18 times • MARCH 31, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com around queens Queens makes list of most expensive housing markets in North America BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@qns.com/@AngelaMatua Though Queens is regarded as one of the cheaper boroughs when it comes to purchasing a home, a new study find that prices in the “World’s Borough” are on the rise. According to Point2 Homes, an online real estate marketplace, Queens comes in 12th place out of 15 for the most expensive housing markets in North America. The median home price in the borough is $369,000, the highest since 2008, the study said. The study is based on quarterly reports and monthly market studies in December 2015 and took into account cities in the United States and Canada with a population of 500,000 or more. Not surprisingly, Manhattan ranks second on the list while Brooklyn ranks fourth. Queens beat out Denver, Colorado, Portland, Oregon and Dallas, Texas. An analysis by PropertyShark, an online property research tool, shows that the increasingly pricey Brooklyn is pushing more people toward Queens. The number of permits filed for residential and mixed-use buildings in Queens has soared in the last three years, according to PropertyShark. In 2015, 8, 906,937 square feet of property was in the process of being developed. In 2014, that number was 6,709,328 square feet compared to 3,903,625 square feet in 2013. The median price per square feet also soared to $359, jumping 9.8 percent since 2013. “If these numbers are anything to go by, it seems that Queens is indeed flying a bit too close to Manhattan and Brooklyn’s bright sun, which in turn would explain the presence of the borough FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com The Queens Courier and the Mayor’s Office are proud to present a weekly column in which Mayor Bill de Blasio answers your questions about issues that concern you the most. If you have a question aboutanything going on in the city, in your neighborhood or on your block, we want to hear from you! Email us at editorial@qns.com and Mayor de Blasio will get you an answer! There’s a push among some advocates alongside some of the most expensive housing markets in North America,” Liviu Oltean of PropertyShark said. Ask the MAYOR in the city to close Rikers Island. Are you considering such a measure or, as an alternative, instituting other reforms at Rikers? The Mayor believes closing Rikers is a noble goal, but the Mayor has also made clear many significant challenges must be addressed before that can be achieved. For years, an environment of violence, abuse and neglect has been tolerated at Rikers. We are not tolerating the status quo any longer. The situation is unacceptable and must change now, not another decade from now. We are putting into place serious reforms, which are reducing violence in targeted areas and keeping the population down. We are fixing the problems now because we can’t afford to wait. Additional background information on the de Blasio Administration’s reforms on Rikers: Current plans to shrink the jail population by at least 2,000 people: • Expanding supervised release citywide and making it easier to pay bail • Cutting case processing times • Providing permanent supportive housing for people frequently arrested on low-level crimes • Enacting summons reform to reduce open warrants How do residents apply to have a block party this summer? What criteria must they meet in order for the city to approve a block party permit? Residents can apply for a block party permit through the Mayor’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management. A block party is defined as a community sponsored event that requires the closure of one city block (or a portion of block) during which there is no sale of goods or services. Applicants must apply 90 days prior to the desired date online at: https:// nyceventpermits.nyc.gov/cems/Login. aspx. If you are unable to apply online please contact 212.788.0025. CUTLER’S REPAIRS 12 years this be saving 10%ANY With Coupon.Limit 1 817 (516-Excludes CUTLER’S The Ridgewood Times Broadway’s Hamilton book release party at astoria bookshop BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@ridgewoodtimes.com @AngelaMatua Fans of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton will have a chance to show off their knowledge at a book release party and trivia night at Astoria Bookshop. The book titled “Hamilton: The Revolution,” co-written by Lin- Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, highlights the musical’s development through interviews, pages from the creators notebook and emails. Miranda also includes more than 200 footnotes and photographs from veteran Broadway photographers. Astoria Bookshop will partner with TriviaNYC, New York’s longest running trivia company, to test participants’ knowledge on “the $10 founding father, America’s favorite fighting Frenchman, the Schuyler sisters, and more,” according to the bookshop’s website. The event, which will take place on April 12, will also feature fillin the-lyrics challenges, Samuel Adams beer and prizes for trivia winners. To reserve a seat, pre-order a book for $40 online or at the bookstore. Seating is limited so the remaining seats and standing room is available on a first-come first-serve basis. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the event begins at 7 p.m. Astoria Bookshop is located at 31-29 31st St.
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