City and elected officials joined TF Cornerstone to celebrate the ribbon-cutting for the most recent phase of a new development with affordable housing options at Hunter’s Point in Long Island City.
The new waterfront buildings at 5241 and 5203 Center Blvd. offer 719 permanently affordable apartments, 473 market-rate homes and a new public park on the Long Island City waterfront. TF Cornerstone, a family-owned development company, worked alongside several elected and city officials to complete this project.
Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been thanked TF Cornerstone for the tireless dedication to this project.
“Your team’s passion for revitalizing the Long Island City waterfront has been critical to the transformation that has brought so much good to the area’s residents,” Been said. “Access to safe, high-quality, affordable housing is critical to New York City’s recovery.”
The city planned to build 300,000 affordable housing units by 2026, which Been said is well ahead of schedule. Been said that not only did the TF Cornerstone project build homes, but different agencies joined together to create critical amenities to help the community thrive.
“Housing, alone, is not enough. Housing investments have to contribute to better neighborhoods with parks, open space and high-quality schools,” Been said. “They have to provide jobs, career development programs and ways for local residents to build wealth and to thrive.”
The New York City Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is working with the School Construction Authority to build a 572-seat K-8 school with a large playground, to be built just east of TF Cornerstone’s development.
The project also includes an office for Selfhelp Community Services, a health and human services organization. Selfhelp will give on-site services for older adults living in the 100 units set aside for seniors at the 5203 Center Blvd. location. In addition, a Selfhelp social worker will be available to provide entitlements and benefits assistance, home care referrals and wellness activities.
5241 Center Blvd. will host a 7,700-square-foot community center, where the nonprofit Sunnyside Community Services will be available to provide social services and programming for older adults.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards joined the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the buildings that bring “much-needed affordable housing” to Queens. Richards pointed out the inequities in the city, from housing to education, that have impacted many people in the borough.
“These inequities have been long rooted in systems across our city,” Richards said. “But today is a great day for our borough. Any day that we can address this crisis, especially this housing crisis, is a great day for Queens County. We all have heard the slogan that ‘Housing is a human right.’ We need to make sure we’re putting that into practice. Today, I’m proud to be here to say that in Queens County, we’re not just saying slogans, but we’re actually building.”
TF Cornerstone’s developments include 1,194 residential units across the two buildings with a mix of studios and one- to two-bedroom units. Sixty percent of units will be affordable for low, moderate to middle-income residents. One hundred units are set aside for low-income seniors and half of the 719 units are reserved for local community members.
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer worked to move this development forward and said he is thankful for the 1,200 new apartments, 60% of which will be affordable homes in his district.
“I’m thrilled to have worked to secure additional affordable housing to the development and am particularly excited about the 100 units of housing for low-income seniors that will ensure our aging population can continue to call this neighborhood home,” Van Bramer said. “Hunter’s Point South should serve as a model for development in the future.”
