4 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 15, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Plans for Robert De Niro-led fi lm studio in Astoria moves forward
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A massive film production
studio project in Astoria,
helmed by Robert De Niro, is
on the fast track aft er his son
Raphael checked off all the
boxes during a virtual land use
hearing at Queens Borough
Hall.
Th e $400 million Wildfl ower
Studios complex would be built
next to the Steinway Piano company
along Luyster Creek near
the East River, bringing employment
opportunities to western
Queens as the COVID-19 economic
recovery is underway.
“We’re excited to be doing
this project given what the city’s
been through in the last 18
months,” developer Raphael De
Niro said. “Th e timing couldn’t
be better in terms of job
creation.”
He expects the project will
bring at least 500 construction
jobs and around 1,000 to 1,200
workers a day once the studio
is completed. De Niro said
his fi rm is already having talks
with Urban Upbound about job
opportunities for residents of
the Astoria, Queensbridge and
Ravenswood Houses as well as
preliminary conversations with
LaGuardia Community College,
the Frank Sinatra High School
for the Arts and the Variety
Boys & Girls Club.
“Th is is a great project, jobs
coming to Queens, and a real
opportunity to reach out to
high school students to give
them experience and perhaps
some internship opportunities,”
Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards said. “It’s a
jobs producer. It’s a no-brainer.”
Community Board 1 approved
of the project last month by a
35-to-1 vote as part of the city’s
public review process. Th e seven
story, 715,000-square-foot
studio will house 11 sound stages,
off -street parking for over
300 vehicles and waterfront
access for the public along the
Luyster Creek waterfront.
“We have a little bit of affi nity
for this area and Queens having
shot scenes for A Bronx Tale in
Astoria in ’92 and ‘93,” De Niro
said. “I actually worked as a
production assistant during the
shooting so we’re very familiar
with the area and the borough.”
De Niro went on to describe
how the complex is being
designed with a small cafeteria
and no restaurants and no
commissary to encourage studio
employees to partake of area
restaurants instead of staying on
campus.
“One of the greatest things
about Astoria is that, to us, it’s
one of the most food-rich and
amenity-rich neighborhoods in
New York City,” De Niro said.
“And so we are going to be
encouraging everyone to eat in
the community.”
He added the project requires
discretionary approval from the
Department of City Planning.
“I like it. It’s a great project for
Queens,” Richards said. “And I’m
looking forward to it.”
John Koufakis, founder of Star Auto Group, dies at 94
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A key fi gure in the development of
Queens automobile dealerships during
a 40-year span has died. John “Senior”
Koufakis, the founder of Star Auto Group
of Queens and a driving force with the
Greater New York Automobile Dealers
Association, passed away on Long Island
on July 8 at the age of 94.
Koufakis was born in the Chelsea
neighborhood of Manhattan and worked
with his father as a furrier at the tender
age of 12. His success was built on his
early business ventures, starting off driving
and owning a taxi cab, selling it and
buying a Carvel franchise which he later
converted into a fast-food eatery and,
eventually, a used car lot.
Koufakis served in the U.S. Army
from 1944 to 1945 and married his wife
Georgia in 1949, settling in Jackson
Heights before moving to Jamaica Estates,
where they had three children. Th ey eventually
moved to Brookville, Long Island,
but continued to operate the Star dealerships
in northeast Queens.
“Th e foundation of Mr. Koufakis’ success
was built on his extraordinary work
ethic. Th e running joke was that if you
worked 12 hours in a day, you worked
just half a day,” Star Auto Group said
in a statement announcing their founder’s
death. “He was still coming to work
until very recently. He also had extremely
high integrity and his word was his
bond. He did many construction projects
without a contract. Aft er his honeymoon,
he had just $3. He borrowed
money to buy a taxicab. He went on to sell
the taxi to buy a Carvel franchise. Finally,
in the ’60s, he started a used car lot called
Village Motors. Working with his sons
they acquired a Chrysler Plymouth franchise
in 1982. Today the Star Auto Group
is one of the largest auto groups in the
Northeast.”
Koufk is served on the board of directors
of the Greater New York Automobile
Association from 1988 to 2009, and as
chairman of the Membership Committee
from 1996 to 2001. Currently,
Star Auto Group is a franchised
new car dealership
that represents
Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge,
Fiat, Toyota, Subaru,
Hyundai and Genesis.
Koufakis shared
his responsibilities
with his three sons,
John Jr., Steven and
Michael, who all participate in managing
Star dealerships.
Tragedy struck in May 2009 when the
matriarch of the family, Georgia, was
killed in a car accident at age 83. Th e
couple was driving near their Brookville
home when their car collided with another
vehicle on Route 106.
“She was in such good health and then
to be gone in just one minute,” Koufakis
said at the time. “We were
just one month shy of
our 60th anniversary.”
Th e couple met in their teens and
learned that both of their families were
from the same village in Crete. Th e priest
at her funeral service, held at the Greek
Orthodox Church of the Resurrection in
Brookville, shared that the word “family”
is an acronym meaning “Forget About
Me, It’s Loving You.”
“She was generous and very caring person,”
Koufakis said. “She held our whole
place together.”
As her children grew, she got involved
in community organizations, joining the
Jamaica Estate Federation of Women and
Nassau County Museum of Art. She was
also a patron of the New York Institute
of Technology and a benefactor to the
church she and her husband helped to
build. Koufakis remained deeply involved
with the Greek Orthodox Church and
organizations that support children with
special needs, such as Life’s WORC, Th e
ELIJA Foundation and Th e School for
Language and Communication.
In addition to their three sons, Koufakis is
survived by his three beloved daughters-inlaw,
11 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter,
as well as nieces and nephews.
“Th e Star Auto Group would like to
express our heartfelt condolences to
the Koufakis family for their loss,” his
company concluded.
QNS fi le photo
John “Senior”
Koufakis is
remembered for his
“extraordinary work
ethic” following his
death at age
94.
Photos courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group
The fi lm studio project in Astoria, proposed by Robert De Niro and his partners,
is on the fast track through the city’s public review process.
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