46-15 Kissena Blvd. (Google Maps)
Jan. 7, 2019 By Meghan Sackman
A eight-story residential and commercial development could soon be replacing an existing strip mall on Kissena Boulevard.
Kimco Realty Corporation, a New Hyde Park-based developer, has filed an application to rezone the site at 46-15 Kissena Blvd., known as the Birchwood Shopping Center, to bring about “The Kissena Center,” a mixed-use development with 244 apartments.
The project, according to September filings with the city, would also replace the many one-story shops currently at the lot with a community facility, commercial retail space, and a parking lot.
Rendering of the proposed Kissena Center. (S9 Architecture via City Planning Commission)
Floors three to eight of the proposed building form the residential component of the project, which spans approximately 244,000 square feet. About 25 to 30 percent of the housing units, additionally, are designated as affordable.
The second floor space, totaling more than 15,600 square feet, will be taken up a community facility. The ground floor of the development is reserved for commercial space, with just under 58,000 square feet of retail space available.
Below ground, two levels of parking would be carved out for just over 330 spaces meant for both residential and commercial use.
The rezoning application, which seeks to allow for a taller and denser building, is still in its early stages of its months-long public review process, and is expected to make its way to Community Board 7 for review in weeks time.
The developer anticipates that the project, once it passes the review process, will be completed by 2021.
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10 Comments
Between Manhattan and Queens, how many more residential buildings do we need??? We need stores, diners, shoe repair places, supermarkets. How many of those moving into these places are from other countries and getting benefits from social programs?
Please re-read the article; there will be 58,000 square feet of commercial space, more than enough for a dozen stores of various sizes.
You seem to be unduly concerned about people from other countries: please elaborate!
Keep electing public official who are stooges for the real estate industry and this is what you get.
You can’t just keep building more housing units because more people keep coming into an already over-crowded community. Where will the new schools be built? How about our water lines, which are already strained since they are 1/3 the size they need to be to support those who are already here? How about garbage disposal? How about the fact that Kissena is one lane in each direction here, with at least 3 bus routes. THIS IS A PROBLEM FOLKS!!
I agree with you. Building a something this massive in a residential area is unacceptable. The height will block the housing behind it. It is going to cause more traffic than it is. And there is only one elementary school and one junior high school which are overcrowded as it is.
Kissena Blvd. is not a “residential area”. This site is currently occupied by commercial establishments, and is zoned for mixed commercial/residential use! You don’t even know what you’re talking about.
Massivvveee. A whole 244 apts. How will NYC, or Queens, cope with a whole 244 new apartments? I mean isn’t that a massive 0.0001% increase in the housing stock?
The alternative is to stay with the current crop of outdated apartments which aren’t enough to meet the demand in the neighborhood thus increasing rent. This development is adding housing while simultaneously replacing a dumpy looking strip mall with updated commercial space and a community center while also adding 330 parking spaces for both residents and non-residents. Sure, let’s keep things the way they are and pray for the best.
I am greatly offended by your description of the strip mall as dumpy looking. Sure it looks this way to you, but as an actual resident of a nearby neighborhood, I personally know the mall to host authentic small businesses that hold value to the surrounding ethnic conclaves. Replacing it with an apartment building just seems like a move to earn money on the part of the realty as the area has become more valuable and demanded due to the trending businesses, which has picked up significant traction within the last few years. To you, this new apartment might look like it’s adding value to an area that seems appalling or even useless, but adding this building would destroy links to the vibrant culture of Kissena Blvd. that many long-time residents enjoy and have grown-up with. Just because the photo used to represent the area was not taken in the best lighting or when it is busy doesn’t mean it is any less precious than what you like of the doctored photo the realty provided.
have these long-time residents been living there for time eternal? didn’t they at some point move into the neighborhood and disrupt the existing culture? why do you now deny others the same right?