NEW YORK | Astoria Cove (4 towers) | FT | FLOORS

[NYguy]

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2012/08/...ia-waterfront/

Another major housing development in the works for Astoria waterfront




Alma CEO Efstathios Valiotis and the proposed Astoria Cove site


August 23, 2012

Another developer has big plans for the Astoria waterfront, joining two other proposed projects for the gritty western Queens neighborhood.

The New York Daily News reported that Long Island City-based Alma Realty has had preliminary discussions with the city to develop 1,800 units of housing across four towers and a promenade with shops, restaurants, a supermarket and open space on an 8.5-acre parcel on 26th Avenue. Alma plans to file official applications for the project, named Astoria Cove, by the end of the year.

That project joins another potential development site that hit the market earlier this month across the street. The parcel, at 3-15 26th Avenue, is being marketed by Avison Young for $80 million, and could be built up to 800,000 square feet. The third project is Hallets Point, which has been in the works for a while but has yet to see any progress. That project calls for 2,300 residential units.

[-Filipe-]

another proposal, gotta love the city ik this is way way to soon but with the info that we have any estimates on height?

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by -Filipe-

this is way way to soon but with the info that we have any estimates on height?

I would guess no more than 30 stories, its over 4 towers. They plan to begin the approval process this year, so it won't be too long before we get renderings.

[babybackribs2314]

It's a shame city-planning doesn't engage in forward thinking. Development is great, but the entire Brooklyn/Queens waterfront should be one of the densest areas in the city given the ability to build up, and the lack of anything being there at the moment.

The city should build a subway or elevated line from the Manhattan Bridge all the way to Astoria, and then double or triple the allowed FAR along the waterfront. The train line would be a bargain to build given how sparsely populated the neighborhoods still are, and the waterfront would be much more accessible.

Obviously this project is in Astoria, but the L & G trains are the worst in the city. A viable and reliable train would do wonders for the East River.

The model for Williamsburg, Astoria, and LIC should be Kowloon, not Jersey City.

[jd3189]

Hopefully, this becomes a reality this century. Manhattan is about to be completely used up to its full potential for huge projects when the West Side is taken care of. Brooklyn and Queens are bigger in land area and population so they have a lot of potential to be the next centers of growth in the city. The Bronx is in that group, and if Staten Island grows rapidly soon, it may also have a gander at it, being the least densely populated borough.

[aquablue]

Originally Posted by jd3189

Hopefully, this becomes a reality this century. Manhattan is about to be completely used up to its full potential for huge projects when the West Side is taken care of. Brooklyn and Queens are bigger in land area and population so they have a lot of potential to be the next centers of growth in the city. The Bronx is in that group, and if Staten Island grows rapidly soon, it may also have a gander at it, being the least densely populated borough.

Manhattan will adjust by building taller, demolition of outdated buildings, etc. I think that is more likely than seeing very tall towers in queens or replacing houses with towers in the outer boros. A few clusters maybe, but not a dense sea of blocks like a Kowloon, etc replacing neighborhoods. NYC is much more spacious than HK.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by babybackribs2314

Obviously this project is in Astoria, but the L & G trains are the worst in the city. A viable and reliable train would do wonders for the East River.

The L train is probably the best in the city. It's certainly the most modern (is now completely driverless) and ranks with the 7 for shortest wait times.

The G train is pretty good too. Was recently extended, and doesn't share tracks with anyone, so less likely to have delays. I lived along the G, and it certainly was better than my experience along other subway lines.

And inland Astoria is a pretty dense neighborhood. The development along the waterfront is only increasing the density. I don't see what's so bad with what's happening along the Brooklyn & Queens waterfronts (pretty much tons of 30-40 towers being planned everywhere).

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Crawford

I don't see what's so bad with what's happening along the Brooklyn & Queens waterfronts (pretty much tons of 30-40 towers being planned everywhere).

Yes, and this was due to City zoning that specifically allowed for larger buildings. This project will have to go through the land use process though.

[Dac150]

All of these waterfront proposals are very exciting. I'm glad both the city and developers see the value in building up the waterfront along the East River - something I personally think is long overdue.

[babybackribs2314]

Originally Posted by Crawford

The L train is probably the best in the city. It's certainly the most modern (is now completely driverless) and ranks with the 7 for shortest wait times.

The G train is pretty good too. Was recently extended, and doesn't share tracks with anyone, so less likely to have delays. I lived along the G, and it certainly was better than my experience along other subway lines.

And inland Astoria is a pretty dense neighborhood. The development along the waterfront is only increasing the density. I don't see what's so bad with what's happening along the Brooklyn & Queens waterfronts (pretty much tons of 30-40 towers being planned everywhere).

