Forest Hills residents urge borough president to reject 11‑story 108th Street rezoning

An applicant team seeking to rezone two lots on 108th Street in Forest Hills presented plans for an 11‑story mixed‑use building that would contain about 59 dwelling units and roughly 3,800 square feet of ground‑floor commercial or community space, during a hybrid land use public hearing convened by the Queens Borough President's Office.

Richard Lobell, counsel for 108th Street LLC, said the proposal would rezone the site from R12A to R7D/C24, allow an approximately 55,000‑square‑foot building with a mix of 28 one‑bedroom and 31 two‑bedroom apartments, and include Mandatory Inclusionary Housing provisions targeting about 25 percent of units (roughly 15 units) as affordable. Lobell noted Community Board 6 approved the application by a 36–4 vote with several conditions related to materials, ground‑floor uses and loading.

Why it matters: Neighbors said the building’s scale is out of step with the block and would add long‑term pressure to already congested transit, schools and utilities while increasing construction disruption. "A new 11‑story building would be of excessive scale and inconsistent with the character of the surroundings," resident Leah Piscane said during public comment, adding that residents submitted a petition with nearly 500 signatures opposing the rezoning.

Residents raised specific concerns about parking, overcrowded buses and schools, drainage and emergency access. Jason Steinberg, a nearly 30‑year Forest Hills resident, warned of cumulative impacts if multiple rezonings along 108th Street are approved, saying residents could face "years of overlapping construction, bringing noise, dust, construction traffic, parking disruptions, and safety concerns." Sharon Suggs, a long‑time resident and co‑op owner, said the proposal lacks on‑site parking for new households and would alter the neighborhood’s residential character.

Developer responses and mitigation: The project architect described massing strategies that step down from 108th Street toward low‑rise neighbors, and the applicant said they have adjusted exterior materials toward brick or terracotta to respond to Community Board 6 requests. The team said construction staging would be managed on site where possible, and that they would seek a loading zone from the Department of Transportation; they also reiterated sustainability features including full electrification and bird‑friendly glazing. On the board’s request to raise affordability to 30 percent, the applicant said achieving that level would be challenging for a 59‑unit building but that the MIH approach would place affordable one‑ and two‑bedroom units throughout the building.

Process and next steps: The public hearing record for this item closed at the session; chair Lisa Atkins moved to the next calendar item and no borough‑level decision was taken at the hearing. Written testimony was invited by 5:00 p.m. the same day and the Queens Borough President's Office will consider the hearing record as it prepares any recommendation to city planning and other reviewing agencies.

The hearing will continue with additional land use items on the schedule; the next public land use hearing was announced for July 2.