A rendering of 145-93 Guy Brewer Boulevard. Image Credit: NYC CPC.

On March 16, 2022, the City Planning Commission voted to approve an application that would facilitate the construction of an eight-story mixed use building at 146-93 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in Springfield Gardens, Queens. The building will be on the site of a vacant lot, which was formerly a gas station several decades ago. 

The proposed building will have 45 units, with eleven permanently affordable units. There will be ground floor retail space, ground floor tenant meeting/recreation space, and 23 parking spaces behind the building. For CityLand’s prior coverage of this application, click here.

The building is located next to many residential buildings and commercial buildings that are generally three stories or less. More commercial buildings and a homeless shelter are located across the street, and the building is near many mechanical buildings that serve JFK Airport, which is approximately 2000 feet away from the project site.

At the public hearing, concerns were raised about the juxtaposition of an eight-story building to the smaller houses located on the same block. The applicants countered that more housing, especially affordable housing, was desperately needed in this neighborhood and this building served as a buffer between the residential houses and the nearby manufacturing district. They also argued that the building activated the stretch of Guy R. Brewer Boulevard by providing retail space and making use of the dead space currently occupied by the vacant lot. 

The City Planning Commission voted to approve the project, with the exception of Commissioner Leah Goodridge who voted against it and Commissioner Richard W. Eaddy, who was not present. 

The application now moves to the City Council for consideration. 

By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)