NY City Council Approves Long Island City Rezoning Plan That Will Create Nearly 15,000 New Homes

NEW YORK—The New York City Council passed the “OneLIC Neighborhood Plan” on Nov. 12, which is the fifth neighborhood rezoning to be approved by the council over the last two years, and the largest in over two decades. The plan will rezone approximately 54 blocks in Long Island City, Queens, to facilitate the creation of nearly 15,000 new homes, including 4,350 permanently affordable homes through the mapping of Mandatory Inclusionary Housing affordability requirements and the development of publicly-owned sites.

The plan will also deliver 3.8 million square feet of commercial, community facility, and light industrial space. The plan’s boundaries stretch from the East River waterfront to Crescent Street and Queens Plaza North to 47th Avenue, with one segment reaching further up to 39th Avenue between 21st Street to 23rd Street.

“To confront the city’s housing crisis, the Council is proud to once again advance another historic neighborhood rezoning in Queens, just weeks apart,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “This plan, shaped and strengthened by community input and the Council’s role in land use negotiations, delivers nearly 15,000 new homes alongside significant investments to improve neighborhood parks, schools, and neighborhood essentials. The level of housing affordability and funding commitments, including for public housing residents, would not have been possible without the Council’s voting power on behalf of communities in the land use process.”

“Today’s vote passing the OneLIC Plan brings us closer to an integrated Long Island City,” said Council Member Julie Won. “Over the last three decades, the city has allowed developers to dictate what is built in our neighborhood. These past two years, thousands of residents came together to envision our future. Through our advocacy, persistent community engagement, and disciplined negotiations, we secured historic investments in LIC to fund a connected waterfront, a restored park underneath the Queensboro Bridge, over 1,300 new school seats, sewage and plumbing infrastructure, NYCHA investments, and so much more—all that is long overdue. Finally, we will be one Long Island City, for current and future residents.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of City Planning Director and City Planning Commission Chair Dan Garodnick praised the New York City Council’s approval of the Adams administration’s OneLIC Neighborhood Plan. They noted that the plan, in addition to the nearly 15,000 new housing units, will also help create 14,400 new jobs. The plan is anticipated to generate almost $80 billion in economic activity over the next 40 years.

By requiring new developments in Long Island City to include permanently affordable housing via Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and using city subsidies on public sites, the plan is expected to produce roughly 4,350 income-restricted homes—enough to house more than 10,000 New Yorkers. That number includes 320 homes for lower-income New Yorkers at 44-59 45th Avenue, where the city currently houses New York City Department of Transportation operations.

To support current and future residents and workers in this part of Queens, the administration has committed to more than $650 million in community investments, including significant new public open space along the waterfront and underneath the Queensboro Bridge.

“When we came into office, we promised to turn the page on decades of half-measures and deliver the housing New Yorkers need. Four years later, we’ve done exactly that. With our five neighborhood plans and historic ‘City of Yes’ initiative all passed, we’ve laid the foundation for over 130,000 homes and changed the conversation around housing in our city,” said Mayor Adams. “The OneLIC plan is not only the largest neighborhood rezoning in at least a quarter of a century, but a plan that will deliver the housing, jobs, and public space this vibrant neighborhood needs, while creating a more affordable city for working-class New Yorkers.”

The initiative will also dedicate more than $200 million to much-needed repairs and upgrades for the nearby Queensbridge Houses, improving the quality of life for the residents of the largest public housing complex in North America. These funds include more than $100 million to modernize plumbing and renovate kitchens and bathrooms, as well as almost another $100 million to replace or repair 80 elevators, fix sinkholes, add new playground space, install new interior lighting, and more. Another $5.3 million is dedicated to improvements to the Jacob Riis Community Center.