Astoria Board OKs 1,300-Unit, 3-Tower Halletts North Development

ASTORIA, QUEENS — A developer's plan to build three high-rise apartment towers on the industrial Halletts Point peninsula won approval from Astoria's community board this week, in stark contrast to the harsh opposition that has met some other neighborhood projects.

Community Board 1 voted 19-14 to approve the rezoning needed to build the so-called Halletts North project. The now-empty lot on the peninsula's north side was formerly home to a steel plant before being purchased in 2013 by developers, who spent five years and $16 million cleaning it up.

Now, the developers — identified only as "Astoria Owners LLC" — are seeking to build three towers standing 23, 31 and 34 stories tall, containing more than 1,300 apartments, including around 335 affordable units. The development, first unveiled last year, will also include a public waterfront promenade, retail space, a 525-car garage and 700 bike-parking spaces, and space for local nonprofits like Urban Upbound.

It's not to be confused with two separate, already-approved projects that will also help reshape the peninsula: the Durst Organization's seven-building Halletts Point development and the four-building Astoria Cove project a few blocks east, which are in various stages of construction after years of delays.

At Tuesday's community board hearing, representatives for the developers touted the project's benefits, noting that they had switched to a different, cheaper affordable housing scheme in response to feedback from residents. The below-market apartments will include one-bedrooms renting for as low as $756, and will remain affordable in perpetuity.

Other recent changes to the proposal include the addition of a public overlook platform that will stretch above the East River, with an open, grate-like surface giving visitors "A strong connection to the water," according to landscape architect Ken Smith.

To guard against the effects of climate change, the project will entail raising the peninsula's coastline by about nine feet, architect Jay Valgora said at a previous board meeting. Meanwhile, if the rezoning were not approved, Valgora said the owners would likely develop the site into a last-mile warehouse akin to an Amazon distribution center, since the existing zoning allows for only industrial use.

But board members raised continued concerns about the projects' affordability, fearing it would contribute to raised rents around the neighborhood. One member, Evie Hantzopolous, said she feared the optics of a "white and wealthy development" going up near the NYCHA Astoria Houses, whose residents could likely afford few of the new apartments.

Fellow member Kathleen Warnock focused on aesthetics, saying Halletts North was "designed really beautifully" but was unsuitable for the low-rise neighborhood."

"Astoria is a different place than giant buildings and planned waterfront parks. It more resembles huge chunks of Long Island City, which is very sterile," Warnock said.

Accusing developers of "trying to scare us" by mentioning the alternate warehouse scenario, Warnock said that outcome would ultimately be preferable to residential towers.

"Even if there is a warehouse there, or some light manufacturing, that’s what’s been in Astoria for centuries," she said.

In response to the gentrification claims, Valgora stressed that the Halletts North site has been uninhabited for over a century, with no risk of direct displacement.

"This is a site that was empty and used for manufacturing. It was polluted and loaded with PCBs," he said. "This is one of the dirtiest sites I’ve ever encountered on the New York City waterfront."

Ultimately, most board members appeared to agree with him in voting to approve the rezoning. That result stands in contrast with nearby Astoria Cove, which was rejected by CB1 in 2014 before ultimately passing; and with the pending Innovation QNS development, which faced protests at a public meeting on Wednesday.

The board's vote is only a recommendation; once its review window ends in June, the project will head to Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, whose office will make its own non-binding decision. From there, it will be reviewed by the City Planning Commission and later the City Council, which will likely hold a final vote this fall.

Related coverage:

• SEE: Plans Revealed For 'Halletts North' Development In Astoria
• Astoria's Huge Halletts Point Development Inches Forward, Plans Show
• Huge Astoria Cove Development Stirs To Life After Yearslong Delay