Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Writing's on the wall against luxury public housing complex Innovation QNS

Jackson Heights Post

A group of activists and artists sent a message to the developers of the proposed Innovation QNS project Sunday night that their development is not wanted.

The artists projected enormous messages on the side of one of the Kaufman Astoria buildings in Astoria that were highly critical of the $2 billion development proposal that would bring 2,800 apartment units, as well as office, retail and community space to the Steinway Street/35th Avenue district.

Some of the messages expressed concern about possible gentrification such as “Mom and pop small businesses can’t afford the rents” and “Immigrants and working-class built Astoria. $4,500 for a one-bedroom will destroy Astoria.” Other messages spotlighted the environmental impact with “Thousands of cars, 27 story buildings, 7,000 residents, and no infrastructure improvements.”

The messages went up two days in advance of Community Board 1’s vote on the project, when the board will make a recommendation as to whether the area should be rezoned so the expansive plans can proceed.

The recommendation is likely to influence the decision Councilmember Julie Won makes as to whether to approve the rezoning or not. She will ultimately determine its fate in the city council.

The developers consisting of Silverstein Properties, Kaufman Astoria Studios and BedRock Real Estate Partners are looking to rezone a 5-block district between 37th Street and Northern Boulevard, bound by 35th and 36th Avenues, so they can move forward with the project.

The proposed development would consist of more than a dozen buildings that would range in height from eight to 27 stories. It would include 711 affordable housings units, in accordance with city requirements, which would be offered at an average of 60 percent of Area Median Income.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nero fiddled while Rome burned. The Emporer's New Clothes revealed the Emporer's narcisism. Dear Leader Adams is the embodiment of both.

Anonymous said...

Me thinks democrats are reaping what they are sowing.

Anonymous said...

Can we blame TRUMP ? #TDS

NPC_translator said...

I'm so tired of this "immigrants built" lie. The immigrants who actually built Astoria have all been dead for well over 100 years. The immigrants these people are talking about -- the Central Americans, the Middle Easterners, the Albanians, the Croatians, the Brazilians, the Bangladeshis, etc. -- didn't build one single thing. They came to a neighborhood that had been founded, conceived and built by white people long before any of them were even born. They arrived in a fully formed place that they didn't lift a finger to "build," and all they've done is make it dirtier, uglier (with their architectural choices and their ugly faces), and stupider.

And as for their constant entitled whining about housing costs, you know where they can find PLENTY of cheap housing? In Central America, in the Middle East, in Albania, in Croatia, in Brazil, in Bangladesh, and so on. Nothing is stopping them from going back to whatever slum they slithered out of if Astoria is too "white privileged" and racist for them.

Anonymous said...

Adam Smith said...
BUILD, BABY, BUILD !

Anonymous said...

Time for these Sheeple to lick their tax habits - they're like crack addicts!!

Anonymous said...

Communists and TA Commies are everywhere. This is the free market economy at work. What's wrong with these people if they can't make enough money to pay $4500/month rent?

Vote Republican!

Anonymous said...

Well they're not wrong. However, in order to get nyc back to being more affordable, we need to halt immigration, legal and illegal and need to stop selling to investors for a few years so we can play some kind of "catch up" with our housing market and it needs to happen all over America. But with this current administration, it won't happen. So we are going to keep being screwed. Thanks dumbocrats.

Anonymous said...

Why put immigrants ahead of Working Class?
That says a lot. Illegal immigrants are the reason rents are so high.

Anonymous said...

To help the housing shortage for the middle class we need to start by building a big trench across the southern border.

Anonymous said...

Brainwash me HARDER !

Anonymous said...

They're hoping the public is dumb enough to buy it.

Anonymous said...

Another Democrat shell game !
Playing monopoly with our (Think Taxpayer ) money...

Anonymous said...

The government has learned nothing about affordable housing in the last 60 years.
The right decision would be to take the government out of the housing business.
Prove Me Wrong... Go Ahead Try.

Anonymous said...

Everything this corrupt administration has done was done with the goal of destroying our city.

Anonymous said...

Let's Go Brandon !

Anonymous said...

Just one more thing to lie about and act like they helping Americans when they are increasing inflation.

Anonymous said...

Well said NPC doofus. The only ones who did anything were your ancestors. Wondering why there isn’t a monument in your honor?
Maybe “The NPC_doofus septic tank” would be an appropriate monument to your ancestors greatness.

Anonymous said...

Good-bye Mom & Pop stores.
Say hello to more Starbucks, Panera Bread, Wine bars, Craft beer bars, Olive Garden, Applebee's, etc., etc.

Anonymous said...

Owner of this blog and all NIMBYs are economically illiterate morons. New luxury housing displaces only the PC Richards parking lot and takes the Yuppies who can afford $4500 apartments out of the prewar market. You’d rather they go for your walk-up? That’s why your rent is high. Failing to build helps only property owners.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a lot of anti progress commies posting here.

Anonymous said...

Come on guys, this is Astoria - get real. Walk around Astoria Village where tearing down 200 year old homes gets a smirk from the culprits and silence from everyone else as they tabulate how much mom's home is worth either as a tear down of a doromatory for cramming in a few families or students. That shows you all you need to know about 'community pride.'

When the locals talk about the community, its either to wax poetic of life decades ago, or its about food. Good God, these people talk about food the way others sex.

Now the message has been sent, they will go back to their drawing boards and give 'the boys' a cut of some prime parts from the Old Cow and it will pass with whisles blowing and streamers fluttering in the wind.

Anonymous said...

@“ we need to start by building a big trench across the southern border.”
Did the wall not work?

Anonymous said...

As a fourth generation native West Village resident, I prided myself as living in an autonomous, blue collar town whose workforce rejected handouts and who relied on the system of meritocracy as reward. Those days are forever gone and given the diseased state of government interference regarding affordable housing, it should be permanently banished from all housing development decisions as a testament to their monstrously failed record of creating more adversity, beggary and obscurity, as the last of the American middle class disappears into suburban mediiocrity.

Face it, serfs, post industrialist Klaus Schwab (founder and executive chairmanof the World Economic Forum) is right when he said: ❝You will own nothing——and BE HAPPY.❞

Anonymous said...

@“ Everything this corrupt administration has done was done with the goal of destroying our city.”

I presume you came up with that after a three day boozing binge.

Anonymous said...

@“ Can we blame TRUMP ? #TDS”
Well he is a property developer. He does rent and sell to a lot of foreign nationals. Most of his hotel staff are immigrants, both legal and illegal.
Try and rent one of his overrated apartments on 1 CPW and see what you can get for less than $50K /month. You may get a broom closet.
So why not blame him too?
Let’s go “Everyone but me is a TA commie”!

Anonymous said...

@"Let's Go Brandon !"

Is Brandon your landlord? I seem to be infatuated with this guy.

Anonymous said...

I'm with NPC_doofus on this. Poor people suck!

Anonymous said...

@"Prove Me Wrong... Go Ahead Try."

You were never right about anything in your life. So by default, you are wrong!

Anonymous said...

All kinds of people built Astoria.

A community should never think one group is 'better' than the other for any reason.

Anonymous said...

TA commie can make more apartments by putting people in the Gulags.
Or Soviet labour camps can help with housing while we mine salt.

Anonymous said...

@"Let's Go Brandon !"

What's Brandon got to do with this? Is he a property developer? Maybe you need to "Let's Go and see your Psychiatrist"

Anonymous said...

@"What's Brandon got to do with this?"
If you don't know I can't help you. Google it TA Commie...