Modern-Looking Bayside Building Rendering Sparks Outrage

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — In a neighborhood best known for its single-family homes, the plan to build a sleek, glass-clad apartment building in Bayside is turning some heads.

A recently-revealed rendering of the five-story building at 215-16 Northern Boulevard— first reported by New York YIMBY — shows a tan-and-gray facade dotted with black-framed windows and terraces. The mixed-use building is slated to have 37 apartment units, commercial space and parking, according to the developer.

The boxy design mirrors many new apartment buildings in Queens (where the architect has a long track record), but some neighbors are worried that it will be out of place in Bayside.

"It's going to stick out like a sore thumb," Steven Yip wrote on a neighborhood Facebook thread about the design. "It does not match the buildings around this neighborhood."

Another local echoed a similar sentiment: "Beginning to look like downtown Brooklyn," David Orellana lamented.

A third neighbor described the building in more colorful language. "My vomit looks better than this building," wrote Jason Bohbot.

While many took issue with the rendering's design, most neighbors said that their concerns were more than aesthetic, citing worries about overcrowding and lack of parking (common refrains in Bayside when it comes to new construction projects).

"All these residents and occupants will be using Northern Blvd adding to the afternoon traffic. In other words, can we shove 20+ pounds of s*** in a five pound bag," one neighbor asked rhetorically.

Linda Scarfone Marin had a similar question: ""Do we need more [apartments] and people in Bayside?" she asked. "The traffic is horrendous, schools overcrowded. Every large piece of property is becoming multiple family housing. It's horrible."

Most of the 65 comments on the neighborhood thread were negative, but some locals expressed excitement about the building.

"I’m excited — looking forward to a building with amenities in the neighborhood," wrote one.

Another, named Ronald Zhu, said the building marked positive economic growth for Bayside. "It just shows that there’s very strong demand for Bayside real estate," he said — a point that's been substantiated by experts in the past.

Despite the community pushback, construction on this plot of land has been imminent since 2015, when a longtime wooden ship-shaped seafood restaurant closed citing its landlord's plan to build new storefronts.

The building stood vacant for a couple of years and was then replaced with an empty lot for another few years after demolition, maps show.

Construction on the new building is expected to begin this summer with completion set for summer 2024, NY YIMBY reported.