Community protests Hunters Point South plans

Nearly 50 people recently came to Long Island City in order to tour the site of the city’s proposed development for Hunters Point South, which is scheduled to create nearly 5,000 new housing units, retail space and community and cultural facilities.
However, many of those people who attended the tour were those who were not satisfied with the city’s plans for affordable housing at the location.
“The plans for Hunters Point South are beautiful, and all Queens residents should have the opportunity to benefit from the plan,” said Hannah Weinstock, of the Queens Community House - a member of the Queens for Affordable Housing (QFAH) coalition. “It’s ironic that the Bloomberg administration would promote this plan as an affordable when it is designed to exclude the majority of Queens households.”
Currently, the city’s plans for the 5,000 new units include 2,000 at market-rate, while 3,000 of the units will be available to families of four earning between $61,450 – $157,000 a year.
QFAH members are upset that the units will only be affordable to the top 50 percent of Queens households and zero units would be set aside for median income residents, let alone those below the working poor. They are asking for the city to mandate that a number of the new housing units be designated for families earning below $60,000 per year.
“The mayor’s track record for creating affordable housing in Queens is poor, and a project like this is a further insult to working families here,” said Farzana Morshed, of Queens Community House.
Currently, the project is before the City Planning Commission (CPC), which has until the end of next month to make a recommendation on the project. After the CPC’s recommendation, the project’s fate will be in the hands of the City Council.