Construction has begun on a new mixed-use complex on Queens Boulevard in Woodside that will feature a new public school, 478 mixed-income apartments, retail and public outdoor space.
The development, located at 69-02 Queens Blvd., will occupy an entire block stretching from 69th Street to 70th Street with a pair of mid-rise towers, one 15 stories and the other 12 stories.
Thirty percent, or around 145 units, will be marketed as affordable homes. Residential amenities will include a state-of-the-art fitness center with a separate yoga room, a media lounge, shared laundry facilities, on-site parking, an outdoor terrace and a roof terrace with outdoor kitchens, according to Madison Realty Capital, which will deliver the shell of P.S. Q340 that will occupy the cellar through the fourth floor of the east tower. The School Construction Authority will complete the project for students in pre-K through fifth grade.
“After a long road, I’m very pleased that we were able to work together to give this area a school to provide nearly 500 badly needed additional seats for students,” Councilman Robert Holden said. “New York’s most vital resource is our children, and they need all the help we can give them.”
P.S. Q340 will help address overcrowding in District 24, according to School Construction Authority President and CEO Lorriane Grillo.
“This project is the perfect example of how government and pirate business partners can come together to leverage the expertise, resources and skills to improve education by providing much-needed, state-of-the-art instructional space our children need and deserve,” Grillo said. “In 2014, we needed more than 10,000 seats to address overcrowding in District 24. When this project is completed, we’ll just be a few hundred seats away from meeting our goal to provide children in the district with all of the space and resources they need to learn and grow.”
Madison Realty Capital secured approval for a rezoning through the city’s Uniformed LandUse Review Procedure (ULURP) process.
“The 476-seat school being built as part of this public-private partnership will go a long way toward meeting the community’s need for additional school capacity and is an excellent example of how we are building a more equitable Queens,” Borough President Donovan Richards said. “The inclusion of a school in this project was wisely sought by neighborhood residents and community leaders and underscores the importance of having local input in the land use review process. Woodside’s children will benefit for decades to come from the smart decision to have a new school be a part of this development.”
When the complex is complete, the property services union, 32BJ SEIU, will be responsible for building services.
“Madison Realty Capital’s commitment to providing prevailing wage jobs to the workers who will operate the building is more important than ever before,” 32BJ SEIU Vice President John Santos said. “We are pleased that this project will bring good jobs, necessary affordable housing, and a new school to the Elmhurst and Woodside communities.”
