Meet New BLVD

 The new luxury building that went up across from the Post Office and MacDonald Park now has a name and is looking pretty fancy....

New MacDonald Park Building

 With the Covid vaccine coursing through my veins, I finally have begun to venture forth a bit further, exploring areas of the neighborhood that I have not seen in like a year (I'm not insane, after all, it's not like I was going to run around during a deadly pandemic). 

I snapped these shots of the new residential building going up across from the Post Office and MacDonald Park (which, by the way, was dreadfully filthy. I know the City is in a crisis, but wow, the amount of litter in MacDonald Park is disgraceful! I'll post about that shortly.) 

This new building, from what I've heard, will house a high-end gym chain, a parking garage and I'm not sure what else on the ground commercial level.

Open House Listing

NY Post: The NYC Nabes Millennials Can Actually Afford

Forest Hills clocks in at No. 1 for the most affordable housing by neighborhood in NYC. 
Read more here: First-Time New York City Home Buyers Should Look in Forest Hills

The Elephant in Forest Hills

Happy Spring!
Springtime gets me very energized. So, as I was walking down the remains of what used to be  -- and I guess still kinda is -- our Restaurant Row today, it got me to thinking: how beautiful would life be if this big 'elephant in the room' of ours somehow was replaced by a nice second row of restaurants on the west side of 70th Road? It is some type of telephone exchange building, from what I've always been told. I guess it's still needed or it wouldn't still be there.
But, jeez, talk about an eyesore smack in the middle of our lovely neighborhood. Just imagine how pretty that part of town would be without this fortress -- and how many more tasty restaurants we could have on our Restaurant Rowish Row if this was no longer there?
With the huge new modern building going up on the other side of this ugly duckling, and Restaurant Row on the east, boy this thing is really starting to look out of place, ain't it?

Post Update: A couple of people seemed to have gotten really annoyed with this post. Just to clarify, from an outsider's perspective this is just an enormous hulking structure that is ugly as hell, and just does not fit with the improving neighborhood around it. There is no signage indicating it is owned by Verizon or any other company, making one assume it is just some kind of an old-time telephone network center -- one that probably would never have been placed where it is if it was being built today given the increasing property values.
If it does contain offices, they should think of renovating the building to make it more pleasing to the rest of the neighborhood. This structure will look more and more out of place once the new building goes up next to it and the neighborhood continues to improve. 
And one last thing - this is only my opinion. If you happen to love hulking, bland, brick structures, then all the more power to you. Though I will never be a fan - unless it is some old-time Revolutionary War fort. Which would be awesome!
And yes, in keeping with that line of thought, and for the commenter who suggested it, it would be kinda cool to keep the building as is and use it in a retro way as some kind of museum or other cultural institution. In that respect, the old-time brick facade would make sense and add an authentic touch. Hey - maybe it should be a Museum of the Telephone, since they are disappearing real fast anyhow...

Forest Hills Construction Site Pics

Snapped a couple of pics today of the demolition of what was the Party Store, Piu Bello and several smaller stores, across from MacDonald Park and the Post Office. See my previous post about the new building going up in this space.

Work Begins On New Forest Hills Building

I noticed they have begun doing work on the site of this future development across from MacDonald Park. Last I heard it is supposed to be an office building with some retail space as well, and parking.

New Apartment Building Planned for 72nd Avenue

Permits have been filed for a new 7-story residential building at 108-15 72nd Ave., between Queens Blvd. and Austin Street in Forest Hills, according to the website New York Yimby. Here is a photo of the location:

The 70-foot tall structure will yield 27,670 square feet, with 19,700 square feet dedicated to residential use. 26 apartments will be created, averaging 760 square feet apiece, indicating rentals. Despite the close proximity to rapid transit, the building will include 13 parking spaces.

More information:  Permits Filed For 108-15 72nd Avenue, Forest Hills, Queens

Introducing The Sunrise Forest Hills

That new apartment building across from the church, at 109-19 72nd Road, has a name, and a new website....

Introducing: The Sunrise Forest Hills

Big Real Estate News

Reports The Real Deal:

Halstead breaks into Forest Hills with purchase of Madeleine Realty

Halstead has 10 offices in Manhattan, 7 offices in Brooklyn and 2 offices in the Hamptons.

From the article:

The Forest Hills location at 108-23 Ascan Avenue will be Halstead’s second office in Queens. The company opened its first office in the borough in 2015 at 47-12 Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City in 2015.

Photo from The Real Deal: New York Real Estate News

Coming in Next to Bareburger on Austin St.

