As the city grapples with its worst housing crisis in more than half a century, the Adams administration announced plans to build another 850 to 900 apartments on public land—with at least 60% of the units to be affordable—in the fast-growing Hunters Point South community on the Long Island City waterfront.
The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced on Feb. 8 the start of the process to develop Parcel E at Hunters Point South, the same day the agency delivered the initial findings of a study that found available apartments across the five boroughs are the scarcest they have been since 1968.
Parcel E at Hunters Point South sits just north of the Gotham Point complex where the Newtown Creek meets the East River and just west of the massive Malt Drive development that spans 1.4 million square feet bringing 1,400 apartments with 30% designated for affordable housing.
“Hunters Point South gives us a great opportunity to make up lots of ground in our fight to create the housing our city desperately needs,” HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. said on Feb. 8.
“This is the fourth project in just the last two weeks where our planning team has moved the ball down the field to advance Mayor Adams’ 24 in 24 plan — putting us well on our way to planning affordable housing projects on 24 public sites in 2024. We look forward to working with community residents to craft a vision for this site and see that vision come to fruition.”
Parcel E is one of seven city-owned sites that makes up the Hunters Point South development, which covers a 30-acre area along the East River that was once considered for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
After the city’s failed Olympics bid, it reevaluated plans and began the development of a mixed-use, mixed-income community. Five of the seven parcels have already been developed into more than 3,000 units, commercial retail space, community facilities, and two schools.
The 11-acre Hunters Point South Park was built along the East River as part of the 30-acre development plan. Once complete, Hunters Point South will include approximately 5,000 new apartments, about 3,000 of which will be income-restricted to low- and moderate-income households, according to HPD.
The development comes at a time when there has been an influx of new residents to the area.
“With more than 8,000 newly arrived neighbors in my council district alone, it is essential that we continue to focus on building affordable, supportive housing to build a stronger community,” Council Member Julie Won said. “This announcement of our city’s investment in Hunters Point South as one of five initial public sites to receive affordable housing is critical to ensuring all of our neighbors have a long-term future in our city.”
The city has started the visioning process for Parcel E, seeking recommendations from the public as to the plan.
The launch of the visioning process comes at a time when the Adams administration, Council Member Julie Won and WXY Studio are conducting a collaborative engagement process on the Long Island City (LIC) Neighborhood Plan, a holistic plan for neighboring areas.
Won, along with city officials, is currently holding focus area meetings to gather community input and examine ways to create new housing, economic growth, transit connectivity, and open space in the greater Long Island City area. The goal is to come up with a list of community recommendations and, ultimately, a zoning proposal.
“This [Parcel E] is an exciting step forward for western Queens,” Department of City Planning Director Dan Garodnick said. “By advancing affordable housing at Hunters Point South alongside our Long Island City Neighborhood Plan, we’re showing how holistic, thoughtful planning can deliver significant new affordable housing near a world-class park and infrastructure. I commend our partners on taking action to deliver hundreds of needed homes for New Yorkers as part of the Adams administration’s work to create a more affordable, resilient, and vibrant Long Island City.”
Western Queens residents will be able to learn more about the process and help envision Parcel E’s future as the process gets underway. Through tabling events in the neighborhood and a public workshop, residents will be able to put forward their recommendations and aspirations for the site.
“In the past, we have seen multiple projects in Long Island City fail due to a lack of community engagement and buy-in,” Won said. “The city must prioritize community input throughout this process to ensure that our neighbors’ feedback is incorporated into any plans to build housing. In addition to housing, we must also ensure that the city is delivering on their outstanding commitments to build an elementary school and outdoor sports field that the community was promised in Hunters Point South.”
To learn more and get involved in the community visioning process for the Hunters Point South Parcel E site, visit the HPD website here.
