Photo: Buck Ennis
The city wants to build more affordable housing in Long Island City.
Despite a flurry of new construction in Long Island City that will most likely shift housing in the Queens neighborhood from rental to luxury condominiums, the de Blasio administration is pushing for greater density and more affordable units there, a planning official said at a Tuesday panel discussion
“Everybody understands the opportunity to put density where you have transit,” said John Young, director of the Queens office of the Department of City Planning, referring to the number of subway lines that run through the rapidly changing industrial area across the East River from Manhattan. “It is what we call a smart growth strategy.”
The administration is studying the possibility of allowing taller buildings in a portion of Long Island City, according to Mr. Young, who was speaking at an annual event sponsored by the local nonprofit Long Island City Partnership. Developers also weighed in on on a change taking place in the neighborhood regarding the new housing that will be built. Ssince the recession, most residential projects near the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge and mass transit lines have been rental units.
“With current land prices and construction costs … doing rental at this point doesn’t make sense,” said Frank Monterisi Jr., an executive at the Related Cos., which built a large affordable-housing complex at Hunters Point South, a section of Long Island City along the waterfront. “Going forward, the [plans] that work will be [those] where you are selling condos at a pretty high value,” he added.
Whatever happens, the administration plans to require that some new housing be affordable, Mr. Young said.
“Housing, regardless of whether it is a for-sale or rental project, [will include a portion] that is affordable,” he said. “And we mean affordable across a broad range of spectrums.”
