Elected officials representing parts of Northeast and Eastern Queens announced last Tuesday that Empire State Development, the state’s economic wing, has come to a compromise regarding the density of the Creedmoor Mixed-Use Project.
For more than two years, a large number of residents have expressed their concerns with the proposal to transform more than 50 acres of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center campus in Queens Village into a densely populated housing complex.
Since Feb. 2, 2023, most residents expressed they wanted 1,000 housing units in three- to four-story buildings rather than the state’s initial proposal of 2,873 units on 58 acres in buildings up to eight stories.
The initial plan proposed 1,633 units for purchase and the remaining 1,240 for rent, said ESD. The further breakdown of units would have included 813 elevator co-ops (six to eight stories), 536 walk-up co-ops (three to four stories), 186 triplexes (three stories) and 98 semidetached two-family homes (two stories).
Available for rent would have been 377 senior housing units, 431 supportive housing units and 432 affordable lottery units, all of which would be six to eight stories, the agency said previously. Set aside for veterans would be 108 supportive and 57 affordable units. The number of units was reduced to 2,775 by July 2024.
In 2023, most residents were able to get ESD to nix plans for big box stores at the site and requested ADA senior housing, veteran housing, affordable housing, a healthcare facility, a recreational center with a pool, a school, parking, transit access to subways and the LIRR and options for homeownership. What they didn’t want at the site was a prison complex, homeless shelter or buildings more than four stories.
ESD told the Chronicle the proposal now calls for 2,022 housing units; 1,045 of those units will be available for homeownership and 977 for rental. There will be 412 senior units, 278 supportive (78 will be for veterans) and 288 that are affordable. The housing complex would have 2,482 parking spaces distributed amongst garages, lots, driveways and street parking.
The project would have two-story residences on the eastern portion of the site to mirror the form and bulk of the residences within the Bernard Fineson campus adjacent to the site and the existing residences in the vicinity of 83rd Avenue between 240th and 243rd Streets, said ESD. Three-story triplexes would be on blocks adjacent to the two-story homes.
Buildings between four and six stories would mostly be along and near Hillside Avenue, continued ESD. The area with the highest density, seven- to eight-story buildings, would be along Avenue C and around the Town Center open space.
“The revised plan for the Creedmoor campus reflects our productive collaboration with local elected officials and community members since the planning of this project began in 2023 with community visioning workshops,” said Matthew Gorton, an ESD spokesman, via email. “We appreciate their continued engagement and input in shaping a development that balances community priorities with housing needs, including homeownership opportunities, affordable housing, supportive housing, and housing targeted for seniors and veterans.
“We look forward to advancing through the approvals process later this year and continuing our partnership with the Queens community as we move this important housing project forward.”
When asked if the Queens Bus Network redesign would be able to accommodate people who live there, Gorton said the MTA routinely monitors use of its bus network to understand user demand and patterns. As the project’s development phases occur, ridership numbers on the bus routes that service the site will be captured through the monitoring program. As is standard practice, the agency will use the ridership data to inform the need for any changes to the bus network.
Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside), state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-College Point), Councilwoman Linda Lee (D-Oakland Gardens) and U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (Nassau, Queens) were pleased about the significant reduction in density of the proposed project.
“From the day the state first announced its intent to redevelop the Creedmoor Campus in Eastern Queens, I said that the final project must prioritize the needs and concerns of the local community,” said Braunstein in a statement.
Stavisky thanked Gov. Hochul and Hope Knight, president and CEO of ESD, for coming to the table and listening to residents who live near the complex.
“The changes made allow for senior housing to be built more quickly and preserves the number of units for our veterans,” said Stavisky in a statement. “I believe that the changes to this project are a fair compromise that continues to meet the need for housing in our State.”
Lee said it is important to address the longstanding housing crisis, but in a way that is sustainable to those in Eastern Queens for generations to come.
“My colleagues and I have consistently emphasized that any development on the Creedmoor campus must reflect community values; supporting older adults’ desires to age in place and offering truly affordable paths to homeownership, all without straining our public infrastructure. I’m cautiously optimistic that the revised plan, with its reduced scale, better aligns with these priorities,” said Lee in a statement.
Lee’s office said there needs to be less strain on the aging infrastructure, as evidenced by flooding that took place in her district about two weeks ago.
“The project will create vital new homeownership opportunities but also empower seniors to age in place and inspire young people to remain in our community,” said Souzzi in a statement. “This balanced approach reflects our shared vision for a stronger, more inclusive future.”
Community Board 13 Chair Bryan Block, Mark McMillan, its district manager, and Corey Bearak, the Land Use Subcommittee on Creedmoor chair, thanked the elected officials for standing with the community and not allowing the area to be further saturated with supportive housing.
The new plan proposes that 20 percent of units would be dedicated toward housing people with mental illness instead of 35 percent.
The eastern parts of Queens have been inundated with supportive housing and shelters, civic leaders say, while Community District 5 and 6 were identified as having zero percent of shelters in 2019, according to research conducted by City Limits.
“From the outset of its advocacy and participation in this process, Queens Community Board 13, in consultation with its communities, developed priorities, including low to medium density development, and needs, including housing for our seniors, our veterans and young adults and families starting out,” said the CB 13 leaders in a joint statement. “We understood how our sound approach would enable existing homes occupied by empty nesters or single adults to become available for new and growing families when current occupants welcome an opportunity to shift to alternative housing not previously available in a community they prefer not to leave. The new plans better reflect our community’s vision.”
The Rev. Patrick O’Connor, co-chair of Queens Power, a group of more than 40 nonprofits, faith communities, schools and unions, said via email that the compromise reflects the kind of narrow civic obstructionism that has helped drive the city into its worst housing crisis.
“Every unit lost is one more family pushed out of NYC,” said O’Connor. “We are calling on Governor Hochul to replace those lost units with other units on a buildable site as soon as possible.”
Borough President Donovan Richards said that at the end of the day, the city cannot talk its way out of the historic housing crisis — it must build its way out.
“That is exactly what we will be doing at Creedmoor, to the tune of thousands of badly-needed new, affordable homes for this community,” said Richards via email. “I thank Governor Hochul’s administration, especially state Director of Operations Kathryn Garcia, for their unwavering partnership in developing the Creedmoor master plan. And I applaud my colleagues for getting on board with this innovative, impactful effort to put roofs over the heads of Eastern Queens families.”
No start date was given, but the project is still anticipated to be completed by 2040.