Thanks to Amanda for tweeting me the pic!

Restaurant Row Development Halted

This is HUGE news for our neighborhood. It looks like one of the main attractions of Forest Hills, one of the things that brings people to our neighborhood each and every day, may be safe ...

According to DNAInfo:

Developer Halts Controversial Development at Forest Hills' Restaurant Row

The owner of a Forest Hills building housing several restaurants on the neighborhood's “Restaurant Row” has halted his controversial plan to replace it with a new 12-story mixed-use development, according to his lawyer.
"To ALL FoHi Residents! Restaurant Row is NOT going anywhere!," Oleg Kaz, the owner of The Grill wrote on a local Facebook page for business owners. He also posted a photo of the "For Rent" sign displayed at former Uno Pizzeria & Grill which occupied a now-vacant space until it shuttered in 2015.

Breaking News: Austin St. Construction Update!

Well, it seems my post from last week (I can't believe a week has gone by already!) was rather timely. A few readers contacted me this week about these new plans for that exceedingly unpleasant hole-in-the-ground next to Bareburger on Austin St.!

Seven-Story, 21-Unit Mixed-Use Building Filed At 71-53 Austin Street, Forest Hills

Brooklyn-based Austin Prop LLC has filed applications for a seven-story, 21-unit mixed-use building at 71-53 Austin Street, in Forest Hills. The project would encompass 27,878 square feet and rise 70 feet in height.

Read more: New York YIMBY

Below is an old photo of the site, when plans still included another walk-in medical clinic (which had raised the ire, and scorn, of many of the Blog's readers!)

Big Changes Coming to Queens Blvd. in Forest Hills

Finally, the long-awaited improvements are coming to our stretch of Queens Blvd.

Bike lanes, more space for pedestrians, hopefully some much-needed beautification, and a safer roadway in general for pedestrians.

Hey, anything will be an improvement for this inappropriate major thoroughfare that runs smack through a residential neighborhood.

Anything that makes it more pedestrian-friendly and slows down the nutty drivers as they race through our neighborhood is a long time in coming. This is New York City, after all. It's not Wichita. If you want to live the automobile lifestyle, I have a nice house in suburbia to sell you.

From DNA Info: Long-Awaited Queens Blvd. Revamp Coming to Forest Hills and Rego Park: City

And, while we're on the subject of Queens Blvd., there is an interesting proposal to revitalize the block near MacDonald Park. Just a proposal at this point, but boy would this be an improvement over what is at that location now.

8-Story Luxury Office Building Planned Near MacDonald Park in Forest Hills

Details Revealed About New Apartment Building on 72nd Road

A reader sent me this link to an article about the new building going up on 72nd Road, across from the church. I had earlier posted the building was on Restaurant Row (that's what the reader told me), but I should have trusted my initial instincts and considered it was the 72nd Road one since it does mention construction has already begun...

Knighthead closes on $27M Forest Hills construction loan

Knighthead Funding, a Greenwich, CT-based real estate finance company, has provided a $27 million first mortgage construction loan to the developer of a seven-story, mixed-use apartment building located in Forest Hills, NY.

Forest Hills Condo Conversion at 72nd Road and Queens Blvd.

Edry Team at Keller Williams NYC Kicks Off Sales

At Historic Forest Hills Condo Conversion

----

 The Georgian Condominiums Opened in 1930

As Forest Hills’ First Apartment Residence on Queens Boulevard

Photo credit: Bernadett Pava

The Edry Team at Keller Williams NYC will serve as exclusive sales agent for the conversion of a distinguished pre-war multi-family residence in the heart of Forest Hills, Queens, to condominium status, announces Sandy Edry, who heads the team.

The building, known throughout its 86-year existence as Georgian Court, will become The Georgian Condominiums when the conversion is effective. The residence is at 109-20 Queens Boulevard, a short block from the bustling shops of Austin Street, and a couple of blocks from four subway lines to Manhattan.

Georgian Court was the first apartment house to be built on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills. Among its neighbors is the beautiful Gothic-style church and rectory of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs. Across the boulevard is the community’s best known cooperative residence, Kennedy House.

“The location is superb, and the pre-war quality and aesthetic details of this building are hard to surpass,” says Mr. Edry. Many of the spacious apartments have been gut-renovated, with amenities that include genuine oak floors, quartz countertops, recessed lighting, stainless steel appliances, and upgraded electrical wiring.

The building features a courtyard garden, an onsite laundry facility and a live-in superintendent. New elevators will be installed.

