NEW YORK | Hallets Point (7 tower development) | FT | 20 - 40 FLOORS

[Stan31]

There's no more activity at Hallet's Point. The reviews of this complex are generally negative. The whole thing looks like a bust. The immediate area around it looks like a warzone.

[Crawford]

They already indicated they weren't breaking ground on additional phases until DeBlasio leaves office, so the remaining towers won't go up until January.

I have no clue what you mean by "warzone". Astoria is a nice area. Hallets Point currently has nothing, essentially, with two developers owning most of the point. It's basically nothing but development assemblages. In 10 years it will be really nice, but now it's quiet and relatively isolated.

[Stan31]

Originally Posted by Crawford

They already indicated they weren't breaking ground on additional phases until DeBlasio leaves office, so the remaining towers won't go up until January.

I have no clue what you mean by "warzone". Astoria is a nice area. Hallets Point currently has nothing, essentially, with two developers owning most of the point. It's basically nothing but development assemblages. In 10 years it will be really nice, but now it's quiet and relatively isolated.

I don't mean Astoria, obviously, but the 3 block radius around it, with sidewalks that are falling apart and dilapidated warehouses. There's also no direct walkway to the Astoria park, you have to make quite a detour around all these warehouses to arrive there. It's easily the most unpleasant part of Astoria at the moment.

[Stan31]

Durst lands $128M refi for 10 Halletts Point

The Durst Organization landed a nine-figure refinancing for its completed building at 10 Halletts Point, but the future of the rest of the gigantic project remains murky.

The Commercial Observer reported Durst landed a $127.5 million, five-year loan from Signature Bank at the multifamily complex in Astoria, Queens.

Signature managing group director Joseph Fingerman led the transaction for the bank, according to the Observer. Meridian Capital Group’s Ronnie Levine helped arrange the financing.

The 405-unit 10 Halletts Point is part of Durst’s larger Halletts Point project, which is expected to yield 2,100 housing units across 2.4 million square feet, along with a public waterfront esplanade and retail space. The project was deemed to be essential construction during the early weeks of the pandemic, allowing work to continue.

According to Apartments.com, monthly rents in the 22-story building range from $2.464 to $5,862. The website lists eight available units.

Amenities for 10 Halletts Point include a fitness center, yoga studio, library, children’s playroom and barbeque area. Supermarket Brooklyn’s Harvest Market takes up 25,000 square feet of the property’s base.

The Halletts Point development has been the subject of a feud between Durst and Mayor Bill de Blasio. In January 2020, Durst put the development on hold after the city refused to provide the subsidy he wanted for its affordable units.

The two sides clashed over both the city’s contribution and the affordability requirements for the complex; Durst claimed the project would not be financially feasible if more affordable housing units were included than planned.

In 2015, New York City promised a $21.6 million subsidy to offset infrastructure costs, but a state tax abatement program was changed, throwing a wrench into the project’s economics. Durst proposed an alternative financing solution without additional affordable units, causing the de Blasio administration to balk.

At the time, the firm said it would wait until the following administration to pursue the project, a change now just four days away. A spokesperson for the Durst Organization said Halletts 7 is almost complete and will open next year, and that site work at Halletts 20 and 30 has begun.

One thing the administration did that benefited the project was link East 90th Street in Manhattan to Astoria via ferry, providing a four-minute connection. Durst had advocated strongly for the change.

https://therealdeal.com/2021/12/28/d...alletts-point/

[chris08876]

Community Board 1 Approves Massive Development on Halletts Point Peninsula

A developer’s plan to build 1,340 apartments on the Halletts Point peninsula got the approval of Community Board 1 Tuesday night.

The board voted 19-14 in favor of the rezoning application that involves the construction of three residential towers – one 22 stories, another 31 stories and a third 35 stories—on a 3.8-acre industrial site on the peninsula.

The developer, listed as Astoria Owners Inc., requires several zoning changes to move forward with the plan, such as changing its permitted zoning from manufacturing (M1-1) to mixed-use residential (R7-3/C2-4).

The site is located at 3-15 26th Ave. just a block away from the Durst Organization’s massive Halletts Point project and by the Astoria Cove development. The project, which is aptly called Halletts North, is also near the Astoria Houses NYCHA complex.

The development, which is being designed by Studio V Architecture and Ken Smith Workshop, would include 335 affordable apartments—in line with what is required—if the rezoning application is approved. The 335 units would be offered at an average Area Median Income of 60 percent, equating to about $72,000 for a family of four.

