Housing lottery launches for 90 rent-stabilized apartments in Astoria
- Households that earn $33,395 to $181,740 can apply, and rents start at $828 for a one-bedroom unit
- The pet-friendly building at 34-35 44th St. has bike storage lockers, a dog park, parking garage, and gym
Housing lottery applications are open for 90 rent-stabilized apartments at a new development in Astoria, Queens. Households that earn $33,395 to $181,740 are eligible to apply, depending on the number of people you live with. Rents start at $828 for a one-bedroom unit.
The pet-friendly building at 34-35 44th St. has bike storage lockers, a dog park, parking garage, laundry room, gym, and party room—additional fees may apply to some of these amenities. It’s located near the Steinway Street subway stop serving the M and R lines.
Developed by Silverstein Properties, the building holds 354 units total and is dubbed the Hearthstone, according to Silverstein. It replaced a parking lot and accompanying retail building between 34th Avenue and Northern Boulevard.
The apartments are set aside for New Yorkers earning from 40 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. The units available include one- and two-bedroom apartments.
There are 24 one-bedroom apartments available for households earning from $50,538 to $83,880, depending on the number of members. The rent for these apartments is $1,328 per month.
The developers have set aside 20 percent of the rent-stabilized apartments for applicants who already live in the area. 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 Jan. 14th.
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.
