On a quiet corridor in Astoria on the border of Long Island City, a new luxury condominium has emerged just across the street from a waterfront view of the city skyline and a playground with rows of swings and swaying trees.
NuSun Vernon, located at 30-55 Vernon Blvd., has nine floors and offers a sleek, timeless aesthetic for residents, from young couples to families, reflecting the bustling neighborhood of Astoria, known for delicious restaurants and endless opportunities to connect with the community. The recent addition was completed over a year ago in February 2025, making the most of the landscape it’s surrounded by, with rooftop terraces showcasing the sparkling waterfront and cozy outdoor seating beneath the trees, perfect on a warm, sunny afternoon.
“The neighborhood and the location are such a great place, so we really wanted to take advantage of that in our design,” said Dan Kaplan, senior partner of FXCollaborative and an award-winning architect who designed the building. “How often do you get the waterfront, the Manhattan skyline, greenery, a beautiful, textured scale neighborhood, and the sense of relaxation and contact with nature?”
NuSun Vernon is a collaborative effort by Global Real Estate Venture Group (GREVG), Sunlight Development Group, NuVerse Advisors, and FXCollaborative. The Astoria luxury condominium is their second Queens-based project, following the success of NuSun Tower in Flushing, a 17-story mixed-use building with over 127 luxury condominiums and a separate commercial side with medical office suites. The brands, along with Kaplan and the team at FXCollaborative, sought to provide another opportunity for residents to have a sleek, stylish living space, with some condos offering private terraces. With expansive windows, quartzite slab countertops, and classic touches from interior designer Paris Forino, they spared no expense to provide a home that lets residents enjoy their surroundings while getting true value for their investment.
“We like to design a product that is inspirational in the upcoming market,” said Vicki Zhi Saali, president of GREVG. “We want the buyers to feel when they purchase into our building that they got a bargain rather than feeling ripped off, so we don’t mind putting in the extra dollar to launch everything. It’s really a lot of effort and design put into it that buyers appreciate.”
With expansive living and dining spaces and city skyline views in many apartments, even the studios offer plenty of space for individuals or couples who dwell there. While their most upscale units are their penthouse apartments, luxury is found everywhere, from tailor-made oakwood vanities in the bathroom to state-of-the-art chandeliers in the kitchen. In honoring the neighborhood, the property even has light fixtures that double as art, straight from the Noguchi Museum, both honoring the art scene in western Queens while paying homage to one of the neighborhood’s iconic museums.
“That was important to us because Astoria is an area with so much history and depth,” said Saali. “In this area, there are a lot of artsy places to go, and one of them is the Noguchi Museum that we all know and love, so we felt like we needed to bring some design element that’s local and an inspiration to this building to honor the history of Astoria.”
While honoring the community surrounding the residence, Nusun Vernon provides residents with plenty of opportunities to connect within the building, with areas to meet and socialize. The residence is equipped with a state-of-the-art gym, a residence lounge, a co-working space, a kids’ playroom, and a common terrace for barbecuing and unwinding. They even offer a shuttle service to the subway to make commuters’ mornings easier, especially on cold or rainy days, when it’s likely even more appreciated.
“It’s one of the more interesting, fun parts of designing these buildings,” said Kaplan. “In the old school apartment building, there was a sense of community, but it all took place in the lobby. Now we’re seeing these amenity spaces grow over the years, and it’s great. [NuSun] has a gym, a lounge, there’s a co-working space, you have outdoor space, there’s a kids’ playroom, and it gives you a place to go in your building, but it also builds a community.”
While some units are already occupied or have new residents about to move in, there is still plenty of availability and appointments to view the space are available. Whether those interested are newer to the area or lifelong Queens residents, the space is perfect for all ages and walks of life, from young professionals to families with children looking to settle down.
“We want to focus on the local profile, which are the people who live in the neighborhood, because they love the neighborhood, so we really want to please them and we want them to be happy with every building we do,” said Saali.
For more information, visit their website or follow @nusunvernon.
