A plan to address the state’s “housing crisis” by building more than 2,000 housing units on over 46 acres on the state-owned campus of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in eastern Queens has been approved by the Public Authorities Control Board, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Thursday.
The plan will create a “vibrant mixed-use community,” Hochul said, in announcing the control board had approved “the General Project Plan for the Creedmoor Mixed-Use Project.”
A statement from the governor’s office called the plan a “flagship state initiative” that would feature “new housing, open space, and community amenities such as retail, childcare, and senior services.”
Hochul, in a statement, said: “Across New York, we’re tackling the housing crisis with creative solutions that make the most of every opportunity — including underutilized State property like the Creedmoor campus. This project will deliver more than 2,000 homes, including a mix of affordable rental and homeownership opportunities for families, along with dedicated affordable rental housing for seniors and veterans, while adding much-needed open space, childcare and community facilities.”
The plan was supported by $500 million from the governor’s Redevelopment of Underutilized Sites for Housing, and is part of the fiscal year 2025 budget, according to the statement. The Fiscal Year 2026 “enacted budget” includes “more than $1.5 billion in new state funding for housing, a Housing Access Voucher pilot program” and new policies, the statement said.
The governor’s office said the Creedmoor plan was the result of “years of dialogue” among Empire State Development, local elected officials, civic associations and others in eastern Queens.
In a joint statement on Thursday, several officials from Queens Community Board 13 praised the project, even though two years ago some of them were concerned about the project’s density. The initial master plan had proposed building 2,800 housing units across 58 acres of the Creedmoor property, Newsday has reported.
“Queens Community Board 13 thanks our state and city legislators … for standing with our community to secure this plan for Creedmoor that provides a scale of housing density consistent in scale with eastern Queens and the existing oversaturation of supportive housing in Queens Community Board 13,” said the statement from Bryan Block, the board’s chair; Corey Bearak, chair of the land use subcommittee on Creedmoor; and Mark McMillan, district manager.
The board cited its advocacy for “low to medium density development,” and recognition of the “needs, including housing for our seniors, our veterans and young adults and families starting out.”
The Creedmoor property is close to several communities along the Queens border with Nassau County.
Bellerose Village Mayor Kenneth Moore told Newsday he hadn’t heard about the Creedmoor housing plan, but didn’t see it affecting his community much. “We’re only a mile from there. Honestly, if you tell me it’s for veterans,” he said he was supportive. “We know there’s much needed demand for affordable housing for not only veterans. I’m sure there’re families that need homes. I don’t think it will affect us that much. It’s not going to put any kind of drain on services we get from Nassau County.”
Officials from Hempstead Town and the Village of Floral Park did not immediately respond to a request for comment.