Dozens Of Affordable Astoria Apartments Hit Housing Lottery

ASTORIA, QUEENS — More than 100 apartments in an under-construction Astoria building have gone up for grabs in a city housing lottery — with some renting for as little as $665 per month.

The 145 units are part of Halletts Point 7, on 27th Avenue near Third Street — part of the huge Halletts Point development by the Durst Organization.

Sitting on the edge of the NYCHA Astoria Houses campus, the 14-story building is scheduled to be completed later this year, marking the second completed structure in Durst's seven-building project.

The deadline to apply is Nov. 21, according to its listing on the Housing Connect website.

Consisting of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, Halletts Point 7 is available to people making between 40 and 60 percent of the area median income — or as little as $25,372 for a single person.

The cheapest 16 studio apartments will cost $665 per month, while the most affordable one-bedroom units will rent at $841 and two-bedrooms will cost as little as $1,000.

Residents of Astoria's community district will get preference for half the units, and NYCHA residents will get preference for 50 percent as well. Smaller fractions will be set aside for people with disabilities.

Building amenities include a fitness room, tenant lounge and laundry room, while apartments include large windows and energy-efficient appliances.

For creating the affordable units, Durst received a tax break through the 421-a program — a bygone state initiative that faced criticism for creating less-than-affordable housing, including at the nearby Astoria West development, where "affordable" units are being offered only to people making at least 130 percent of the area median income.

Unlike Astoria West, however, Halletts Point 7 was also funded through the city's Extremely Low & Low-Income Affordability (ELLA) Program.

Learn more about the housing lottery on its website, or apply online at Housing Connect.

The third and fourth buildings in Halletts Point were expected to start construction earlier this year, while work had not yet begun on the three remaining buildings — including two mixed-income towers and one that would be 100-percent affordable.

The Halletts Point development was made possible in 2013, when the city approved a rezoning allowing for hundreds of housing units to be built on the largely industrial peninsula. Initially pushed by Lincoln Equities, Durst bought the site from that company months later.

The Durst project is one of three separate developments in various stages of planning on the Halletts Point peninsula. Halletts North, a 1,300-unit project that would be built on the peninsula's north side, won approval from the City Council this month, while the multi-building Astoria Cove project a few blocks northeast recently stirred to life after a yearslong delay.

Related coverage: Astoria's Huge Halletts Point Development Inches Forward, Plans Show