The wait for the L train is terrible, and it's always a question of whether the line is in service or not. The chief problem with the G is also the wait time. They're awful.

[Busy Bee]

I can't help but think that picture of the developer looks like a perfect blend of Chris Mathews and Ed Rendell.

[chris08876]

Planners drop 45 affordable units from Astoria Cove development

A developer in need of a zoning change in order to build a sleek residential complex in Astoria has quietly downgraded the number of affordable units the building would offer.
Alma Realty originally promised “a minimum” of 340 units of affordable housing at Astoria Cove, a complex of five buildings that could tower up to 32 stories high.
But that number dropped to 295 in an official application filed with the city in March.
Housing advocates worry that the reduced number could float under the radar when a city review begins this month to rezone a handful of prime waterfront blocks from industrial to residential.
“Converting from manufacturing to residential is a huge windfall for real estate developers to begin with,” said Barika Williams, the policy director at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. “To not task them to do a significant amount of affordable housing with that is not getting a good deal for the neighborhood.”
Williams and other affordable housing proponents pointed to Mayor de Blasio’s “deadly serious” commitment this year to create or preserve 200,000 affordable units in the city
In March, de Blasio successfully pressed for developer Two Trees Management to add an additional 40 units of affordable housing to its ambitious 2,300-unit residential complex at the Domino Sugar Factory site in Williamsburg.
But Astoria Cove, which will include space for a public school and retail use, was developed during the Bloomberg administration and therefore should be treated to the former mayor’s more development-friendly rules, the developer’s lawyer argued.

====================================
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/...#ixzz2zABIOTu1
April 17, 2014

[tdawg]

I live in this area and i think ferries and water taxis are probably the best transit answer.

[Hypothalamus]

Moving forward...



Astoria Cove project gets OK from Planning Commission
Land use review of Alma Realty's 8.5-acre site in Queens now underway

Mark Maurer
April 22, 2014 12:44PM


Rendering of 3-15 26th Street in Queens

The City Planning Commission gave the go-ahead yesterday for the 1,700-unit apartment complex known as Astoria Cove in Queens.

The seven-month Uniform Land Use Review Procedure will now begin. If officially approved, Alma Realty could break ground on the 8.5-acre site – which can hold up to five towers – later this year.

Plans call for 900 parking spaces, a supermarket, retail stores, 295 units allotted for affordable use, and a public school at 3-15 26th Avenue, between 3rd and 4th streets. Earlier this month, Alma reduced the number of affordable units for the project to 295 apartments, according to an application filed with the city. That figure is 45 units shy of the “minimum” of 340 units Alma Realty indicated it would deliver, as previously reported.

[NYguy]

http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=7284

Astoria's Crescent Cove
STUDIO V presents a mixed-use vision for Queens' waterfront.





Henry Melcher

The march of development along the Brooklyn and Queens waterfront is heading further north. Plans for Astoria Cove—a one-million-square-foot, mixed-use development in Queens—has been approved by the Department of City Planning, moving it one crucial step closer to breaking ground. The plan calls for three residential towers, commercial space, a school, and green space on the currently industrial site along the East River.

But it is the Cove’s crescent-shaped shoreline that is its defining feature. “Astoria Cove is really an outdoor room,” says Jay Valgora, principal at STUDIO V Architecture, which is designing the project. “It’s a huge inlet that wraps around you.” And to paint that room green, the firm has recruited landscape architect Ken Smith to transform the space with walkways, rows of trees, flowerbeds, and a rain garden. An “intimately-scaled” street separates the greenery from local restaurants and shops that are tucked into the towers. From the water’s rocky edge, a view opens up to Randall’s Island and the Triborough Bridge.

To accommodate for climate change, the entire scheme is set above the current, and future, floodplain.

Valgora is adamant that rising sea levels should not deter development along the East River. He says that a transformed waterfront could provide “the most important series of public spaces” in the city’s future. Beyond creating new housing and open space, the development of the city’s riverside has been good to STUDIO V’s bottom line. The young firm has been commissioned for major projects along the water including the renovation of the Empire Stores warehouse in Dumbo, and the redevelopment of the 8.5-acre Halletts Point site in Queens. The latter sits adjacent to Astoria Cove.

The landscape design extends throughout the site, binding the tall towers along the water to the stepped townhouses further inland. These modern single-family homes are partially clad in horizontal wood slats and connected to each other through a landscaped courtyard. At night, the green space between them is lit with canopied, industrial lamps.

The site is scaled to “step up” as it approaches the shore, with three waterfront towers that will house 1,689 apartments, 259 of which are affordable. When asked about the new, generic glass towers of Jersey City and Williamsburg and Long Island City, Valgora says he is determined to not continue that trend.

