Apartments To Replace Former Donovan's Parking Lot By Next Year

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — New apartment buildings will be standing in the former Donovan's parking lot by next year, the lot's owner told Patch.

"We started building and it's going to take us about 18 months," said Mark Boccia, the longtime Bourbon Street proprietor who recently bought a parking lot on 41st Avenue from Joseph Donovan, the founder of Donovan's of Bayside (a beloved restaurant that's since shuttered).

The plan for the lot was previously up in the air, but Boccia told Patch that two apartment buildings will go up on the site.

"We could use them as rentals or we could sell them off as condominiums, we haven't decided yet, we're going to build them and then make a decision," said the owner.

One apartment building, which will sit on 41st Avenue abutting an Irish restaurant on one side and a fire station on the other, will be four stories tall with 15 apartments, plans filed with the city in December show.

On the ground floor there will be a commercial space, which Boccia will fill once the project is complete based on local demand.

"Maybe there will be interest in a restaurant, or maybe another type of business," he said, noting that no matter what goes there it won't be an extension Bourbon Street, which is unaffiliated from the development save from his involvement. "We're happy where we are," Boccia said of his Bell Boulevard restaurant.

Underground there will be 23 metered, valet parking spaces; 20 for shoppers and three reserved for residents, plans show.

The other apartment building will be situated behind the fire station, and stand three-stories tall with just three units, according to city plans.

That building will have a "community facility" on the ground floor, like a medical office or daycare, Boccia said.

There will be 13 more metered, valet parking space underground; 10 for residents and three for people using the as-yet undefined community facility, records show.

Boccia is excited to be moving forward with plans for the development. "It's going to look beautiful and be a great addition to Bayside," he said.

Related Article: Bourbon Street Owner To Build Housing, Shops At Donovan's Lot