MAYOR DE BLASIO, HPD, QUEENS OFFICIALS AND DURST ORGANIZATION BREAK GROUND ON NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT HALLETS POINT IN ASTORIA

First building delivering new affordable apartments for low-income households and new supermarket

Total project to include more than 480 affordable apartments, strengthens community with new school, pre-K, open space, more convenient bus service

New York – Mayor de Blasio, HPD Commissioner Been, Queens officials, residents and The Durst Organization today broke ground on a new development that will bring hundreds of new affordable apartments for low-income families, a new school, new open space, renovated playgrounds and better transportation to residents in Astoria. The affordable apartments will contribute to Mayor de Blasio’s Housing New York plan, which has already financed more than 40,000 affordable apartments—enough for more than 100,000 New Yorkers.

“This has to be a city for everyone, and that’s what we’re doing every day as we build a new generation of affordable housing for families in need. We’re thrilled to get shovels in the ground and bring a long-awaited addition to this community to fruition. This is a project that delivers for the nearby Astoria Houses and strengthens this community with a new school, open space and a supermarket. I congratulate our fellow Queens officials, the local residents and the development team that worked so hard to make this day possible,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“This is an historic day for our family and for our new neighbors,” said Douglas Durst, Chairman of The Durst Organization. “In the 100-years of our company’s history we have never developed outside of Manhattan. We believe Hallets will be a model for community involvement, sustainability and large-scale mixed income housing development. Lincoln Equities and us have worked hand-in-hand with the local community, elected officials and the residents of the Astoria Houses to ensure this project will be a success not only for our family and our future residents, but also for the people who have lived and worked on the Halletts Peninsula for decades.”

“NYCHA is proud to be a partner in bringing more affordable housing, a school and new opportunities—like a supermarket to Astoria, which will benefit the residents of Astoria Houses,” said Shola Olatoye, NYCHA’s Chair and CEO. “This project is an example of what’s possible when partners come together to create more affordable housing. Through collaboration, we can create safe, clean and more connected communities at NYCHA developments across the City.”

"This project will provide not only affordable housing in this corner of Astoria, but also parks, ball fields, a school, and a supermarket for families in this majestic spot in our great city. The environmental sustainability of Hallets Point is a model, and we look forward to continuing to work with the local community to ensure this development reaches its full potential,” said HPD Commissioner Vicki Been.

“Lincoln began working with, and listening to, the community on day one of the project,” said Claudia Coger, President of The Astoria Houses Resident Association. “For decades there has been talk of revitalizing and reconnecting our community to the rest of our neighborhood but those efforts have always fallen short. As a 50-year resident of the Astoria Houses it is tremendously gratifying to see this project move forward and we are eager to work the Dursts and Lincoln to make sure the project is the best it can be.”

The first building on the campus, breaking ground today, will open in 2018 and will include 405 units, at least 81 units of which will be affordable to low-income families earning 40% and 50% of AMI (incomes ranging from $24,000 for an individual up to $38,000 for a family of three). The building will house a full-sized supermarket as part of the City’s FRESH program.

The overall $1.5 billion Hallets Point development will include approximately 2,400 units, including at least 483 affordable apartments for low-income New Yorkers. Residents of nearby Astoria Houses will have a rental preference for 50% of all affordable housing units.

The project will include a number of state-of-art green features including onsite power generation and a waste water, or Black water, recycling system which will repurpose more than 130,000 gallons of water a day. The project is a joint venture of The Durst Organization and Lincoln Equities Group LLC, who guided the project through its seven-year approval process.

The 2.5 million square foot project includes seven residential buildings including two buildings that will be 100% affordable. The affordable buildings are being developed in partnership with the Jonathan Rose Companies. The project includes 65,000 square feet of retail and community-use facilities, a site reserved for the construction of a new K-8 public school.

Community improvements include:

• The project will build over 100,000 square feet of public access space and extend the Queens East River and North Shore Greenway Esplanade. It will also reopen a section of Astoria Boulevard with improved bus services.

