Housing lottery launches for 43 rent-stabilized apartments in Astoria
- New Yorkers who earn $72,652 to $181,740 are eligible to apply and rents start at $1,974 for a one bedroom
- The new development has an elevator and laundry room; units have dishwashers and air-conditioning
Housing lottery applications are open for 43 rent-stabilized apartments at a new development in Astoria, Queens. New Yorkers who earn $72,652 to $181,740 are eligible to apply, depending on the size of the household. Rents start at $1,974 for a one-bedroom apartment.
The building at 21-11 31st Ave. has an elevator and laundry room, and units have dishwashers and air-conditioning. It’s located about half a mile from the Broadway subway stop serving the N and W lines.
Designed by HPL Engineering, the development has been in the works since 2018, though HPL originally planned to build 86 residences, the Astoria Post reported. It replaced a handful of two-story residential properties on the lot between 21st and 23rd streets.
The apartments are set aside for New Yorkers earning from 80 to 130 percent of the area median income (AMI)—a metric that depends on how many people you live with. Currently the AMI for New York City is $124,300 for a two-person household. All 43 apartments available are one-bedroom units.
There are 36 one-bedroom apartments available for households earning from $72,652 to $111,840, depending on the number of people you live with. The rent for these apartments is $1,974.
The developers have set aside 20 percent of the rent-stabilized apartments for applicants who already live in Queens Community Board 1, according to New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Future lotteries will use a lower ratio as a result of a lawsuit settlement, which claimed the practice of community preference perpetuates segregation and violates the Fair Housing Act. Check out: "NYC agrees to cut percentage of housing lottery units set aside for nearby residents."
Another 5 percent of the apartments will be preferentially given to NYC employees. A small percentage of the apartments are also set aside for residents with mobility, vision, and hearing needs.
Applications must be submitted online or postmarked no later than Nov. 4th.
If you’re interested and think you might qualify for one of these apartments, you can create a profile and apply online via NYC Housing Connect. For details on this particular lottery, click here. Don’t apply more than once, or you could be disqualified.
Winning a rent-stabilized apartment can be life changing: Rent increases are capped and lease renewals are automatic, providing long-term stability for NYC renters. Need more information on how the housing lottery works? Check out “6 steps for applying to NYC's affordable housing lottery.”
For some advice from successful applicants read “How to land a rental apartment through NYC's affordable housing lottery.” And if you or someone you know is having trouble with the application process, consider reaching out to a housing ambassador in the community.
Note: Brick Underground is in no way affiliated with New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development or the Housing Development Corporation. If you are interested in applying to these or other affordable housing developments, please go to NYC Housing Connect for information and instructions.
Have you successfully won an apartment through the affordable housing lottery? If you have first-person advice to share about the process, we’d love to hear from you. Please send us an email. We respect all requests for anonymity.
