Earlier today, an application was filed to construct an 85-unit subsidized housing project at 171-04 Baisely Boulevard, in the South Jamaica section of Queens.
Wedged between 172nd Street, Baisley Boulevard, and the Long Island Rail Road’s Atlantic Branch, the project would sit on the border with St. Albans, another largely African-American and Afro-Caribbean neighborhood in southeastern Queens.
The project’s 85 apartments would be spread over nearly 82,000 square feet of residential space, for a fairly roomy average apartment size of 960 square feet – larger than the average new rental unit in an emerging neighborhood.
The D&F Development Group, with Leonard D’Amico listed as a managing member, is the developer, working with a $14 million loan from the New York City Housing Development Corporation. Gerald J. Caliendo Architects will be responsible for design.
Called Locust Manor Estates, the project was originally intended to have 60 two- and three-family homes, an eight-story senior residence (which appears to be this), and a 17-story co-op apartment building, much of which appears to be already built out.
While the project is adjacent to the LIRR’s Atlantic Branch, the poor management and suburban orientation of the railroad means that it likely won’t be of any use to residents. To make the line truly useful, it should be integrated into the subway and run like rapid transit – without the army of well-paid conductors driving up labor costs and ticket prices and hurting frequencies – which will finally be possible after the LIRR’s East Side Access project opens.
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