Astoria Gets First Looks At New Apartment Buildings Coming To Broadway

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Astorians are getting their first glimpses at two new apartment buildings set to rise on separate corners of Broadway, months after plans for both projects first emerged.

Renderings appeared in recent weeks on construction fencing that surrounds the two projects, at 37-18 Broadway (on the corner of 38th Street) and 31-90 29th St.

That latter development is the larger of the two: a six-story, 92-unit building that will span more than half the block toward Crescent Street. It replaces a row of storefronts that formerly included Sac's Place, The Strand Smokehouse and other businesses, which were demolished starting late last year.

A rendering now affixed to the construction site shows a striking, light-colored building with large windows and right-angled edges, with four support columns that jut down toward the sidewalk.

The rendering shows storefront spaces along Broadway — as promised by the plans that developer George Tsilogiannis filed with the city, which call for 13,000 square feet of commercial space along with 74,000 square feet of residential use.

The building is being designed by the firm Fogarty Finger, with an advertised completion date of Winter 2024.

Meanwhile, about a 10-minute walk east, the other development on the corner of 38th Street seems poised to begin construction soon, once demolition begins on the site's existing buildings: a two-story structure that once housed a bodega and a law office, and a separate two-story building formerly home to the restaurant Tacos Mexico.

Replacing them will be a five-story, 16-unit building that will also feature ground-floor retail, according to plans filed with the city in March. The new rendering shows a modern, glassy building with balconies and what appears to be a roof deck.

The listed owner behind the development is Salvatore Lucchese, known for owning Astoria's historic Steinway Mansion and sparking controversy when he built a series of warehouses around the picturesque home a few years ago.

The new building will be designed by Gerald Caliendo Architects. Besides 2,000 square feet of retail and nearly 13,000 square feet of residential space, it will include exterior parking for five cars, according to the plans.

Related coverage:

• New Apartment Building Coming To Broadway In Astoria, Plans Show
• Vacant Broadway Storefronts To Become Apartment Building: Permit
• 8 Vacant Broadway Storefronts Face Demolition, Permits Show