With rezonings, the city requires developers to provide affordable housing in accordance with the city’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program.

The project would also include 3,600 square feet of retail space, 9,700-square-feet for community facilities, and a 525-space parking garage. There would also be about 700 bicycle parking spaces.

The development would include space for Urban Upbound, a Long Island City-based organization that helps NYCHA residents get out of poverty, as well as Zone 126, a nonprofit that works with children and families in Long Island City and Astoria.

The project would also transform about 40,000 square feet of the site into a public waterfront promenade, which would be accessible through a new road at 3rd Street.

The Durst Organization, which is developing 2,000 units on the peninsula, completed its first of seven proposed buildings in 2019 and is currently working on its second.

The company filed plans earlier this week to demolish a warehouse on First Street and 27th Avenue. The site will be used as a staging area for the project’s third and fourth buildings, with Durst starting construction on those buildings later this spring, reported Patch.

Building plans were also filed earlier this month pertaining to the Astoria Cove development. That development will bring 1,723 apartments to the peninsula upon completion.

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https://queenspost.com/community-boa...oint-peninsula

[Busy Bee]

About time

[BuildThemTaller]

With all the development along the East River, Queens could use a streetcar or subway line or something more robust along Vernon. The BQX was an interesting idea. Might as well get portions of it going and connect them later. The ferry system can only do so much.

[Busy Bee]

There hasn't been a BQX update in a long while and as far as I know Adams hasn't made any determination.

[chris08876]

The Fate of Massive Development on Halletts Point Peninsula Now Rests With Cabán and City Council


Aug. 1, 2022

The fate of a developer’s plan to build 1,340 apartments on the Halletts Point peninsula now rests in the hands of the city council and Council Member Tiffany Cabán, who announced Sunday that the project still does not contain enough affordable housing.

The project, which the City Planning Commission voted in favor of last week, is scheduled to be voted on by the full city council in September. The vote marks the final step in the rezoning process and a yes vote would mean the project can proceed. The plan has already been approved by Community Board 1 and the Queens Borough President, both providing non-binding recommendations.

The rezoning application involves the construction of three residential towers—one 22 stories, another 31 stories and a third 35 stories—on a 3.8-acre industrial site located at 3-15 26th Avenue, just a block away from the Durst Organization’s massive Halletts Point project.

The developer, listed as Astoria Owners Inc., requires several zoning changes to move forward with the plan—aptly called Halletts North—such as changing its permitted zoning from manufacturing (M1-1) to mixed-use residential (R7-3/C2-4).

But the amount of affordable housing is the sticking point for Cabán. The application in its present form would see 25 percent of the units (approximately 335 units) offered at an average Area Median Income (AMI) of 60 percent, equating to about $80,000 for a family of four.

The number of affordable units meets the minimum threshold requirement in accordance with city’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing requirements.

“I still have significant concerns about the proposed affordability,” wrote Cabán in her weekly newsletter Sunday.

“The applicant is currently proposing that 25 percent of the total units will be affordable, on average, at 60 percent of the Area Median Income,” she said. “I am continuing to fight for deeper, and more expansive, affordable units from the applicant and will not support the project if we don’t do better.”

A spokesperson for Cabán, however, told the Queens Post Monday that she has yet to come up with a hardline number as to what she deems acceptable. “We’re in consultation with the council’s land-use staff and community members to develop a counter-proposal,” her spokesperson Jesse Myerson said.

Cabán is not alone in her desire for more affordable housing.

The community board, in its narrow 19-14 vote in support of the application, also made mention of a need for greater affordability, with some of its members opposed to the project arguing that it lacked enough affordable housing.

“While it is going to be lovely for the wealthy and the few who may get an affordable apartment…the developers are not providing what people need and are creating greater inequity, particularly in this area,” said board member Evie Hantzopoulos prior to the April 19 vote.

[...]


The outcome of the city council’s vote in September is likely to be determined by Cabán. The city council typically votes in lockstep with the representative where a development is proposed in what’s known as member deference.

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https://queenspost.com/the-fate-of-m...d-city-council

[BuildThemTaller]

Not sure if this is the right place since Hallett's North is separate from Durst Organization's Halletts Point, but it seemed like a logical place to put it.