• The Durst Organization has partnered with local Jobs-Plus center provider “Urban Upbound” to facilitate access to construction job opportunities for local residents. Nearly 35 local residents have already been hired for jobs within The Durst Organization’s existing portfolio or by the contractor for site preparation work or at other job sites. Close to 100 local residents have received job training in preparation for the construction phase of the project.

• An elevated shoreline will prevent erosion and help safeguard the peninsula from rising sea levels. The development will be built in compliance with the new FEMA and HUD flood plain codes and will be a model of resiliency and sustainably. All critical infrastructure will be located well above any area that could be threatened by flooding.

• The Halletts Point development features a state of-the-art cogeneration plant that will enable the development to generate its own electricity, hot water, heating, and cooling on-site, independent of the local electric grid. The micro-grid created at this project will make Halletts the only “off the grid” residential campuses in New York City.

• A Blackwater reclamation system will recycle wastewater onsite which set a standard for water resource management. Building 1 will process up to 50,000 gallons of water each day and buildings 2-5 are expected to process 85,000 gallons each. This system will prevent millions of gallons of waste water from being dumped into the East River and the reclaimed water will be used to flush toilets and to irrigate the campus.

• A site has been reserved for the New York City School Construction Authority to build the first public school on Hallets Point.

• In 2017, the East River Ferry System will be expanded to the Hallets Point peninsula. The service will run year-round and provide rapid transit to locations throughout Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.

“I am very excited to welcome this new, state-of-the-art development, into my district at Halletts Point,” said Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney. “Currently, this stretch of Queens waterfront is isolated and underused, and it suffers from a lack of transportation and retail. But now, thanks to the Durst Organization, Lincoln Equities, and Mayor de Blasio, Astoria residents can look forward to a bustling new residential community. With thousands of new rental units, including over 480 affordable housing units, stores, space for a school and much needed green space, this project will help breathe new life into the community.”

"The Hallets Point development will provide additional housing opportunities as well as needed services to a part of our neighborhood that has lacked both,” said Senator Michael Gianaris. “I look forward to working with our new neighbors to make this part of Astoria an even more popular destination.”

“The groundbreaking and development at Hallets Point will provide much needed affordable housing for our community" said Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan. "I would like to thank the Durst Organization, my colleagues in government, our local community leaders including Bishop Mitchell Taylor of Urban Upbound and Astoria Tenant Association President Claudia Coger for working together in keeping our community strong."

Council Member Costa Constantinides said, “Twenty-first century development must be affordable, contextual, and sustainable. The Hallets Point development helps bring our city closer toward these goals. The 483 units will be available to working families who need it most. The on-site power generation and Blackwater reclamation system will make the community greener and more sustainable. The development will also help revitalize the Halletts Peninsula with waterfront amenities, a new supermarket in a neighborhood which has been lacking one for decades, and a school that will serve this growing community. I look forward to continuing to work with The Durst Organization and Mayor de Blasio as this project is built into the fabric of our community.”

"Seven years prior Joel Bergstein of Lincoln Equities casted a vision for this project that has now resulted in a perfect partnership between The Durst Organization, the Astoria Residents' Association, the Astoria community, and Urban Upbound which has already enriched the entire peninsula before a shovel has gone into the ground” said Bishop Mitchell G. Taylor of Urban Upbound. “We have witnessed jobs and training opportunities for residents, and the formation of new partnerships -- this all being a testament of the anticipated transformative impact of the Halletts Point project."

Joel Bergstein, president of Lincoln Equities Group, said, “Hallets Point proves that large scale, transformational projects can still be done. We would like to thank the Astoria Houses residents for welcoming us into their community, and for working with us to craft a project that will change and enliven this neighborhood in ways that are good for both old and new residents. Bishop Taylor and Urban Upbound have been great partners and leaders in the effort to make this a model development. All of the elected officials, community leaders, city planning and city agencies deserve much credit for making this happen. We are very proud to have The Durst Organization as our partner to turn these grand plans into reality. As a Queens boy who grew up not too far from here, I am honored and humbled at today’s event.”