For better or worse, the next decade to come may be titled the rise of Queens (move over, Brooklyn). From Jamaica to Flushing to Amazon City, a maelstrom of forces are causing developers to salivate while locals brace for change, congestion, and higher prices.
In Flushing, alongside its foul-smelling creek, new renderings have emerged for a long-planned mixed-use complex wedged between the shoreline and Janet Place. Once known as River Park Place, a never-built five-building complex designed by Ismael Leyva Architects was to have 450 condos, hotel rooms, retail, and 1,000 parking spots. Led by LEV Development Group on behalf of owners ABS Management & Development and Babad Management, construction was thwarted by the 'Great Recession' and, according to The Real Deal, nearly fell into foreclosure until the owners secured a $28.5 million mortgage in 2014.
Shelved design of River Park Place (now Janet Place) via Ismael Leyva Architects
In 2016, the owners offloaded the site for a reported $100 million to Chris Xu, president of United Construction and Development Group. The 3.7-acre property has a buildable area of 870,000 square feet and is located across from the big-box retail and residential complex Sky View Parc. Last December, The Real Deal reported that Xu had sold off part of the assemblage for $45 million. More recently, new renderings were posted by Queens-based architect Peter Poon. Dubbed Janet Place, the images show four 17-floor glass and brick towers sharing a common base.
New design for Janet Place via Peter Poon Architects
Directly north of Janet Place at 131-09 39th Avenue, Andy Zhu's Triple Star Realty picked up a cleared 100,000-square-foot site in 2015 that was formerly home to Korean grocery store Assi Plaza. According to The Real Deal, the lot holds nearly 632,000 square feet of buildable potential. Triple Star is planning a mixed-use complex that will consist of a 360-unit condominium, 200-room hotel, retail, office space, and parking. Yet-to-be-approved permits, filed in 2016, detail a two-story retail and parking structure.
131-09 39th Avenue and Andy Zhu via The Real Deal
Directly south of Janet Place, The Grand at Sky View Parc is selling condos with available one-bedrooms priced from $835K, two-beds from $1,085,888, and three-beds from $1,565,888. The four-building development led by Onex Real Estate Partners comprises three glass-clad condominium towers on the waterfront-facing side of the 14-acre site. Amenities include a four-acre rooftop garden, a rooftop swimming pool, a children's playground, putting green, dog run, fitness center and spa, two tennis courts, a basketball court, and a running track. The towers will connect to the 785,000-square-foot Shops at Skyview Center which features Sky Foods, a 33,000-square-foot Asian supermarket.
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South of Sky View Park, a 550,000-square-foot development is planned at 40-70 Delong Street / 131-02 40th Road. Dubbed Flushing Point Plaza, images published by Angelo Ng & Anthony Ng's Architects Studio shows a trio of glassy towers encircling an elevated courtyard. The development will feature two 18-story residential towers and a hotel.
The largest development of all lies just across Flushing Creek in Willets Point. In February, The New York Times reported that the de Blasio administration and developers Sterling Equities and The Related Companies have reached a deal to bring more than 1,100 affordable housing units and a school to a 6-acre portion of the 23-acre master plan. The city-owned parcel is near the corner of Willets Point Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue and will bring a 450-seat elementary school, retail, and 1,100 affordable housing units for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers.
The site remediation is scheduled to finish in 2020, and 500 of the 1,100 planned units are slated for completion in 2022. Plans for the Iron Triangle's remaining 17 acres are still unclear but a task force between the mayor's office and locals leaders have been created to come up with further development plans.
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