Woodside is being mentioned in real estate circles as the next hot neighborhood in western Queens, and a new luxury apartment building called Icon 52 may be responsible for moniker.
The nine-story building, at 52-05 Queens Blvd., sold all 66 units in just six weeks, surprising Eric Benaim, who represents the landlord, the Tsilo Group.
Icon 52 rented studios starting at $1,500 per month, one-bedrooms for $1,700 and two-bedrooms for $2,600. Benaim’s first venture in Woodside went so well he is already at work on another project just a couple of blocks away.
The hot neighborhood buzz has at least one Woodside resident feeling uncomfortable.
David Rosasco leads an award-winning neighborhood beautification nonprofit called the Woodside Neighborhood Association and he said he is aware of more hipsters and young professionals moving into the neighborhood but not enough to cause the current buzz.
“I suspect there are more powerful forces in play,” Rosasco said. “I have a feeling that this is by design to gobble up Woodside and transform it into another generic, dull, hipster and young professional community where they make demands but never get their hands dirty.”
He added that his all-volunteer group has worked too hard cleaning up the neighborhood for the last seven years for the community to be overrun by outsiders, noting that three condominium and apartment buildings have been built in Woodside in the last three years.
“What I do fear is that, after all the work we did to restore confidence and order, pride and service, that all we did was beautify Woodside so thatwe could be banished from it,” Rosasco said. “I am depressed by it because all this work was done by poor, minority, immigrant, working-class people at no cost to the taxpayer.”
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He added that his all-volunteer group has worked too hard cleaning up the neighborhood for the last seven years for the community to be overrun by outsiders, noting that three condominium and apartment buildings have been built in Woodside in the last three years.
“What I do fear is that, after all the work we did to restore confidence and order, pride and service, that all we did was beautify Woodside so thatwe could be banished from it,” Rosasco said. “I am depressed by it because all this work was done by poor, minority, immigrant, working-class people at no cost to the taxpayer.”
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that is great, yet another queens resident playing government,
while at the same time the politicians, also on mr queens tab, and the ones who should be doing this work,
have managed to convince mr queens to absolve themselves of responsibility
as said politicians busied themselves with deals for all these buildings.
A quick tour of the group's images shows plenty of Jimmy Van Bramer looking dynamic. God, does that guy ever get any real work done?
A favorite is him and Virginia Joe intently looking towards the nozzle of a graffiti removal machine as they try to figure out how to use it.
The halt leading the blind.
As the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.
Good luck with the illegals in that area. Move over illegals, the yuppies are moving in!
So the city will be adding more buses, subway lines, police, firemen, hospital beds, and sanitation workers to handle the swelling population here. Right?
This couldn't possibly be a sign of another peak in the Real Estate market where clueless 'investors' are paying way too much for property based on overly optimistic projections for rent / price increases? Naaah......Also, always be skeptical when an agent tells you all the units are 'sold'....they are not 'sold' until they are closed....and there is no repercussion for them lying about it....
Let this be a lesson for those that take things in their own hands - all you end up doing is taking the responsibility off the elected who will dribble you resources that gets them photo ops like they care and makes your group soooo happy that someone in office cares (bring out those bigggg sheets of proclamations the boast their little egos that someone important notices them.)
Meanwhile they are stabbing you in the back selling your community down the river as they build their career on your broken dreams.
judging by the prices,this may be the affordable housing Blaz may be referring to.Affordable to the gentrification generation.Sure beats paying 3000 for a studio in williamsburgh.
hipsters to woodside neighborhood association:drop dead
that building is an "Icon",look out taj mahal
I, for one, welcome to Woodside taxpayers with private sector jobs who can afford market-rate housing and buy their groceries with their own money.
Someone besides me has to pay for the food, medical, education, and housing for all the illegals who get a basement with 12 people sharing a bathroom in Woodside for $800. Illegal iron bars on all the windows, optional.
Hipsters > Illegals
Myth
I, for one, welcome to Woodside taxpayers with private sector jobs who can afford market-rate housing and buy their groceries with their own money.
REALITY
HIPSTERS JUST EAT AND LOOK AT YOUR NABE AS A MULTICULTURAL ZOO - YOU DO NOT BUILD COMMUNITIES AROUND PEOPLE WHO REGARDS IT AS A QUAINT WAYSTATION.
Myth
Someone besides me has to pay for the food, medical, education, and housing for all the illegals who get a basement with 12 people sharing a bathroom in Woodside for $800. Illegal iron bars on all the windows, optional.
REALITY
YOU WILL NEVER FUND ENOUGH ILLEGALS - AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE/HOUSING COSTS THAT THEY WILL FUNNEL THROUGH HERE - IT IS THE PARTY'S LIFE BLOOD AND REASON FOR EXISTENCE.
THEY WAY TO HANDLE THIS IS TO GET AFTER THOSE WHOSE HANDS ARE ON THE TAP.
Hipsters, hipsters, hipsters!
Sort of looks like a Days Inn or some budget Queens motel.
Why is that all they seem to build these days are things that look like they will be SRO's a few years?
What an ugly building. No style just a bland box. Its a real shame whats being built in this city.
Wait, where are they going to put the Shake Shack?
Why is that all they seem to build these days are things that look like they will be SRO's a few years?
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Because it used to be that people who constructed buildings took some form of occupancy of it. Chrysler/GE/Times/etc all are good buildings because it was important to the owner to have it look and function well, since they had to live with it.
Why worry about aesthetics or durability when you will never set foot in the place, and plan to flip it in three years? Its not a worry to fund such a building when you live in another state or country.
Wait, the article says that they sold all 66 units, but then says they rented them all. Which one is it?
By they way, take a walk along Roosevelt Ave and you will see that gentrification is a long, long way away. Guess it will happen though
What an incredibly ugly building.
This should be the borough's motto -
We're Queens - we can't have nice things!
This new wave of building is making it harder for residents, with kids in public school afford the high rent being charged. Landlords are converting apartments into 2 brs to get that $1800 to $2400 a month rent in rent stabalized buildings. The slumlords are chargeing $1700 for a 1 bedroom. on top of that damn brokers fee, you need $5000 just to move in.
Where are those 1 br apartments for $1300 per month? The regular joeis getting pushed out. Woodside still keeps itold school with its residents, and we make money.
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