Astoria's Innovation QNS Developers Are Being Cagey, Pol Says

ASTORIA, QUEENS — The developers seeking a rezoning that would reshape a swath of Astoria have failed to answer basic questions about the project or do adequate outreach to neighbors, according to a local lawmaker who may ultimately decide its fate.

The $2 billion Innovation QNS proposal would rezone five blocks between 37th Street and Northern Boulevard, adding 12 buildings, 2,800 apartments, offices, a grocery store and other amenities to an area currently dominated by parking lots and industrial buildings.

First unveiled in 2020, the project is now weeks away from being certified by the City Planning Commission, according to City Councilmember Julie Won — a step that would start the clock on the yearlong public review process that could lead to its approval by the Council.

But in a letter sent Tuesday, Won accused the developers — a joint team of Kaufman Astoria Studios, Silverstein Properties and BedRock Real Estate Partners — of failing to provide any of the dozen pieces of information that have been requested by Community Board 1, whose members have expressed reservations about the project.

The board's main demand is to see a draft of the developers' full land use application, which would include a required study of all new shadows that would be cast by the buildings. A breakdown of the roughly 725 below-market-rate apartments and details about their affordability levels has also not been shared, Won said.

"The documents requested have been provided without incident by countless other applications in other rezonings," Won wrote.

"Withholding information that both our Community Board and City Planning partners have assured us is typical to share prior to certification is not acceptable in any project, let alone one that is so massive and impactful to my constituents."

Reached for comment, Innovation QNS spokesperson Tom Corsillo said that "we would be happy to share preliminary Environmental Impact Statement information with the Community Board as soon as we can," with the full document becoming available once the project is certified.

Racial impact study is pledged

Meanwhile, Won also questioned the developers' outreach to non-English-speaking residents of the neighborhood — especially Spanish and Bangla speakers — many of whom remain unaware of the neighborhood-altering proposal at their doorstep, she said.

Developers, for their part, have touted their multilingual website and boasted of knocking on more than 7,000 doors and making 6,000 phone calls as evidence of their outreach — though the community board says it has not received names of any specific groups contacted.

"We have spent several years engaging with the local community, and will ramp up our in-person outreach in multiple languages, including Bangla and Spanish," Corsillo told Patch by email.

Besides releasing the environmental study and holding in-person meetings in multiple languages, Won also called on the developers to conduct a study that would include an examination of the project's racial impact — a requirement now enshrined in city law, but not taking effect until June.

Corsillo, the spokesperson, pledged that developers would "start work" on the study following Won's suggestion.

"We are grateful for Council Member Won’s interest and engagement on this important project and look forward to continuing to work with her and the Community Board toward a successful outcome," he said.

10 years of construction

Won has not yet taken a formal position on the rezoning. Once the project reaches the City Council early next year, her stance could play a key role in whether it is ultimately approved, since the Council often defers to the wishes of local members.

Besides the housing and offices, Innovation QNS would include a new movie theater replacing the existing Regal UA Kaufman Astoria, two acres of open space, and 200,000 square feet of commercial space that would help revitalize the Steinway Street corridor, according to developers.

In January, developers announced that they planned to add a second 27-story tower to the proposal, as part of an effort to shift density toward Northern Boulevard, and away from Astoria's residential side streets.

They also revealed that prior plans for a 600-seat grammar school had evaporated after the city's School Construction Authority informed the developers that it was no longer interested in building one.

The roughly 2,845 apartments being built through Innovation QNS would be 40 percent one-bedrooms, 30 percent two-bedrooms, 20 percent studios and 10 percent three-bedrooms, according to developers. Construction will last about 10 years once work begins.

Previous coverage:

• Astoria's Innovation QNS Developers Share Changes Amid Skepticism
  
• Astoria Residents, Organizations Clash At Innovation QNS Hearing
• Developers Unveil $2B Plan For Astoria 'Creative District'