8-Story Residential Development Proposed In Rego Park

REGO PARK, QUEENS — A proposal for an eight-story residential building on Woodhaven Boulevard is one step closer to getting approved.

Plans for the new development at 68-19 Woodhaven Boulevard got preliminary approval last week to proceed through the city's land-use review process, after the Department of City Planning signed off on a nearly 1,000-page environmental review that determined the project would not negatively affect the surrounding neighborhood.

The building would contain 92 apartments, including 28 affordable units, and space for retail stores and medical offices, records show.

There would also be 81 parking spaces, most of which would be in the building's basement level.

The McCloskey family, who ran a popular flower shop at that address for decades, sold the property to Giuseppe Zuccarella last year for $5.35 million, according to the realty group Cushman & Wakefield and real estate records.

“Woodhaven Boulevard is one of the more heavily-trafficked areas in the borough,” Cushman & Wakefield realtor Stephen Preuss said in a statement at the time. “As retailers continue to move into the neighborhood, this property will benefit significantly from the continued increased exposure.”

The proposal, which requires rezoning, will next head to the City Planning Commission for review.

Queens Community Board 6 and the Queens Borough President's Office will also weigh in on the proposal before it is voted on by the City Planning Commission and City Council.