Mayor Eric Adams joined by community leaders gathered in Queens for the groundbreaking of a massive new affordable housing complex at Willets Point — marking the first phase of the city’s plan to transform the area surrounding Citi Field.
The project, which will house 880 apartments at 38-21 Seaver Way, is the first batch of a planned 2,500 below-market-rate apartments coming to Willets Point in the coming years, which represents the city’s largest development of entirely affordable units in four decades, Adams said.
“We are breaking ground on a once-in-a-generation project and building the largest 100% affordable housing development in our city in 40 years,” Hizzoner said. “What we are seeing in Willets Point is the future of New York City — a future in which all New Yorkers can afford to live in a safe apartment that is close to a good school, good-paying jobs, outdoor space, and great public transportation.”
“Phase One” of the Willets Point’s project, which is expected to be completed in 2026, includes two apartment buildings, and will serve as the anchor of the larger plan to transform the area with a deluge of housing, along with professional soccer stadium, a new public school, 22,000 square feet of retail space, and 30,000 square feet of outdoor communal areas.
Around 15% of the units coming with Phase One will be set aside for formerly homeless New Yorkers, and 40% will be earmarked for those earning an annual income below 60 percent of area median income — making them “deeply affordable” homes.
“Phase one of the Willets Point project presents an incredible opportunity to address our affordable housing crisis by building out hundreds of critically-needed units, including apartments set aside for formerly homeless New Yorkers looking to get back on their feet,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.”
Local leaders touted that the Willets Point project will create 1,500 permanent jobs, along with 14,200 construction jobs.
Just steps from Citi Field, where the New York Mets play baseball, the project will transform the industrial waterfront into a thriving community geared towards lower-income New Yorkers, said Chuck Apelian, who is the Land Use Chair for Queens Community Board 7
“A vibrant new community that will include 2,500 housing units that are 100 percent affordable, local retail, a new elementary school, a soccer stadium, and a hotel will rise from the remediated ashes of the former Willets Point junkyards,” Apelian said.
If approved by the City Planning Commision and the City Council, which is expected, Phase Two of the project will bring an additional 1,400 units of affordable housing, along with a privately-funded $780 million soccer stadium.
With 25,000 planned seats, the stadium will be a permanent home of New York City FC — a Major League Soccer club founded in 2015, which has played most of its home games at Yankee Stadium.
“Today’s groundbreaking for phase one of the larger Willets Point project is an important step in fortifying this community’s future,” said Brad Sims, the CEO of NYCFC. “We’re proud to be part of a development that will bring much-needed affordable housing to Queens, create a vibrant Willets Point community, and serve the needs of thousands of New Yorkers.”
The stadium is planned to go up by Citi Field and will be located near the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the home of the U.S. Open.
Community Board 7 voted earlier this year to approve Phase Two of the project as part of the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). It now heads to the Borough President’s office for his advisory opinion, and then to the City Planning Commission and the City Council for official votes.
“This project stands as the most significant fully affordable housing initiative in four decades, and it’s only the beginning,” said local Council Member Francisco Moya. “As we progress through the phase two ULURP, we will complete the job we’ve started, establishing a new affordable neighborhood at Willets Point.”
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