Innovation QNS to host town hall at Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria
The developers behind the $2 billion Innovation QNS project in Astoria are hosting town hall meetings at the Museum of Moving Image ahead of the city’s public review process. (Photo courtesy of OCA Architecture)
As the proposed $2 billion Innovation QNS mega project in Astoria moves closer to the city’s public review process, the development team made its latest presentation to Community Board 1 Wednesday and will host two town hall meetings on Wednesday, April 20 at the Museum of the Moving Image.
The proposal put forth by Silverstein Properties, BedRock and Kaufman Astoria Studios, would transform a five-block area centered on Steinway Street they say is dominated by surface parking lots, underutilized industrial and commercial buildings and vacant spaces.
The developers behind the $2 billion Innovation QNS project in Astoria are hosting town hall meetings at the Museum of Moving Image ahead of the city’s public review process. (Photo courtesy of OCA Architecture)
The project would construct 12 new buildings with 2,845 mixed-income apartments, including some 725 permanently affordable and senior apartments. The development would also include 250,000 square feet of space for small businesses, startups, and nonprofits in the creative industries. The developers have framed the project as a solution to the neighborhood’s depressed economy with the creation of more than 5,400 good new jobs, including 3,700 construction jobs and 1,700 permanent jobs and $50 million in new annual spending at neighborhood businesses.
“After spending decades as part of this community, Kaufman Astoria Studios is doing everything possible to gain input from our longtime neighbors and ensure that the project reflects that input,” Kaufman Astoria Studios Vice President Tracy Capune said. “The additional Community Board briefings, community workshops and four years of outreach puts us in an exciting position to soon begin the public review process.”
And during that ULURP process, Councilwoman Julie Won will be key. Her vote on the project will likely be pivotal as City Council members traditionally follow the lead of the representative of the neighborhood where a development is proposed. While CB 1 members have pushed back against the scale of the project, especially two 26-floor towers they say are out of context with the neighborhood, Won sent a letter to the developers last month expressing her concern that there had not been enough community outreach to residents in the impacted area, many of whom are not fluent English language speakers.
The developers behind the $2 billion Innovation QNS project in Astoria are hosting town hall meetings at the Museum of Moving Image ahead of the city’s public review process. (Photo courtesy of OCA Architecture)
The April 20 town hall meetings at the Museum of the Moving Image are open to the public with one session starting at 4 p.m. and the other at 5:30 p.m. Live translation will be available on request for speakers of Spanish, Greek, Mandarin, Bengali and ASL. The development team will also host two additional community workshops in the months of May and June.
“In our discussions with Council Member Won and other decision-makers, we’ve been asked to do everything possible to gain input from the community and ensure the project reflects that input,” Capune said. “The series of workshops we’ll be hosting are intended to supplement the established public review process known as ULURP that already provides for community input.”
As the proposed $2 billion Innovation QNS mega project in Astoria moves closer to the city’s public review process, the development team made its latest presentation to Community Board 1 Wednesday and will host two town hall meetings on Wednesday, April 20 at the Museum of the Moving Image.
The proposal put forth by Silverstein Properties, BedRock and Kaufman Astoria Studios, would transform a five-block area centered on Steinway Street they say is dominated by surface parking lots, underutilized industrial and commercial buildings and vacant spaces.
The project would construct 12 new buildings with 2,845 mixed-income apartments, including some 725 permanently affordable and senior apartments. The development would also include 250,000 square feet of space for small businesses, startups, and nonprofits in the creative industries. The developers have framed the project as a solution to the neighborhood’s depressed economy with the creation of more than 5,400 good new jobs, including 3,700 construction jobs and 1,700 permanent jobs and $50 million in new annual spending at neighborhood businesses.
“After spending decades as part of this community, Kaufman Astoria Studios is doing everything possible to gain input from our longtime neighbors and ensure that the project reflects that input,” Kaufman Astoria Studios Vice President Tracy Capune said. “The additional Community Board briefings, community workshops and four years of outreach puts us in an exciting position to soon begin the public review process.”
And during that ULURP process, Councilwoman Julie Won will be key. Her vote on the project will likely be pivotal as City Council members traditionally follow the lead of the representative of the neighborhood where a development is proposed. While CB 1 members have pushed back against the scale of the project, especially two 26-floor towers they say are out of context with the neighborhood, Won sent a letter to the developers last month expressing her concern that there had not been enough community outreach to residents in the impacted area, many of whom are not fluent English language speakers.
The April 20 town hall meetings at the Museum of the Moving Image are open to the public with one session starting at 4 p.m. and the other at 5:30 p.m. Live translation will be available on request for speakers of Spanish, Greek, Mandarin, Bengali and ASL. The development team will also host two additional community workshops in the months of May and June.
“In our discussions with Council Member Won and other decision-makers, we’ve been asked to do everything possible to gain input from the community and ensure the project reflects that input,” Capune said. “The series of workshops we’ll be hosting are intended to supplement the established public review process known as ULURP that already provides for community input.”
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. AcceptRead More
Privacy Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
