Hunters Point South
Up to Neighborhood Discussion
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The most important question regarding this project is where will the money come from to pay for it. Sometimes it seems like people get side-tracked on whether affordability should mean 60% of AMI or 100% or whatever when more important question is will the majority of taxpayers pay extra so that a lucky few can have waterfront apts. Everyone seems to agree that it would be great if housing were more affordable but key question is whether paying huge amounts for new waterfront housing is the most efficient way to get housing to those who need it?
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20090625/FREE/906259977
Huge affordable housing complex set for Queens
The project, which will come with $175 million in infrastructure costs, is slated to rise on the 30-acre Hunters Point site in Queens; a park and a school are included.
The Queens property once envisioned as the site of the Olympic Village for the 2012 games will instead become home to the city’s largest affordable housing complex since the 1970s, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday.
The city has acquired 30 acres at Hunters Point South in Long Island City from the Empire State Development Corp. and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey for $100 million. City officials also unveiled a plan for the creation of 5,000-unit, affordable housing complex. The model also calls for a high school for 1,100 students, retail space, a community facility, and an 11-acre waterfront park. The high school would be fully funded as part of the budget passed by the City Council, according to officials. The proposed project is expected to create more than 4,600 jobs.
The project's infrastructure costs will run about $175 million.
“Infrastructure improvements, a new school, housing construction and a timetable for work to begin this fall will transform this underutilized property in southwest Queens into one of the most desirable places to live in New York,” said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, in a statement.
This project is three years in the making—the city first announced plans to acquire the site in 2006 and completed the uniform land use review procedure in November 2008. In exchange for title to the land from the ESDC and the Port Authority, the city has agreed to pay $100 million. The funds will go to several capital projects in Queens that the Port Authority is overseeing. Details about those projects have not been finalized.
The housing component will create 3,000 units for family households of four with incomes between $55,000 and $158,000. The apartments are part of the city’s $7.5 billion New Housing Marketplace Plan, which calls for the preservation and creation of 165,000 affordable housing units across the five boroughs.
“The city sorely needs moderate-and middle-income housing—ask any police officer, firefighter, sanitation worker, teacher or nurse that you know,” said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Rafael Cestero, in a statement.
The Hunters Point South development is part of Mr. Bloomberg’s Five Borough Economic Plan.
Huge affordable housing complex set for Queens
The project, which will come with $175 million in infrastructure costs, is slated to rise on the 30-acre Hunters Point site in Queens; a park and a school are included.
The Queens property once envisioned as the site of the Olympic Village for the 2012 games will instead become home to the city’s largest affordable housing complex since the 1970s, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday.
The city has acquired 30 acres at Hunters Point South in Long Island City from the Empire State Development Corp. and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey for $100 million. City officials also unveiled a plan for the creation of 5,000-unit, affordable housing complex. The model also calls for a high school for 1,100 students, retail space, a community facility, and an 11-acre waterfront park. The high school would be fully funded as part of the budget passed by the City Council, according to officials. The proposed project is expected to create more than 4,600 jobs.
The project's infrastructure costs will run about $175 million.
“Infrastructure improvements, a new school, housing construction and a timetable for work to begin this fall will transform this underutilized property in southwest Queens into one of the most desirable places to live in New York,” said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, in a statement.
This project is three years in the making—the city first announced plans to acquire the site in 2006 and completed the uniform land use review procedure in November 2008. In exchange for title to the land from the ESDC and the Port Authority, the city has agreed to pay $100 million. The funds will go to several capital projects in Queens that the Port Authority is overseeing. Details about those projects have not been finalized.
The housing component will create 3,000 units for family households of four with incomes between $55,000 and $158,000. The apartments are part of the city’s $7.5 billion New Housing Marketplace Plan, which calls for the preservation and creation of 165,000 affordable housing units across the five boroughs.
“The city sorely needs moderate-and middle-income housing—ask any police officer, firefighter, sanitation worker, teacher or nurse that you know,” said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Rafael Cestero, in a statement.
The Hunters Point South development is part of Mr. Bloomberg’s Five Borough Economic Plan.