'Affordable' Astoria Apartments Require $80K Income

ASTORIA, QUEENS — More than 100 apartments in a brand-new Astoria building are up for grabs through a city housing lottery — but you need to have a hefty income to even be eligible.

The 126 apartments in Astoria West, the large new building along Vernon Boulevard near 30th Drive, were listed this week on the Housing Connect website. (They're on top of a previous set of 36 units that were available by lottery earlier this spring.)

But all of the units are priced at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI) — meaning a single person must make at least $80,572 to apply for even the cheapest 11 studio apartments in the lottery.

Another 92 one-bedrooms and 23 two-bedroom units are also included in the lottery, for households making as much as $187,330. (Astoria's median income was just $83,200 in 2019, according to the NYU Furman Center.)

Rents for the newly-listed apartments range from $2,350 for the studios up to $3,287 for the two-bedrooms.

The high prices are a result of the bygone 421-a program, which gave the Astoria West developers tax breaks in exchange for including "affordable" units.

Several of the different 421-a options allowed developers to set rents at 130 percent AMI — prompting criticism from local officials like Comptroller Brad Lander, who said in a March report that the "income-restricted units generated by 421-a are unaffordable to the vast majority of New Yorkers."

In part because of those critiques, state lawmakers let 421-a expire in May without any replacement. (Other tax-break-for-affordable-housing schemes still exist in New York, like mandatory inclusionary housing, whose income bands are all lower than 421-a's.)

Astoria West boasts amenities including in-unit laundry, a doorman, package room, rooftop terrace, a gym, a party room and a "self-service pet spa."

The application deadline is Nov. 14. To learn more or apply, visit the listing on Housing Connect.