8 THE QUEENS COURIER • MARCH 17, 2022 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Developers behind Innovation QNS project in
Astoria vow to engage more with community
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Th e developers behind the $2 billion Innovation
QNS project in Astoria will move
quickly to meet the demands of Councilwoman
Julie Won to shore up its community
outreach and provide greater details on its
proposal to build a massive development on
a fi ve-block area centered around Steinway
Street near Northern Boulevard.
Last month, Won and Council Land Use
Committee Chairman Rafael Salamanca
took a walking tour of the area where Innovation
QNS is proposing its development.
A zoning change would be required for
Innovation QNS to construct 18 buildings
ranging from nine to 27 stories with more
than 2,800 apartments, with 25% of the
units being permanently aff ordable.
“Th is project has been in the works since
2020 and claims to have done extensive
outreach in the community,” Won wrote.
“Community Board 1, local residents and
housing organizations have all expressed
concerns about the lack of adequate community
outreach, especially in Spanish
and Bangla. Th e last two years, due to
unforeseen circumstances of the COVID
19 pandemic, this project has had
limited in-person outreach to residents in
the impacted area, many of whom are not
fl uent English language speakers. Th us far,
the amount of community engagement is
insuffi cient for a project of this scale that
will deeply impact not only those in the immediate
vicinity, but also will have lasting
impacts on the neighborhood as a whole.”
Innovation QNS, a consortium of developers
including Silverstein Properties,
Kaufman Astoria Studios and BedRock
Real Estate Partners, will need Won’s approval
as the project makes its way through
the city’s arduous public review process,
which is expected to begin next month.
Won also demanded more detail be provided
to Community Board 1, such as an
environmental impact statement information
and a full neighborhood impact study
including a racial impact study.
“We are grateful for Council member
Won’s interest and engagement on this
important project, and look forward to
continuing to work with her and the
community board toward a successful
outcome,” Innovation QNS spokesman
The developers of the Innovation QNS project will perform more community outreach and provide more details of the project to Councilwoman Julie
Won’s demands.
“Thus far, the amount of community
engagement is insuffi cient for a project of
this scale that will deeply impact not only
those in the immediate vicinity, but also will
have lasting impacts on the neighborhood as
a whole.”
Tom Corsillo said. “We believe we can
accomplish the three things she has asked
for: We have spent several years engaging
with the local community, and will ramp
up our in-person outreach in multiple
languages, including Bangla and Spanish;
we would be happy to share preliminary
environmental impact statement information
with the community board as
soon as we can, with the full EIS available
upon certifi cation; and we will start work
on a racial impact study as suggested by
Rendering courtesy of Innovation QNS
Council member Won — becoming the
fi rst major privately proposed development
project to undertake this review.”
During a presentation of the updated project
before CB 1 last month, members raised
red fl ags over the addition of a second 27-story
tower, and expressed the concern that the
entire project is out of scale for the neighborhood.
One member, Richard Khuzami, who
is the president of the Old Astoria Neighborhood
Association, believes the Steinway Street
business corridor needs the project.
“I for one do not necessarily consider
height a disqualifying factor as long as it
does not aff ect the quality of life of existing
residents,” Khuzami said. “While the issues
of current residents must be addressed,
today the Steinway Street business district,
especially in that area, is extremely depressed.
Th ere is no better way to revitalize
the local small business environment than
to bring in more local residents.”
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— Councilwoman Julie Won
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