Elaborating on the location, Mr. Edry noted:

“In many respects, the convenience of residing at The Georgian Condominiums evokes living on Manhattan’s East or West Side. The neighborhood is densely packed with diverse restaurants and all kinds of shops and services, ranging from mom-and-pops to international chains. Yet the unusual width of Queens Boulevard imparts a sunny, open feeling.”

Transportation is abundant with the E and F express trains and M and R locals accessible two blocks west at Continental Avenue. Add just one extra block and the Long Island Rail Road is at your service, on the edge of Forest Hills Gardens.

“The Georgian Condominiums is Manhattan-style living, but more affordable and with more open air!” Mr. Edry adds.

Photo credit: Bernadett Pava

Prices start in the low-$400,000s for one-bedroom residences, and the mid-$500,000s for two bedrooms. Contact the Edry Team at 646-770-3379 or TheEdryTeam@kwnyc.com or visit wwwEdryrealestate.com.

About the Edry Team

With more successful condominium conversions than any other team in Manhattan, as well as numerous resale and rental transactions throughout the city, the Edry Team at Keller Williams has become one of the most respected real estate brands in New York City. 

The team’s portfolio includes the exclusive sales and marketing of 17 pre-war conversion buildings in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Additionally, the team has represented hundreds of buyers, sellers and renters in transactions in every residential property type.

The Edry Team was named in 2015 as the #1 Listing Team at Keller Williams NYC.  Sandy Edry is a member of the highly selective Keller Williams Luxury Homes division and is a designated Global Property Specialist. Additionally, according to the 2015 RealTrends list of America’s Best Real Estate Agents, The Edry Team at Keller Williams NYC Real Estate ranked #3 in all of Manhattan (#5 in NY State) based on total number of transaction sides.

About Keller Williams

Keller Williams NYC has grown to more than 600 agents in just a few years in Manhattan. Keller Williams Realty International is the largest brokerage by agent count, with more than 140,000 associates in 600+ offices across North America as well as 31 additional countries.

The New York Times: Forest Hills One of City's Hottest Neighborhoods

According to The New York Times, Forest Hills is now New York City's fourth hottest neighborhood! 

New York Neighborhoods, Hot and Cold

Where are home prices rising or falling the most in New York City? To find out, we looked at median sales prices in each of the city’s neighborhoods during the month of August and compared them to those six months prior. (Areas with fewer than 50 sales were not considered, and each neighborhood’s sales were aggregated over three months to smooth deceptive spikes.)

Source: The New York Times

Rendering of New Building on 72nd Road

A reader sent in this photo of the new building going up on 72nd Road, next to La Boulangerie...

New Building Planned for 72nd Road

According to New York Yimby.com:

New building applications have been filed to erect a seven-story, mixed-use building at 109-19 72nd Road, between Queens Boulevard and Austin Street. The development will replace four large houses, all of which had been altered so businesses could occupy the ground floors.
The 70-foot-tall building will host 46 apartments divided across 44,889 square feet, for nicely sized average units measuring 975 square feet. The apartments will be stacked on top of 8,280 square feet of retail, replacing some of the commercial space that will be demolished. Each of the upper floors will have eight units, except for the top floor, where there will only be six units.
A subterranean garage will have parking for 26 cars, which is slightly more than the zoning code requires.

The article ends with a really insightful comment about the Forest Hills area's current state of development—the struggle between development and those who want to maintain more of a "suburb-in-the-city" feel for Forest Hills.  And it comes down on the side of development, pointing out that Forest Hills has so much untapped potential as a hyper-connected neighborhood when it comes to public transportation in this part of Queens....

The rest of Forest Hills was downzoned twice during Mayor Bloomberg’s years in office, effectively preventing the construction of anything besides one- and two-family homes. The suburban-style zoning seems unfortunate because Forest Hills is attractive, safe, and still relatively affordable for condo and co-op buyers. The LIRR, as well E, F, M, and R trains, run through the neighborhood, making it one of the most accessible parts of central and eastern Queens.

Unfortunate, indeed.  While, as I've often written before, Forest Hills has improved by leaps and bounds when it comes to bars and restaurants since I first moved here like 15 years ago, there's still so much more room for improvement it, to coin a phrase from our most colorful presidential candidate, "can make your head spin."

Sterling Bank

I think someone had commented on this blog a while ago that Sterling Bank might be the next building up for redevelopment. I noticed these signs in the windows upstairs advertising office space. I can't confirm any plans to close the bank and develop the property, but I thought the fact that they're advertising for a new tenant may say something about any immediate plans or lack thereof. Or maybe it doesn't. Any way, food for thought.