The local councilmember has approved the 3-tower Halletts North development. The towers will be 21, 31, and 34 stories and include 1,350 apartments. This was approved by the Council's land use committee and will go before the full Council on Wednesday.

https://patch.com/new-york/astoria-l...north-rezoning

[chris08876]

City Council Approves Hallets North Residential Development In Astoria, Queens

This week, the New York City Council approved plans for Hallets North, a three-tower residential development that will create 1,340 apartments in Queens. Located in Astoria, the Hallets North development site comprises an assemblage of lots along 26th Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets.

The waterfront development site is currently occupied by several vacant warehouses.

The towers will also include 335 affordable units, an expanded waterfront esplanade along the East River, retail businesses, community facility spaces, and parking for more than 500 vehicles. The towers will top out at 23, 31, and 34 stories tall.

The community facilities will be managed by Urban Upbound and Zone 126, which will provide vocational training and other career services. The New York City Housing Authority Astoria Houses’ tenant association will also receive $1 million for programmatic and capital investment.

“We can only tackle the affordable housing crisis by making New York City a ‘City of Yes,’ and approving this project is a significant step in the right direction,” said mayor Adams. “The solution to our housing shortage is simple: building more housing, and this project will create thousands of homes, including hundreds with restricted rents.”

Plans for the development, led by Astoria Owners LLC with Studio V Architecture, were filed with the Department of City Planning in 2021 and began the required environmental review and public impact study in March. Last week, the City Council voted in favor of the proposal 43-1 following an announcement from Astoria councilwoman Tiffany Cabán that she would vote to approve a rezoning application filed by the developer to facilitate construction of the project.

Brooklyn Councilman Charles Barron was the only council member to vote against the project.

“New Yorkers in every community are standing up and saying, ‘We want to be a part of the solution,’ and the Halletts North project is another big win for affordability in our city,” said deputy mayor for economic and workforce development, Maria Torres-Springer. “I thank speaker Adams, council member Cabán, and everyone who voted to make these new homes a reality.”

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NYY

[Doubleu1117]

What's going on in Queens is so fascinating. From Hunters Point to Hallets Point. The East River waterfront being bookmarked by two mini clusters, and of course everything in LIC.

[Busy Bee]

Exciting times

[chris08876]

Credit: uagnycandthedurstorg

[Busy Bee]

Astoria Houses already looking a little stumpy.

[Doubleu1117]

A couple more pictures from what looks like the same June-ish time as the pic above. So these are buildings 3 and 4 of 7.

https://www.uag.nyc/projects/halletts-point/

[chris08876]

Durst Organization tops out construction of 647-unit mixed-use complex on Astoria waterfront

The real estate company Durst Organization and its general contractor Urban Atelier Group have topped out construction of a two-tower, mixed-use complex at 20 Halletts Point Rd. and 30 Halletts Point Rd. in Astoria on Thursday, Oct. 26.

The towers, which will contain 647 total units, now stand at 27 and 32 stories, respectively. With the final structural concrete now installed, the complex is one step closer to being finished. According to the Durst Organization, construction of the complex is expected to be completed sometime in 2025.

This project marks the second major phase of the development that is located on the peninsula. The first phase, 10 Halletts Point Rd., was completed in 2019.

The three Halletts Point Road buildings, representing Phase 1 and 2, will bring 2,000 residential units to Astoria. Once completed, the development, designed by Handel Architects, will also encompass a new public waterfront esplanade and park, as well as neighborhood retail.

“Today, we celebrate years of hard work and dedication by topping out this phase of the Halletts Point development,” Durst Organization President Jody Durst said in a statement last week.

“It is a major milestone for this project. Great buildings are built by great trades people. The New York construction workforce is the best in the world. No matter what the challenge, you always step up and get the job done. This is a transformational project for the Halletts Point community.”

In addition to highlighting the housing, neighborhood retail and open space, Durst emphasized the impact the project will have in bringing investment and activity to that section of the waterfront.

During the construction process, the Durst Organization partnered with ArtBridge to create a 600-foot mural along the fence. The mural, titled “A City in Motion,” was created by Astoria-based artist Zaheen Wazed, who was inspired by his work with New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Astoria Houses. NYCHA’s Astoria Houses partnered with the Durst Organization on the creation of the complex.

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https://queenspost.com/durst-organiz...ed-use-complex

[NYguy]

I like how this has been coming along.

[chris08876]

Credit: 5Bfilms

[chris08876]

Credit: FC