Mayor Adams says he supports Innovation QNS
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Mayor Eric Adams said Monday that he’s in support of the effort to build Innovation QNS. File photo by Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office
By Jacob Kaye
Mayor Eric Adams said he’s in support the effort to build Innovation QNS, the largest redevelopment proposal in the history of Queens that is now facing serious hurdles after the local councilmember said she’d vote against the project last week.
Adams, who has repeatedly described his private development approach as “a city of yes,” said Monday that the controversial $2 billion, five-block redevelopment proposal has his backing.
“I support the project,” the mayor said during an unrelated press conference. “But I think that all of us must be consistent in our message – we can’t continue to acknowledge that we have a housing problem and then every project that pops up, we go against it.”
“I'm hoping that, just as we've done with others, we can sit down and find a place that the councilperson will understand that this is part of addressing the housing problems you have in the city,” he added.
Last week, a leaked email sent by local City Councilmember Julie Won to her Council colleagues, outlined the reasons why she’s opposed to the project.
Innovation QNS, which is backed by developers Silverstein Properties, BedRock and Kaufman Astoria Studios, is a 2.7 million-square-foot mixed-use development proposed for the area from 37th Street to Northern Boulevard, between 35th and 36th Avenues. It would see the creation of over a dozen new buildings, some as high as 27 stories, featuring around 2,800 new apartments, retail space, community facilities and a new movie theater.
But Won, the local community board, scores of nearby residents and, formerly, the borough president, have all cited concerns over the developers’ commitment to building affordable housing.
In September, the developers said they’d set aside 40 percent of the units for income restricted housing – 15 percent of those would be paid for with city subsidies that have yet to be identified and the other 25 percent would be privately financed.
Won appears to have rejected that offer, saying Friday that she would vote against the project unless the developers commit to privately funding 55 percent of the units at income restricted rates.
"My position on Innovation Queens remains the same: as long as the developers are not providing the deep affordability that our community needs, I will not support this project,” Won said in a statement on Monday in response to the mayor’s comments. “We are in-midst of a housing crisis, we have more than 20 homeless shelters in this district. Building market-rate luxury housing is not going to solve this crisis, there isn’t enough deeply affordable housing in our city.”
“We cannot continue to build luxury apartments for people who make over $100,000 and expect those benefits to trickle down in a few years,” she added. “I am committed to securing as much affordability for my constituents and stand firm in my call for 55 [percent] affordability from this project. My community’s needs will always take precedence above real estate interests."
On Monday, Adams said that his administration was in active conversations with Won, who, because of the Council’s practice of deferring to local councilmember for land use decisions, has the power to kill the project if she chooses.
“We're engaging in real conversations with her and we're talking to her colleagues,” Adams said. “There are things that the councilwoman wants to talk about to get to a good, comfortable place.”
The City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning is scheduled to discuss Innovation QNS on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 11 a.m.
Won will virtually brief her colleagues on the project on Friday, Oct. 21.
The developers of Innovation QNS did not respond to request for comment.
