Queens Hospital Site Could Provide 3,000 Affordable Housing Units

A defunct psychiatric hospital in Queens could provide 3,000 new affordable housing units, according to a coalition of local residents who are calling on New York  to convert the state-owned Creedmoor Psychiatric Center property into a housing complex, write David Brand and Neil Mehta in Gothamist. 

Queens Power Co-Chair Ben Thomases, who leads the nonprofit Queens Community House, said the state-owned land provides the perfect opportunity to build around 3,000 new income-restricted apartments, along with homes available to purchase, during a deepening housing crisis.

The complex could provide much-needed housing in the area. “The site is located in Queens Community District 13, where nearly half of low-income tenants spent at least 50% of their earnings on rent last year, an arrangement that leaves them “severely rent-burdened“ under federal guidelines, data from the Furman Center shows.”

The quasi-governmental Empire State Development agency says it is “continuing to seek input from local residents and community groups” to decide the site’s future. According to the article, “State officials will hold two public forums on the project next month as part of a planning process on what to do with the 55 acres south of the main hospital.”