Douglaston Has Highest Rate Of Empty Storefronts In NYC: Report

DOUGLASTON, QUEENS — The Douglaston-Little Neck area has the city's highest rate of empty retail space, according to a new study by city Comptroller Scott Stringer's office.

The 11362 zip code in northeastern Queens topped the list of New York City neighborhoods with the highest rate of vacant retail space in 2017, the comptroller's office found.

More than a quarter of retail space in the zip code 11362 was empty that year, compared to a citywide rate of 5.8 percent, the report says.

The high vacancy rate is likely a product of big box stores fleeing the Douglaston Plaza Shopping Center — an exodus that, according to the Queens Chronicle, started in 2017 when the department store Macy's closed its doors.

There are 10 empty storefronts in that zip code, accounting for nearly 177,000 square feet of retail space, according to the comptroller's office.

Queens had a borough-wide vacancy rate of 6.4 percent, the report found, the next-highest rate after Staten Island.

The comptroller's study, which is based on an analysis of property tax filings, claims that rising commercial rents, the popularity of online shopping and regulatory hurdles are contributing to a citywide increase in the rate of empty storefronts.

At least some of that increase is due to property owners more accurately reporting income and expense information to the Department of Finance, the report acknowledges.

"This isn’t just about empty buildings and neighborhood blight, it’s about the affordability crisis in our city," Stringer said in a statement.

"We need to use every tool in the box to tackle affordability, support small businesses and ensure New Yorkers are equipped to succeed in the new economic reality."