New Astoria Rezoning Seeks 86 Apartments, Retail On Industrial Block

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Another developer is seeking to rezone an industrial block of western Astoria to build housing — in this case, on an empty lot near Halletts Cove.

The developers, identified only under an anonymous LLC, filed documents with the city last week for the new rezoning at 30-11 12th St., a lot on the corner of 30th Avenue.

Its main goal is to convert the site's low-rise zoning to a higher-density scheme that would allow for the construction of a new eight-story building with 86 apartments — including 26 affordable units — plus retail pace on the ground floor, according to planning documents.

Now vacant and used for parking, the site was previously home to a three-story building that once contained the Horstmann Mix & Cream ice cream company. But that structure was demolished by the current owners in 2018, eight years after they purchased the site for $2.3 million, city records show.

Developers hope to complete the city's monthslong review process by 2023, with construction on the new building wrapping up by 2025. Standing 85 feet tall, the building would have a "contemporary design" with a brick facade and balconies, according to the plans.

Besides the development site, the project also seeks to rezone another chunk of the same block, plus a corner of the adjacent triangular block between Welling Court and 12th Street — now home to much of the Welling Court Mural Project, a collection of public artworks.

The developer behind the rezoning does not own that lot, which has been home to the same auto repair shop since 1977. But the City Planning Department, in its endless quest for new housing, sometimes works with developers to tack on additional properties to be rezoned.

The rezoning application acknowledges the murals, which number more than 140 in total, calling them "of visual interest." But they do not count as "visual resources" worthy of being protected by the city's environmental laws, since they can only be seen from a few nearby streets and they are "regularly painted over and replaced," according to the planning documents.

In this case, the four other hypothetical development sites could accommodate a combined five new buildings with 181 apartments and 32,000 square feet of retail, according to the plans.

This is only the latest in a flurry of development projects being planned along the once-industrial blocks of Western Astoria, including the upcoming condo building on Vernon Boulevard and 30th Road, the five-story rezoning proposal on 12th Street near 31st Avenue, a recently-approved pair of eight-story apartment buildings near 11th Street and 34th Avenue, and newly completed developments like Astoria West.