City officials broke ground this week on the latest phase of a massive affordable housing complex on a 30-acre former industrial site in Long Island City. Hunter’s Point South II will feature 3,000 new apartments on some of the priciest real estate in New York City.
The mega-project — which includes several buildings under phase one — is expected to create 5,000 units of housing when completed.“This will make it the largest affordable housing development to be built in New York City since the 1970s,” said de Blasio, who attended the ceremonial groundbreaking.
“People want to see big solutions, it doesn’t get bigger than Hunter’s Point South.”
The development was started during the Bloomberg Administration and will include new commercial space and parkland along a stretch of East River waterfront once dominated by factories and warehouses.
But over the last decade, the old factories were demolished and luxury towers were built, luring new tenants with sweeping views of the skyline and a quick commute into Manhattan.
Phase I of the development includes 2,000 units of housing, 925 of which have already been built in the form of two entirely affordable buildings: Hunters Point South Commons and The Crossing.
The entire expanse of this 30-acre mega-project has already seen the construction of three schools seating 1,000 students and a 2,300-square-foot urban farm and apiary.
More commercial and community spaces will follow in the second phase. The 11-acre public park, when finished, will include a playground, a waterside promenade, and an elevated cafe plaza.
The city has committed close to $100 million for the second phase of this project as part of the Housing New York plan. That portion of the project is expected to be completed by 2018 followed by housing construction.
The city is working with several architects and developers on the different phases of the project. The residential buildings are being developed by the Related Cos., Monadnock Construction, and Phipps Houses.
De Blasio and others said new units will keep the neighborhood accessible to middle-income families.
For example, a family of four with an income between $24,000 and $33,560 can rent a two-bedroom apartment for $648 while a family of four with an income between $82,903 and $138,435 will be able to rent a two-bedroom apartment for $2,366.
Last year, more than 92,000 people applied for 924 affordable units in the first two buildings in the development.
But Mayor de Blasio said at least 60% of the units will be set aside for low, moderate and middle-income families.
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