Applications Open For 185 Affordable Apartments On LIC Waterfront

HUNTERS POINT, QUEENS — A batch of 185 new apartments on the Long Island City waterfront hit the affordable housing lottery Wednesday.

The apartments, located in a new development overlooking Hunter's Point South Park at 52-41 Center Blvd., are open to households making anywhere from $26,126 to $168,960 a year, depending on the number of residents and the size of the apartment.

A total of 719 permanently affordable apartments will eventually be up for grabs in the two-tower residential complex, the project's developer, TF Cornerstone, said in a news release Wednesday. Half of the units will go to current residents of Queens Community Board 2's district, and 100 will house low-income seniors.

Applications for the remaining affordable units, in a sibling tower at 52-03 Center Blvd., are expected to open in summer 2021, according to the news release.

"This amenity-packed project that’s opening in Long Island City will be an incredible asset to this vibrant neighborhood,” NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Louise Carroll said in a statement. “With a coworking space, a fitness center and plentiful outdoor space included, not only are many low-income families and seniors getting a high quality affordable place to call home but families are receiving accommodations that will contribute to their health and well-being for years to come.

The affordable units will make up 60 percent of the towers' 1,194 apartments, which include studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms.

The matching towers were designed by the architecture firm ODA and will be anchored by a 22,000-square-foot park designed by Matthews Nielsen Landscape Architects.

Amenities include roof terraces, BBQ grills, a club room and lounge, children's playroom, fitness center, yoga room, laundry facilities, a co-working space and a 150-car parking garage. Residents will have access to the amenities in both buildings, though they will be subject to a monthly fee.

The project will also include a community facility run by Selfhelp Community Service, more than 8,900 square feet of retail space and a 572-seat K-8 school with a playground.

“As the first of few new buildings to commence leasing in the wake of a global pandemic, 5241 and 5203 Center Blvd are much needed sanctuaries, providing new affordable housing, vast amounts of open space, light and air in all directions, dedicated community spaces, and the security of being part of a TF Cornerstone community," Zoe Elghanayan, principal and vice president at TF Cornerstone, said in a statement.

TF Cornerstone was also slated to develop two parcels of public land along Anable Basin in Long Island City as part of a consortium of developers putting together a master plan for the area after Amazon decided not to build a headquarters there. The plan collapsed earlier this month, after city officials pulled out of the planning process.