Monday, April 25, 2022

Innovation QNS = Gentrification BS

 

QNS 

Astoria residents and activists made their opposition to Innovation QNS loud and clear Wednesday night outside the Museum of the Moving Image where developers held a town hall presenting the project, which would add a set of 12 luxury high-rise buildings centered on five blocks around the intersection of Steinway Street and 35th Avenue.

The $2 billion project, which is led by Kaufman Astoria Studios, Silverstein Properties and BedRock Real Estate Partners, is touted by developers as a benefit to the community, adding 711 affordable apartments and “much-needed” open space. However, residents are convinced Innovation QNS will raise the cost of living, completely changing the economic and cultural make-up of their neighborhood. 

Innovation QNS will reserve about 25 percent of its residential spaces for affordable housing, which would leave 2,120 units priced at the market rate: ranging from $2,000-$3,000 a month for a studio to $4,000 for a two-bedroom. 

Innovation QNS consists of 12 buildings, with eight standing at over 15 floors and the two largest at 27 floors.

About 60 residents passionately chanted “Innovation QNS is gentrification QNS,” outside of the town hall where developers presented the project inside. The protesters, many of whom were immigrants, said that these luxury buildings will inevitably drive up rents in the surrounding area, forcing long-time residents to move — as seen previously in gentrified neighborhoods like Long Island City and Williamsburg in Brooklyn.

Hazra Rahman, a two-decades-long resident of Queensbridge Houses, said that this project would displace her and her husband. 

“Astoria has been a landing place for working-class Bengali people and we have a right to stay,” Rahman said. “Our family should be able to live and thrive in Astoria, but they are being pushed farther and farther away. There are no deeply affordable apartments for us. Our beloved small businesses are going to get priced out too.” 

Bishop Mitchell Taylor, a partner with Innovation QNS and CEO of Urban Upbound, stated that instead of these luxury buildings driving up the cost of living in the area, it will lower rents in Astoria — which angry protesters called out as a lie.

“To create 700 affordable units, then to create an additional supply that will drive prices of existing [housing] stock down, I think creates a tremendous opportunity for us, especially Black and brown communities that have historically been left out of this part of Astoria,” Taylor said. 

As protesters made their way inside the Museum of the Moving Image to join the town hall, they had a chance to directly confront developers during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani stood alongside disgruntled residents and directly responded to Taylor’s comments.

“Bishop Taylor, you had been talking about the impact of what those 25 percent of affordable units would do — that they would drive down the rents in the surrounding area — I have a different analysis about the 75 percent of market-rate units where they drive up rents,” Mamdani said. 

Other residents echoed these concerns during the town hall.

Mamdani said that Astoria is in the midst of a massive displacement problem and Innovation QNS’ plan to add 711 affordable apartments masquerades the detriment to the community.

“What we’re looking at is only going to accelerate the displacement faced by so many of my constituents,” Mamdani said. “If you have more than 2,000 market-rate apartments coming up here, we will see more and more landlords looking at those units as the new going rate for living in Astoria.”

Fuel Grannie

Oof, I knew exactly what we were in for the minute I saw Mitchie Taylor seated on the stage.

The presence of Urban Upbound’s notorious CEO at yesterday’s barely-advertised InnovationsQNS town hall could only mean one thing: this project is a scam and Big Sleazy is likely being compensated to promote said scam, as he had been with both Amazon HQ2LIC and YourLIC.

Mitchell Taylor, who owns a $2million home on Long Island, brings that sell out energy as he claims to represent the entire Queensbridge population while his history reflects an exploitation of that community for his own profit.

There’s also his repeated history of sexually harassing women.

And during the summer of 2020, as covid raged and people sought outdoor refuge, Taylor’s nonprofit security company infamously and conveniently profited when Gantry Plaza State Park, a public park, was used by the, ah, public while the wealthy inhabitants of the waterfront luxury towers whined and railed about too many unwelcomed humans visible from their lofty, shiny, windowed perches.

At yesterday’s town hall, as Taylor detailed a planned “community center” to “house neighborhood nonprofits” within the 27-story towers of InnovationQNS, I could not help but wonder that the only nonprofits which might end up using that space will be those umbrellaed under Taylor’s highly profitable Urban Upbound.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Bishop" Taylor has been full of shit for years, and it's just now beginning to overflow. He's one of tghe crookedest community activists in the state.

Anonymous said...

Fragmented truth is all we the people are allowed by mainstream media.

Anonymous said...

Former New Yorker living the free life in Florida now.
I’m a former Bernie supporting Independent and an LGBT woman.
I have switched to Republicans because the left insulted and belittled me for not being woke.
Conservatives in my life said they agreed with me on issues like free speech, justice reform, and parents rights!
I’m ready to vote for Donald Trump again and my main man Ron DeSantis!

Anonymous said...

You can blame DeNiro for this. He’s building a movie studio in Astoria and his son is a real estate developer

Anonymous said...

The Fake progressive/woke movement is taking a ton of L's lately, and I could not be happier

Anonymous said...

The Left Just Learned That Politicians Lie !

Anonymous said...

Bunch of communists trying to stop the free market economy at work.
Build baby build!

Anonymous said...

The Innovation Queens is only part of the issue - there are projects along Northern Blvd that are just as tall outside that district.

What you need to do is to make a chart - or rendoring not just of Innovate Queens but these other projects too.

Then you can get the entire picture.

Anonymous said...

Yea, the Bishop showed up a Woodside Houses when the wanted to rezone 34 Avenue in the 40s for a series of tall buildings similiar to Kaufman Studio claim. Wanted to get services for the Woodside Houses which got that cohort all excited and very voocal cheers while the rest of the community sat glumly. Got as far as the Community Boart 1 ('community board from hell' one resident called it) where it was rubber stamped. Then the pandemic it.

That project, and about 5 others, in addtion to Innovation QNS will transform Northern Blvd from Woodside Houses to Queens Plaza to 20 story buidlings.

One thing all and that is the attentoin on Bengali People when this is mentioned - the only comment by the councilperson Julie. Is this inteneded to build a Bengali community?

Anonymous said...

You lost me at @ Community Activist. Pompous pathetic people who hate and despise the white working class. These peasants are not the preferred pets of aristocrat trust fund chimps