Innovation QNS Rezoning OK'd By Planning Commission, Heads To Council

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Astoria's huge Innovation QNS proposal was approved by the City Planning Commission on Wednesday, giving the five-block development a shot in the arm and sending it to the City Council for a final vote.

The 10-3 vote was the first formal test that the $2 billion proposal has faced, following non-binding recommendations from the Queens Borough President and Astoria's community board — both of whom had said the project should be rejected.

"It’ll lead to a more equitable Astoria with higher quality of life for residents today and those to come," said Commission Chair Dan Garodnick, who urged his colleagues to vote yes.

With 2,800 new apartments — including roughly 700 affordable units — spread across a now-industrial area between 37th Street and Northern Boulevard, Garodnick said Innovation QNS would represent the "largest privately financed affordable housing project in Queens in generations."

Still, Garodnick acknowledged that Innovation QNS "could have benefited from earlier, more frequent and more robust community outreach" — echoing criticisms leveled by some in the neighborhood, including City Councilmember Julie Won, who may now control the project's fate as it heads to the Council.

Won, whose colleagues will likely adopt her stance on the project once the Council votes on it this fall, told City Limits last month that it might be "too late" to win her approval, saying it still needed more apartments affordable to people earning less than $25,000 per year.

In a statement after Wednesday's vote, Won blasted the Planning Commission's decision, saying it had "chose to rubber stamp this plan without significant commitment for deep affordability to meet the community’s need for affordable housing."

"The developers continue to disregard the community’s voice, choosing to move forward with a project that received major backlash at town halls this spring and the overwhelming disapproval by Queens Community Board 1," said Won, adding that she would "not settle for a plan" where fewer than 50 percent of units are affordable — compared to 25 percent under the current proposal.

Previously, developers have said the project's affordable units would be priced starting at $598 per month, while the market-rate apartments would cost between $2,430 and $5,190 per month. Following negotiations with Borough President Donovan Richards, developers said last month that they had committed to increasing the number of below-market-rate units and deepening their level of affordability, but did not provide details.

Richards, in a statement, said he stood by his recommendation last month that Innovation QNS be rejected unless developers upped their affordability levels.

"I have a deep respect for the City Planning Commission and its work, and I am hopeful today’s vote will lead to a healthy dialogue and community-first solutions as Innovation QNS proceeds to the City Council," Richards said.

The developers — a joint team of Silverstein Properties, Kaufman Astoria Studios and BedRock Real Estate Partners — have repeatedly touted the project's benefits, saying it would help alleviate the city's housing shortage and enliven an under-served corner of Astoria.

But the commissioners who voted against the rezoning on Wednesday suggested it would not be affordable enough, arguing against the notion that new market-rate apartments would help reduce rents by adding to the overall supply.

"It is an inadequate amount of housing," said Commissioner Leah Goodridge, adding that she believed the project could indirectly displace nearby residents.

Developers have also altered the proposal in response to community objections, including reducing the heights of three buildings and eliminating a tower along 35th Avenue, and promising to construct a 30,000-square-foot sports and recreation center.

All told, Innovation QNS would also add roughly two acres of green space and create thousands of jobs, space for cultural venues and new commercial retail, developers say.

"The need for affordable homes; family-sustaining jobs; public open space; and expanded services for immigrants, seniors and young people has never been greater, and today’s overwhelming approval of Innovation QNS by the City Planning Commission is an important step toward delivering all of that and more for our neighbors in Astoria," said Tracy Capune, a vice president at Kaufman Astoria Studios, in a statement following Wednesday's vote.

"We look forward to working with Council Member Won and our neighbors in the weeks ahead to ensure City Council approval of this $2 billion investment at a critical moment for our community."

Related coverage:

• Huge Innovation QNS Rezoning Gets Thumbs-Down From Borough President
• Huge Innovation QNS Rezoning Rejected By Board, But Battle Continues
• Despite Changes, Innovation QNS Voted Down By Astoria Board Committee
• Astoria's Innovation QNS Opponents, Supporters Clash At Public Hearing
• Astoria's Innovation QNS Developers Face Opponents At Tense Town Hall