Disputed Target In Astoria Is Under Construction, Records Show

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Construction ramped up last month at a disputed Target in Astoria, which is located at the site of a former Key Foods, records show.

The three-story retail structure, located at 22-11 31st Street, has been under construction since early this year, records show, but one-third of the building's permits were issued in Oct., at which point construction on the store really got underway. YIMBY was the first to report this story.

The department store has been in the works since 2018, but demolition permits, which were initially filed in 2019, didn't come to fruition until last year after Key Food's lease ended. Leading up to the demolition, however, the community decried the Target, rallying to keep the supermarket open on 31st Street.

Critics said that the chain store is part of the gentrification and corporatization of Queens neighborhoods; a critique that's been recently raised about many chain stores opening near Ditmars Boulevard.

State Senator Jessica Ramos, who represents a swath of northwest Queens including Astoria and Elmhurst, told the Queens Chronicle that Target is "essentially trying to whitewash and do away with our mom-and-pop shops."

The second Target that she alluded to, located in Elmhurst, has also been the subject of ire from many local businesses and activists, who even took their fight to the courtroom, Patch reported. Their fight, however, was not successful: Target opened at 40-25 82nd Street in Elmhurst this year.

In the case of Astoria, Target seems similarly here to stay. The site, which is being excavated as construction begins on the foundation, is slated for completion in January, 2023, YIMBY reported.

And, it's just the latest Target in northwest Queens: in June, Target announced it is planning to open another location in Long Island City.

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