NYC Set To Build 3K New Homes At Former Flushing Airport Site

QUEENS, NY — Mayor Eric Adams recently announced plans to build 3,000 new residential units on the land of the former Flushing Airport in Queens.

The development, led by New York City-based firms Cirrus Workforce Housing and LCOR Incorporated, is projected to generate $3.2 billion in economic activity over the next 30 years, creating over 1,300 union constructions jobs and 530 permanent careers, officials said.

"For too many decades, this valuable land has sat vacant, but our administration said it was time to change that. We issued a landmark executive order to build housing on city-owned sites like this one and now, we are excited to announce we will create around 3,000 new homes at the site of the former Flushing Airport,” Adams said in a statement. “Whether it’s building record amounts of affordable housing two years in a row, passing the first citywide zoning reform in six decades, or transforming old offices, garages, and airfields into new homes, we are proud to be the most pro-housing administration in city history — and by using every tool at every level of government to build housing on every block in every borough, we continue to prove that point every day. We are advancing generational projects to deliver the housing New Yorkers need and fighting every day to make our city more affordable and the best place to raise a family.”

Following the completion of a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) and an environmental review, construction is expected to begin in 2028, officials said.

The former Flushing Airport has not been active since the airport was decommissioned in 1984 and has largely reverted to nature.

Cirrus-LCOR’s proposal will utilize sustainable design elements, including a commitment to explore the use of mass timber construction and high-quality park-like landscaping that is accessible to the public and sensitively integrates the buildings into a modern wetlands environment with nature walks, sitting areas, rambles, natural open space vistas, and wildlife habitat.

“At the dawn of modern aviation a century ago, Flushing Airport made history as New York City's first-ever airfield and eventually the busiest airport in the five boroughs. But today, we're beginning the process of repurposing that incredible piece of Queens' history into a critical aspect of Queens' future," Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said in a statement. "After years of conversations between my office, the Mayor's Office and NYCEDC, I couldn't be more excited to help announce this innovative plan to build badly needed affordable housing and create good-paying jobs on this historic-turned-vacant site. I look forward to the planning process, as we work collectively to reimagine this site into forever homes, thriving small businesses and engaging park space."