Queens leader says rents “astronomical,” seeks rezoning
Community Board chair’s plan to allow taller buildings would boost affordable housing stock
August 06, 2014 01:00PM
From left: Joseph Conley and Sunnyside, Queens
Queens leaders are angling for Mayor Bill de Blasio to include several of the borough’s neighborhoods in the administration’s plan to build and preserve 200,000 affordable housing units, saying that rent in places such as Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside has become too expensive.
Community Board chair Joseph Conley called rents “astronomical” and told the Daily News that “people are being priced out.”
In a letter to city officials, Conley proposed four possible areas — including part of Queens Plaza in Long Island City, a triangle in Woodside and an area in Sunnyside — that could be rezoned to allow for taller buildings and denser development. In return, Conley said, developers would have to make at least 30 percent of the units in their new buildings affordable. [NYDN] – Claire Moses
