REAL ESTATE Deals in Astoria for homebuyers BY LIAM LA GUERRE lguerre@queenscourier.com/@LiamLaGuerre Demand for homes in Astoria is high as more buyers are pushed away from skyrocketing prices in nearby Long Island City, and attracted by easy access to transportation, established commercial strips, and diverse restaurants and entertainment venues. Residents can enjoy Astoria Park’s waterfront view, visit the Museum of the Moving Image or grab a drink at the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden, to name a few popular activities. But the surging demand to live in Astoria has caused land values to spike there as well, resulting in rising rents and home prices. However, prospective Astoria renters and homebuyers need not fear; the neighborhood still has some deals to be found. Recently, Astoria was named one of the top areas for recent college graduates looking to rent in the city, according to a report by real estate website StreetEasy. StreetEasy has also put together a list of deals to beat the heated Astoria market, and indicated that there are more below market price homes waiting to be purchased. Photo courtesy StreetEasy, Bouklis Group and MLSLI 22-60 79th St. #3B 22-60 79th St. #3B Price: $295,000 • Size: One bedroom, one bathroom Type: Condo • Broker: Laura Copersino, Douglas Elliman What StreetEasy said: “Astoria is known for its bucolic complexes of small apartment buildings and gardens. This one-bedroom is in one of these complexes and offers lots of closet space, a renovated kitchen and a washer-dryer.” 21-37 33rd St. #05H Price: $475,000 • Size: Three bedrooms, one bathroom Type: Co-op • Broker: Frank Bouklis, Bouklis Group What StreetEasy said: “Proximity to transportation is everything in Astoria. This three-bedroom is three blocks from the Ditmars N/Q stop in one of Astoria’s most residential and family-oriented pockets. Plus it’s got a new kitchen and bath.” 30-10 48th St. Price: $849,000 • Size: Five bedrooms, two bathrooms Type: Townhouse • Broker: Nancy Suric, Laffey Fine Homes What StreetEasy said: “The townhouse market in other parts of the city is very tiny and very pricey, but singlefamily homes dominate the housing stock in Astoria. This one just got a gut renovation and has its own garage.” THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre Beekeeper David Graves holds up a beehive on the rooftop farm of Hunter’s Point South Commons. Peek inside Hunters Point South affordable units BY LIAM LA GUERRE lguerre@queenscourier.com/@LiamLaGuerre When the lottery opened last year for apartments in the Hunters Point South Living developments, a two-building complex with 925 affordable housing apartments on the waterfront of Long Island City, it was a madhouse. More than 93,000 people applied to get an apartment in the buildings, which promised astonishingly low rents in the 32-story Hunters Point South Crossing and 37-story Hunters Point South Commons. It was a fi ght to get a unit, but some lucky chosen residents were fi rst to move into the smaller building on May 15, and when more come this summer they’ll fi nd luxury amenities and views of the Manhattan skyline at rates hard to beat throughout the city. The buildings also feature a variety of common spaces, including a 2,300-square-foot rooftop farm on the 13th fl oor terrace of the 37-fl oor building, which has a beehive with 13,000 honeybees. The rooftop farm contains a 13-bed garden that grows a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, beans and herbs, such as tomatoes, eggplant, carrots, basil, blueberries, red peppers and strawberries, which residents will be able to eat. Related Companies partnered with experts at GrowNYC to start the garden and instruct residents for three years. Residents can expect garden harvest days, beekeeping instruction, cooking demonstrations and planting workshops throughout the year from the experts. “The honeybees, the garden and the partnership with GrowNYC as a whole are the essence of our vision for Hunters Point South,” said Frank Monterisi, senior vice president of Related Companies, which is co-developing the project with Phipps Houses and Monadnock Development. “We wanted to create a welcoming, friendly living environment that will not only improve residents’ quality of life, but their health and have a positive environmental impact as well.” Other amenities in the complex include a waterfront park across the street, fi tness club, Internet café, party rooms, a children’s playroom and rooftop decks with barbecuing pits. There are a mix of studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in the Hunter’s Point South complex. Each unit comes with a dishwasher, and two- and three-bedrooms have washers and dryers. Rental rates in the building are based on area median income, and there are many units available to people earning less than $30,000 a year. Monthly rents start at $494 for a studio to $743 for a three-bedroom for low-income earners that make about $19,000 to approximately $49,000 annually. Rents for middle- and moderate-income units range from $1,561 to $4,346 per month for household incomes of $55,200 to $224,020 annually.
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