At this stage, the towers at Astoria Cove are just massing studies, but they’re said to have “expressive” carved-out corners and tops. From the renderings, that expression is hard to decipher, but all of that could change. “We’re already speaking with the developer to create a whole new language of buildings,” says Valgora. It remains to be seen what that language will be.

[sbarn]

Originally Posted by Crawford

The L train is probably the best in the city. It's certainly the most modern (is now completely driverless) and ranks with the 7 for shortest wait times.

The L Train is not driverless. Perhaps it has the capability to go without drivers, but it still uses two drivers just as any other train in the city. I use it often. It is also one of the most crowded lines in the city. And unreliable (particularly on weekends).

On this development, I kind of wish it had taller towers / more density. I agree with babybackribs2314 that the Brooklyn / Queens waterfront should be one of the densest in the city. I would like to see a light rail run the entire waterfront, from Astoria to Red Hook.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by sbarn

I would like to see a light rail run the entire waterfront, from Astoria to Red Hook.

There's been talk of a light rail line along the waterfront of Brooklyn and Queens off and on, but it seems the best officials can come up with is a new bus line.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/21/ar...ront.html?_r=0


Perhaps a line like this could terminate at the Hallets Point/Astoria Cove developments...

http://nextnewyork.org/light-rail-fo...ns-waterfront/

Astoria is currently served by an elevated rail line that runs along 31st Street one mile east of the East River. I propose situating a new light rail line along 21st Street, the widest thoroughfare before reaching Vernon Boulevard. A first phase would connect Astoria with the F subway stop at 21st Street and Queens Plaza. A second phase could extend the rail line across Newtown Creek and along the Brooklyn waterfront to terminate in Red Hook.

The capital cost of the new light rail line could be financed from the tax increment generated by new and renovated housing created on underutilized properties within walking distance of the new light rail line.

[chris08876]

As of 06/10/14: Thats 3x32 floors and 2x6 floors.
--------------------------------------
Community Board 1 Hearing on Astoria Cove Development Is Tonight

Tonight, Community Board One will hold a public hearing on the proposed Astoria Cove development. Developer Alma Realty will present the full plan — three 32-story waterfront towers, two six-story towers, 1,687 total apartment units — to the board, which will be followed by a period of public comment. (The developers already reduced the number of affordable housing units provided, so that is sure to be a topic of conversation.) At its next meeting, CB1 will take a vote on approving the development, then it will move to Borough President Katz and the City Council.

Build Up NYC construction and building service workers living in Astoria plan to testify tonight on the importance of good jobs and responsible real estate development. According to a press release, “Build Up NYC will present more than a thousand postcards signed by Astoria residents who agree Astoria Cove should be developed responsibly. Good jobs and affordable housing in this project will help keep Astoria home to a strong middle class.” If you are interested in attending the meeting, it begins at 6:30 pm at Astoria World Manor, 25-22 Astoria Boulevard.

==============================================
06/10/14
http://queens.brownstoner.com/2014/0...nt-is-tonight/

[chris08876]

Community board rejects Alma’s Astoria Cove plan

Just two months after an approval from the City Planning Commission, Community Board 1 rejected Alma Realty’s planned four-building apartment complex known as Astoria Cove in Queens.

The board advised that the developer allot 35 percent of the 1,689 proposed apartments as affordable housing. The project began going through the Uniform Land Use Review Process in April. At the time, Alma reduced the number of affordable apartments at Astoria Cove from 340 to 295, slightly more than 20 percent of the planned units.

Plans call for 900 parking spaces, a supermarket, retail stores, 295 units allotted for affordable use, and a public school at 3-15 26th Avenue, between 3rd and 4th streets, as previously reported.

==========================
Mark Maurer
June 18, 2014
http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/06/...ria-cove-plan/

[NYguy]

http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/07/...le-unit-boost/

Astoria Cove criticism persists despite affordable-unit boost
Around 20 percent of units to be below market rates; housing advocates pushing for 50 percent





July 17, 2014
Mark Maurer

Supporters of affordable housing are concerned that Alma Realty’s 2.2 million-square-foot Astoria Cove project will not contain enough rental units below market rates.

Alma Realty has proposed making the affordable housing component roughly 20 percent of its 1,700 apartments at the Queens site. This is up from the 17 percent initially allotted. Some opponents of the project have pushed for as much as 50 percent.

Melinda Katz, Queens Borough president, plans to discuss the issue at a meeting today, where she too will recommend a quantity for affordable units.

“There’s a lot of issues that we’ve been dealing with,” Katz told the Wall Street Journal yesterday. “We don’t want to push folks out of this borough that have built this borough.”