LGBTQ facility coming to Astoria
Community Board 1 approves plan to build homeless teen housing next to St. Andrew’s
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
Community Board 1 unanimously
agreed to allow the variances
sought by Magnusson Architecture
Planning for a new building next
door to St. Andrew’s Church in
Astoria — a new housing facility for
homeless LGBTQ teens.
“What a great message to send to
the nation,” said Brendan Fay, an
Astoria resident present at the Jan.
15 full-board meeting.
For Fay, the community board’s
decision was a historic moment for
LGBTQ teens, who make up a high
number of homeless young people.
A 2012 study by the Williams
Institute at UCLA Law found that
up to 1.6 million young people
experience homelessness in the
United States, and of that number,
40 percent identify as LGBTQ.
According to a presentation by
the architecture firm to CB1, if the
building were to abide by normal
zoning rules for the area the building
would only use 8,808 square feet of
the available 15,000 square feet on
the church’s property.
This would only allow for a
building with 9 studio units, sit out
of line with the street’s existing row
houses, force the egress of the church
to go through the building and
completely block the stained glass
windows of St. Andrew’s west wall.
In the proposed scheme, the new
housing facility would utilize 14,928
square feet allowing for 21-studio
units, be in line with the row houses,
maintain a rear easement, connect
to St. Andrew’s Church via the
existing egress while still allowing
space for a small garden in between
the two buildings.
The garden would allow for the
church’s stained glass windows to
remain intact and visible from the
outside.
The new building is a joint effort
between the The Episcopal Diocese
of Long Island and the Ali Forney
Center, a NGO with multiple
LGBTQ homeless teen shelters
A rendering of the proposed building. Renderings courtesy of Magnusson Architecture and Planning
across the city.
The upper level of St. Andrew’s
Church, located at 46-09 31st Ave.,
is currently occupied by City Lights
while the basement is used by Ali
Forney.
The Ali Forney Center did not
immediately reply to TimesLedger’s
request for comment.
Reach reporter Alejandra
O’Connell-Domenech by e-mail at
adomenech@qns.com or by phone at
(718) 224-5863 ext. 226.
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