman broker Raphael De Niro, along with development firm Wildflower and producer Jane Rosenthal, have entered a contract for five acres in Astoria with plans to build a production studio, as Commercial Observer first reported. The planned facility, which will be called Wildflower Studios, will cost about $400 million to build.
More here
Target expansion plans face community resistance in Queens

Image via Google Earth.

May 10, 2019

Target expansion plans face community resistance in Queens

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A planned expansion by Target into several Queens neighborhoods has run afoul of politicians and community groups. The chain store hopes to open new stores in Astoria and Elmhurst by 2022, but activists in the borough have been fighting to stop the new additions, objecting to the fact that they'll replace mom-and-pop stores and concerned about the effects of gentrification in their neighborhoods. Another concern is that Target's non-union workforce will replace union jobs, The City reports.
Find out more
Sample the wares and see what’s new at NYC’s top flea and food markets

Image courtesy of Brooklyn Flea; photo credit: Scott Lynch

April 5, 2019

Sample the wares and see what’s new at NYC’s top flea and food markets

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The city's local flea and food markets set up shop in springtime, bringing irresistible edibles and covetable goods to a neighborhood near you. Though dates and locations vary and favorite vendors come and go, the mighty market phenomenon keeps growing. The shop-and-nosh mecca Brooklyn Flea again changes locations (hello, WTC!), a favorite night market returns in Queens, and the Manhattan classics are back to offer more of what you didn't know you couldn't live without. Some of the best fairs are the most fleeting, and one-offs like the annual Renegade Arts and Crafts Fair are always worth the trip. The list below rounds up the city's top food and flea picks. Let the hunting and gathering begin!
Plan your market strategy
Astoria Boulevard N, W station to close for nine months for elevator and mezzanine repairs

Image via Wikipedia

March 13, 2019

Astoria Boulevard N, W station to close for nine months for elevator and mezzanine repairs

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The Astoria Blvd N and W station in Queens will close at 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 17 and remain shuttered for nine months as New York City Transit works on a multi-phase repair project. The elevated station will get four new elevators and other accessibility features. In order to construct the street elevators, the mezzanine level will be demolished and rebuilt with more vertical clearance to prevent strikes by trucks and other over-height vehicles on the road below.
More info
Leasing launches for first rental at Astoria’s Halletts Point mega-development, from $2,150/month
February 21, 2019

Leasing launches for first rental at Astoria’s Halletts Point mega-development, from $2,150/month

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Leasing has officially begun at 10 Halletts Point, the first tower of seven to rise at the Durst Organization's development in Astoria. Designed by Dattner Architects, the rental building features two towers, at 22- and 17-stories, originating from the same base. The no-fee rentals at 10 Halletts Point start at $2,150/month for studios, $2,525/month for one-bedrooms, and $3,595/month for two-bedrooms. According to a Durst spokesperson, two studio apartments rented the same day leasing opened and "a couple of thousand" more people have expressed interest. Current concessions offered include one free month of rent on a 13-month lease, and two months free on a 26-month lease.
Details this way
Astoria is getting a new food hall with outer-borough vendors

Rendering via Vass Stevens

July 24, 2018

Astoria is getting a new food hall with outer-borough vendors

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A new food hall is coming to the Astoria-Long Island City border in Queens, the Commercial Observer reported on Tuesday. Developer Vass Stevens Group is in the process of converting a former print shop, dollar store and restaurant supply store at 34-39 31st Street into a retail space with eight 2,000-square-foot storefronts. The interiors of the single-story building have been demolished and renovations, which will add new glass storefronts and doors, are set to begin soon.
Get the details
Next week, two Astoria subway stations will reopen and two will shutter

Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit via Flickr

June 25, 2018

Next week, two Astoria subway stations will reopen and two will shutter

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On the heels of the 2 and 3 resuming weekend service between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the MTA has more good news: The 30th and 36th Avenue stations in Astoria will be reopening on Monday, July 2 after being shuttered for repairs the past eight months. But with this also comes some bad news--the closure of the Broadway and 39th Avenue stations on the same N, W line, which are projected to remain shuttered for seven months.
July 2 will be quite a day for Astoria straphangers
NYC neighborhoods made for workers: The history of Queens’ Steinway Village and the Bronx Co-ops
May 1, 2018

NYC neighborhoods made for workers: The history of Queens’ Steinway Village and the Bronx Co-ops

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While immigration, urban planning, and the forces of gentrification are certainly key factors in how NYC's neighborhoods have been shaped, New Yorkers’ patterns of work, their unions, and in some instances, even their employers have also played a role in the development of several of the city’s established neighborhoods. To mark May Day, 6sqft decided to investigate two of the city neighborhoods that were quite literally made for workers—the Van Cortlandt Village area of the Bronx and the Steinway neighborhood in Astoria, Queens.
Learn all about it
A ‘small format’ Target will open on the Upper East Side next year

Rendering via Target

April 3, 2018

A ‘small format’ Target will open on the Upper East Side next year

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Retail giant Target announced on Tuesday that it will bring three new Target stores to New York City, further expanding its footprint in the Big Apple. The new stores, planned for the Upper East Side, Astoria and Staten Island, will be "small format," tailored to the needs of shoppers in urban areas (h/t NBC). In a statement, Mark Schindele, a senior vice president of Target's properties, said: "All three of these new stores will offer the best of Target in that borough, yet curate the assortment to meet the needs and preferences of the nearby community."
More details here
Halletts Point’s first rental tower gets new renderings, launches affordable housing lottery
March 7, 2018

Halletts Point’s first rental tower gets new renderings, launches affordable housing lottery

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Less than a month after we got a first look at 10 Halletts Point, the first of seven buildings that will open at the Durst Organization's $1.5 billion Astoria mega-development, the Dattner Architects-designed tower is making headlines on multiple fronts today. Not only did a teaser site go live for the 405-unit rental tower, with even more new renderings, but the affordable housing lottery launched for the project's 81 below-market-rate apartments. These range from $947/month studios to $1,414/month three-bedrooms, all of which are reserved for households earning 60 percent of the area median income.
See the renderings and find out if you qualify for the affordable units
Subway stations on the Upper West Side and Astoria to temporarily close this spring

N train at 30th Ave Station via Wikimedia

February 20, 2018

Subway stations on the Upper West Side and Astoria to temporarily close this spring

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Thousands of straphangers on the Upper West Side and Astoria will have to rethink their daily commutes come spring, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans on closing some stations for up to six months for repairs and upgrades. The station makeovers fall under the MTA's Enhanced Station Initiative, a plan to improve the reliability and customer experience inside the subway system. Planned enhancements include installing digital countdown clocks at subway entrances, glass barriers, LED lighting and adorning station walls with artwork.
Find out more
Before its summer kickoff, new renderings for Halletts Point’s first rental
February 16, 2018

Before its summer kickoff, new renderings for Halletts Point’s first rental

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The first of the Durst Organization's seven-building, $1.5 billion development on the Astoria waterfront got new renderings this week, months ahead of its scheduled opening. As Curbed NY learned, the developer said leasing will launch for the two-tower 10 Halletts Points this summer. The first building to open on the Halletts Point campus, the tower will feature 405 apartments, of which up to 25 percent will be affordable.
More details here
Live across from Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City for $867/month

Rendering of Vernon Tower, via PACS Architecture and Excel Development

November 3, 2017

Live across from Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City for $867/month

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On Monday, the lottery opens for 21 affordable units in a new luxury residential building located on the border of the trendy Queens neighborhoods of Astoria and Long Island City. The mixed-use rental at 11-06 31st Drive, called the Vernon Tower despite being just eight-stories, sits directly across from Socrates Sculpture Park and just a few blocks from the Noguchi Museum and waterfront promenade. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units ranging from $867/month studios to $1,123/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
To boost local businesses, ‘Westoria’ might become the newest neighborhood in Queens

