Related Cos. and Sterling Equities open housing lottery for Willets Point Commons

Queens, NY Queens Development Group (QDG) – a joint venture between Related Companies and Sterling Equities – in partnership with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) and the New York City Housing Development Corp. (HDC), have launched the affordable housing lottery for 880 homes at Willets Point Commons.

“What is happening at Willets Point right now is nothing short of extraordinary. In less than four years, we turned a vacant stretch of land into homes for hundreds of families and laid the foundation for a whole new neighborhood in Queens,” said mayor Eric Adams. “But this dynamic change is not just happening at Willets Point. From delivering five ambitious neighborhood plans to passing the first citywide rezoning initiative in 60 years, our administration has helped turn New York into a ‘City of Yes.’ We have shattered affordable housing records year after year and reinforced our position as the most pro-housing administration in city history.”

“At a time when everyone is talking about affordability and the need for more affordable housing in New York, Willets Point is proof of what can happen when the public and private sector come together – we are delivering on the largest all affordable housing development in 40 years,” said Bruce Beal Jr., president of Related Companies, and Gregory Katz, partner at Sterling Equities, on behalf of QDG. “Thank you to mayor Adams, HPD, HDC, EDC, the entire administration, NYCFC, and our financing partners for making this longstanding vision a reality. We look forward to working with the new Administration to get the balance of this affordable housing done for New York and keep building a city where everyone can thrive.”

“For decades, Willets Point was known as the ‘Iron Triangle,’ an industrial area of Queens with auto-repair shops, warehouses, and underdeveloped lots. Limited infrastructure kept the neighborhood from growing. That is now changing. Willets Point is becoming a center of economic and community development and the site of the city’s largest 100% affordable housing project in 40 years. We mark another milestone in this historic effort with the neighborhood’s first housing lottery, Willets Point Commons, which will bring 880 affordable homes where families can finally put down roots,” said acting HPD commissioner Ahmed Tigani. “Once complete, the all-new Willets Point will include a new public school, public open space, a brand-new hotel, and Etihad Park, the nation’s first fully electric, soccer-specific stadium. This is the kind of meaningful, long-term investment approach this Administration has made sure to deliver for New Yorkers across this city.”

“We are excited to join our partners in celebrating the launch of the Willets Point Commons lottery, which will deliver 880 affordable homes to New Yorkers in need,” said NYC HDC president Eric Enderlin. “These new homes – paired with a range of amenities, resident programming, and new community and retail space – will help Willets Point grow into a vibrant, inclusive neighborhood for New Yorkers across a wide range of incomes. I encourage all interested applicants to apply.”

“This is a historic moment for the Willets Point as some fortunate New Yorkers will soon have the opportunity to live in the newest neighborhood in Queens while having access to new public open space among other incredible amenities,” said New York City Economic Development Corp.p resident & CEO Andrew Kimball. “Years of hard work remediating and preparing the site to deliver the largest 100 percent affordable housing project in 40 years are bearing fruit and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Queens Development Group on the next phases of development of this transformative project.”

“The opening of the lottery for Willets Point Commons is a major step forward in the longstanding effort to create a new, vibrant, and affordable community in North Queens,” said Queens Borough president Donovan Richards Jr. “The dream of living in a high-quality yet affordable home will soon become a reality for 880 well-deserving families. I encourage all those who would benefit from living in an up-and-coming, affordable, and easily accessible neighborhood to apply for an apartment at Willets Point Commons today.” 

“The opening of the affordable housing lottery at Willets Point Commons marks a once-in-a-generation moment for Queens,” said New York City councilmember Francisco Moya. “This project delivers the kind of deep affordability our families deserve, made possible only through the unwavering commitment of our incredible partners at the Queens Development Group. The homes built here will anchor generations – giving families stability, opportunity, and a legacy of truly accessible housing that will shape this community for decades to come. I could not be more proud of the complete redevelopment of Willets Point and seeing it come to fruition- with housing first- is perfect capstone on my time at the City Council.”

“Willets Point has been part of Queens’ story for generations, and today we move one step closer to transforming the former ‘valley of ashes’ into a dynamic new neighborhood centered around affordable housing and anchored in opportunity,” said New York City Councilmember-elect Shanel Thomas-Henry. “With the opening of the housing lottery for 880 affordable homes, families now have a real path to stability. I encourage all eligible residents to apply and look forward to working with this historic partnership to ensure Willets Point’s future meets the needs of the residents of our community and all of Queens.”

The 880 homes will be in the first two buildings of the Willets Point development and will open with a portion of the public green space. Housing available through the lottery ranges from studios to three-bedrooms and is available to households earning between 30 and 120% of the area median income (AMI). 20% of apartments are set aside for Queens Community Board 7 residents, 10% for veterans and/or NYC municipal employees, 5% for mobility access needs and 2% for visual/hearing access needs. 

To apply for an apartment, visit: https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/details/7378.

Willets Point Commons features thoughtfully designed homes and a full suite of amenities and programming for residents to enjoy. The common spaces include two landscaped inner courtyards, tenant lounge space, outdoor terraces and BBQs, community garden, fitness center, children’s playroom, co-working space, ground floor retail shops, and other community facilities. Additionally, the buildings will be all-electric, achieve LEED Gold certification, and comply with Local Law 97 through high-performance glazing, high-efficiency HVAC systems, an electric hot water plant, an insulated envelope, energy star appliances, and low-emission mobility options for residents, such as bike storage and electric vehicle charging. Both buildings will be managed by Related Management Company.

Willets Point Commons offers the unique opportunity to set roots in one of the city’s most rapidly growing neighborhoods. With direct transit access via the 7 train, LIRR, and Q19, Q90, and Q66 bus routes, commutes to Manhattan are under 30 minutes while LaGuardia Airport is located a five-minute drive away.

The next phase of the neighborhood transformation will be the groundbreaking of the third building comprising of 220 additional affordable homes for low-income seniors. Once complete, Willets Point will include a new public school, more than 150,000 square feet of public open space, a brand-new hotel, and Etihad Park – the future home of the New York City Football Club (NYCFC), the city’s first professional soccer-specific stadium and Major League Soccer’s (MLS) first fully-electric stadium across the nation.

TRANSFORMING WILLETS POINT WITH UNPRECEDENTED INVESTMENT
The Willets Point transformation has been decades in the making. Formerly an underutilized, industrial area, Willets Point will become a vibrant neighborhood anchored by much-needed affordable housing. Through a historic public-private partnership between QDG, NYCEDC, the City of New York, and NYCFC, Willets Point is projected to generate $6.1 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years, creating 1,550 permanent jobs and 14,200 construction jobs. QDG is participating in HireNYC, a city program that connects local residents to jobs.

New York City has made a significant investment to support the development of the Willets Point neighborhood. This includes the remediation of formerly contaminated soil, and infrastructure investments, such as new streets, signage, sidewalks, curbs, trees, lights, draining, stormwater management, water mains, hydrants, sewers, and utilities. Additionally, because Willets Point is in a flood-prone area, the city is taking a holistic approach that centers on resiliency by raising the new streets and buildings out of the 100-year floodplain to protect it from future storms. QDG will champion this environmental investment by seeking LEED Gold U.S. Green Building Council certification or Enterprise Green Communities for each residential building.

For more information, please visit: https://www.livewilletspoint.com/.