New York City Council has approved Innovation QNS, a neighborhood-focused initiative in Western Queens, designed by ODA. The five-block master plan generates two acres of open space, community health & wellness facilities, hundreds of affordable apartments, and thousands of jobs. The project was initiated in 2020 as part of New York's effort to recover from the impact of the COvid-19 pandemic, and it aimed to revitalize a largely dormant block area in Astoria, Queens, and transform it into a vibrant, walkable, and diverse creative district.
Spanning from 37th Street to Northern Boulevard/43rd Street between 35th and 36th Avenues, Innovation QNS will expand the adjacent Kaufman Arts District and build on Astoria’s rich cultural fabric. It also aims to incorporate existing cultural assets like the Museum of the Moving Image and the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts. The site of the master plan is currently occupied primarily by large surface parking lots and underutilized low-rise industrial and commercial buildings. Current tenants are expected to remain in the neighborhood, as they have been offered space in the new development. This includes several locally-owned small businesses and a cinema.
The master plan dedicates 25% of the ground floor to the public realm to respond to the needs of the residents of Queens, the neighborhood with the lowest amount of green space per capita in New York City. The mixed-use district incorporates a diverse range of functions and amenities, including open space, enhanced streetscapes, arts and culture programming, lifetime learning opportunities, mixed-income housing, and commercial space for innovation companies.
The 2,982,000 square feet master plan includes 3,200 units of housing, more than 45% of which will be affordable. Within that 45%, at least 500 units will serve members of the community making less than 30% of the area's median income. The approved plan also includes dedicated units for individuals in the shelter system. Innovation QNS aims to create an inclusive public realm network to enliven public life in the district. The open spaces present several characteristics for different activities, including vibrant plazas, seasonal covered markets, a multi-use field, a lively children’s playscape, and an urban dog run. ODA worked with landscape designer SWA/Balsley to bring this vision to life.
By expanding the public realm to the greater community at large, you don’t have to live in an ODA building to enjoy it or reap the benefits of its design. The public at large will have access to more urban amenities and to attractive landscape and hardscape spaces. ODA always includes an affordable housing component in our projects, and here we are integrating 45% of deeply affordable housing while prioritizing the health and well-being of the surrounding community. People will want to live, work, play and invest in our project because it offers a forward-thinking sustainable model with a positive impact on the community. The hope is that its denizens will become stakeholders and stewards of their own environment, putting the responsibility of true sustainability back on us all. - Eran Chen, founding principal at ODA.
Generating an ongoing dialogue with the area stakeholders, bringing together Astoria's residents, civic leaders, cultural institutions, small businesses, and non-profits in order to identify the community's most urgent needs, Innovation QNS will help shape, build and activate the district. New York-based design and architecture firm ODA is engaged in a number of housing and mixed-use projects focusing on community support and inclusionary housing. These include Denizen Bushwick in Brooklyn, New York, and the waterfront development at 420 Kent, also in New York. Recently they have also unveiled two residential projects in Florida, US: a duo of residential towers in Fort Lauderdale and 300 West Broward Blvd, soon to become Florida's tallest residential tower.