Photo via Wikimedia

October 2, 2017

To boost local businesses, ‘Westoria’ might become the newest neighborhood in Queens

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While most of New York City’s neighborhoods get their nicknames from real estate agents attempting to make an area more marketable (ie: Nolita and DoBro), an area in Queens may soon get a new moniker to boost its local economy instead. As DNAinfo reported, Natassa Contini, the owner of the cafe and pet supply shop Chateau Le Woof, has started using “Westoria” to refer to the area west of 21st Street between Astoria Park and Broadway. Currently, the northern Queens nabe is better known as “Old Astoria” or “Old Astoria Village.”
Find out more
First look at Halletts Point’s phase two reveals pair of blocky, glass towers

Rendering of Halletts Point’s second set of buildings pulled from construction site, courtesy of The Durst Organization

September 20, 2017

First look at Halletts Point’s phase two reveals pair of blocky, glass towers

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Construction of the Durst Organization’s first development outside of Manhattan, Halletts Point, a $1.5 billion waterfront development in Astoria, is moving full speed ahead. As CityRealty learned, new renderings hanging outside of the construction site reveal two blocky towers covered in glass, with rows of balconies at their corners. Earlier this month, construction topped out on the project’s first two towers at 26-01 1st Street, designed by Dattner Architects. Now, work has officially begun on the second pair of buildings at 26-02 1st Street and 26-40 1st Street.
Find out more
New Queens-to-Manhattan NYC Ferry route launches today
August 29, 2017

New Queens-to-Manhattan NYC Ferry route launches today

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The Astoria route of the NYC Ferry officially launched today, the fourth route introduced by the city this year. The service stops in Astoria, Roosevelt Island, Long Island City, East 34th Street and Wall Street, the complete trip totaling 47 minutes. While the ferries have been popular with commuters, two extra boats were added and fleets under construction were redesigned to be larger in June, concerns about recreational boaters coexisting without colliding into ferries have grown. As the New York Times reported, one free kayaking class won’t run their program until deciding it’s safe enough to do so.
Find out more
NYC Ferry hits 1 million riders as it readies to launch Astoria route
July 26, 2017

NYC Ferry hits 1 million riders as it readies to launch Astoria route

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Considering the NYC Ferry has been so popular since launching on May 1st that it had to charter two extra boats to meet demand, it's not surprising that the city-subsidized ferry hit the 1 million rider mark as of today, a month earlier than expected. Mayor de Blasio celebrated the milestone earlier today with a press conference in Long Island City, also announcing that the fourth ferry route, the Astoria line, will launch on Tuesday, August 29th.
More ferry news
Live in a new Astoria building near Halletts Points from $889/month
June 5, 2017

Live in a new Astoria building near Halletts Points from $889/month

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Known as Astoria Cove, this newly constructed 28-unit rental at 26-27 2nd Street is just a block away from the under-construction Halletts Point mega-development. The seven-building project will bring 2,400 housing units to the Astoria neighborhood, as well as a stop for the East River Ferry, a supermarket, school, and waterfront park. Six households earning 60 percent of the median income have a chance to live near all the upcoming action through the city's affordable housing lottery that's offering $889/month one-bedrooms and $1,001/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
April 12, 2017

Astoria, Morningside Heights and Bay Ridge have highest turnover of rent-stabilized apartments

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Scoring a rent-stabilized apartment is a big win in New York City, as these regulated pads usually offer rent at below-market rates and provide tenants more protections against landlords. While more than 925,000 rent-stabilized apartments still exist in the city, these units turn over at a faster rate in certain neighborhoods than others, and their availability continues to dwindle (h/t WYNC). According to a new report by the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO), the neighborhoods of Astoria, Morningside Heights and Bay Ridge all have high concentrations of rent-regulated housing built prior to 1974 and therefore, higher rates of turnover compared to other parts of the city.
Find out more
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