While Ridgewood may be lacking in affordable housing lotteries and building permit filings compared to most other Queens neighborhoods in 2025, there has still been plenty of notable trends and activities there.
In September 2025, the average rental price of units in Ridgewood rose 7.72% year-over-year, from $2,741 in 2024 to $2,952 in 2025, according to a report by M.N.S. Real Estate.
Over this period of time, studios went up in price from $2,236 in September 2024 to $2,599 in September 2025. This month’s rent also represents a big jump from the $2,282 average in January 2025. So far this year, the highest average monthly rent for studios in Ridgewood occurred in April, at $2,662, while the lowest was in February, at $2,213.
One-bedroom units in Ridgewood had the average rental price go up from $2,773 in September 2024 to $2,857 in September 2025. The jump is even larger from the start of the year, when January put up an average rent of just $2,703. The only other month in 2025 to have a lower rental price for one-bedroom units was March, at $2,697. June, meanwhile, had the highest average rent, at $2,947.
Two-bedroom units followed similar trends to one-bedroom units. The average rent increased from $3,213 in September 2024 to $3,400 in September 2025. As was the case with one-bedroom units in Ridgewood, the average rent of $3,163 was the second-lowest in 2025, outdone only by February, at $3,111. Also similar to one-bedroom units, the highest price of two-bedroom units came in the month of June, at $3,443.
As the calendar flipped from 2024 to 2025, Ridgewood had the biggest spike in search activity for houses among all New York City neighborhoods on StreetEasy. There was a 13.2% climb in searches for Ridgewood from the end of 2023 to the end of 2024, by far outpacing second-place Greenwood in Brooklyn, which had a 9% boost. The median asking rent for homes in Ridgewood on StreetEasy went up 8.3% over this period of time, from $3,001 in 2023 to $3,250 in 2024. Additionally, the median asking price rose 8.4%, from $1.195 million in 2023 to $1.295 million in 2024.
With such a long and extensive history, Ridgewood has some old buildings that may pose more of a public safety risk than a housing opportunity. One such example that occurred in 2025 was the building at 614 Woodward Ave., which was formally entered into the New York City Department of Buildings’ Unsafe Buildings Program last spring following years of mounting violations, inaction and community frustration.
The building, which has been vacant for several years, has received over 100 violations, including 40 from the Department of Buildings and 67 from the Environmental Control Board, become a dumping ground for trash and debris and garnered concerns from the community about potential rodent infestations, structural hazards and pedestrian safety. The Department of Buildings estimated that the unpaid fines total more than $529,875.
Rodent infestations in and around the building were due in large part to the accumulating trash there. That, combined with the old scaffolding on the building and a sidewalk shed surrounding the property, had made the area dangerous for pedestrians and nearby residents.
“This is a step in the right direction,” Holden said after the building’s entry into the program. “We thank the DOB for listening to the community, and we will stay on the agency and the city to ensure that this process moves forward to a good resolution for those living in and around the area of the building.”
The ongoing complaints from residents in the area, combined with the advocacy work by New York City Council Members Robert Holden and Jennifer Gutiérrez, led to the building’s entry into the Unsafe Buildings Program. The two leaders sent a joint letter to the Department of Buildings and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development in February, calling for immediate actions to be taken to address the unsafe conditions there.
“We’re grateful to the Department of Buildings for their swift response and for officially entering 614 Woodward Ave. into the Unsafe Buildings Program,” Gutiérrez said. “This acknowledgment is an important next step forward, and we’re eager to ensure that the longstanding issues with this property are quickly and fully addressed to protect the health and safety of our community.”
Even though there have not been many new housing developments to open in Ridgewood in 2025, the neighborhood has still welcomed plenty of new businesses. These include restaurants as diverse as the residents of the borough of Queens, such as the Japanese cafe and restaurant Hi-Node, the Italian restaurant Il Gigante and the matcha and coffee cafe Sieve Cafe.
The virtual food hall Wonder also opened a new location at 56-16 Myrtle Ave. Additionally, the supermarket chain City Fresh Market opened a new location at 583 Grandview Ave. Another notable business opening in Ridgewood was the Queen of Swords hair salon, which opened at 875 Woodward Ave.
