Developers seek rezoning for 389-unit mixed-use project on Northern Boulevard in Queens Borough
February 20, 2026 | Queens Borough, Queens County, New York
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QUEENS BOROUGH ' Developers presented a rezoning application for a block front on Northern Boulevard between 147th and 149th Streets, asking the Queens Borough President's land use hearing to support a change from the existing R5 district with a C1-2 overlay to an R7X district with a C2-3 overlay to allow two mixed-use buildings up to 125 feet tall.
The applicant said the project would create two connected buildings (referred to as Buildings A and B) with a total of 389 apartments, including 97 units the team described as permanently affordable, ground-floor retail and 280 parking spaces where 155 are currently required. The presenter said the buildings would read as 12 stories in height (a basement plus 11 above-ground floors) and that the design by Raymond Chan Architects intentionally breaks down massing along the boulevard.
The proposal grew out of years of engagement with Community Board 7, which the applicant said voted strongly in favor at its full-board hearing. The development team named several local owners involved in the application, including the Matone Group, Michael Economo, George Strelios and Steven Kuo, and said community feedback produced separate parking entrances and traffic circulation measures developed with traffic engineers.
On affordable housing and unit mix, the applicant said 97 apartments are proposed to be permanently affordable. The team presented two affordability scenarios and said it would conduct a market study three to five months after approval to determine whether the bedroom mix should be adjusted; the presenter said developers are generally eager to build larger units if market demand supports them. "We are creating 97 affordable apartments," the presenter said.
The applicant described stormwater measures to reduce runoff into the sewer system, citing about 15,000 square feet of new landscape terraces and noting that roughly 35% of the lot would be permeable. The proposal also includes on-site detention wells to store overflow during peak events.
On neighbor impacts, the presenter described setbacks intended to preserve separation from adjacent buildings: the first-floor back-of-site distance of about 25 feet, a 72-foot separation for mid-building areas, and edge conditions of 20 feet for the lower five floors and 45 feet above. He said those dimensions exceed current zoning requirements and asserted that the proposal would not block existing side-lot-line windows.
During a brief question-and-answer period, Vicki Garvey, land use director and chair, asked whether the bedroom mix had changed since Community Board 7's review. The presenter said no changes had been made to date but reiterated the plan for a market study and potential adjustments if needed.
No members of the public signed up to testify on the application in person or virtually, and the chair closed the item without a formal vote recorded at the hearing.
Next steps: the application will continue through the city review process; no final agency approvals or votes were recorded at this hearing.
The applicant said the project would create two connected buildings (referred to as Buildings A and B) with a total of 389 apartments, including 97 units the team described as permanently affordable, ground-floor retail and 280 parking spaces where 155 are currently required. The presenter said the buildings would read as 12 stories in height (a basement plus 11 above-ground floors) and that the design by Raymond Chan Architects intentionally breaks down massing along the boulevard.
The proposal grew out of years of engagement with Community Board 7, which the applicant said voted strongly in favor at its full-board hearing. The development team named several local owners involved in the application, including the Matone Group, Michael Economo, George Strelios and Steven Kuo, and said community feedback produced separate parking entrances and traffic circulation measures developed with traffic engineers.
On affordable housing and unit mix, the applicant said 97 apartments are proposed to be permanently affordable. The team presented two affordability scenarios and said it would conduct a market study three to five months after approval to determine whether the bedroom mix should be adjusted; the presenter said developers are generally eager to build larger units if market demand supports them. "We are creating 97 affordable apartments," the presenter said.
The applicant described stormwater measures to reduce runoff into the sewer system, citing about 15,000 square feet of new landscape terraces and noting that roughly 35% of the lot would be permeable. The proposal also includes on-site detention wells to store overflow during peak events.
On neighbor impacts, the presenter described setbacks intended to preserve separation from adjacent buildings: the first-floor back-of-site distance of about 25 feet, a 72-foot separation for mid-building areas, and edge conditions of 20 feet for the lower five floors and 45 feet above. He said those dimensions exceed current zoning requirements and asserted that the proposal would not block existing side-lot-line windows.
During a brief question-and-answer period, Vicki Garvey, land use director and chair, asked whether the bedroom mix had changed since Community Board 7's review. The presenter said no changes had been made to date but reiterated the plan for a market study and potential adjustments if needed.
No members of the public signed up to testify on the application in person or virtually, and the chair closed the item without a formal vote recorded at the hearing.
Next steps: the application will continue through the city review process; no final agency approvals or votes were recorded at this hearing.
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