AFFORDABLE, FAMILY-FRIENDLY QUEENS AREA SEES ITS OWN CONDO BOOM
WITH numerous new developments and loft conversions - not to mention a slow but steady influx of new restaurants, bars and residents - Long Island City has generated the lion's share of buzz about Queens. But just north of that emerging district lies Astoria, an area that's long attracted a diverse mix of immigrants (Greeks, Italians, Arabs) and, in recent years, a steady stream of Manhattan rent refugees - young professionals drawn in by affordable prices, great restaurants and a quick commute to Midtown.
And now, a new trend is emerging in Astoria: shiny, new condo developments.
New construction is transforming this renter-friendly neighborhood into the city's latest, greatest 'hood for luxury residential buildings. Currently on the market are the Astoria Windsor at 30-80 21st St., with one-bedrooms with home offices starting at $530,000; the Ionian Condo, at 32-70 41st St., with three 923-square-foot one-bedrooms with balconies remaining for $516,544 and up; and Hoyt Terrace, at 25-47 23rd St., an eight-unit building with apartments starting at $259,000 for a 751-square-foot studio.
And many more are on the way. Developers are eyeing the formerly industrial buildings across from Socrates Sculpture Park and the area along the East River waterfront. TTW Realty is converting the former Sohmer & Co. Piano Factory - and, more recently, the home of the Adirondack Furniture Co. - to residences, while other projects (including a building designed by Karl Fischer) are in the works.
It all smacks of great things for the future. But with its busy commercial thoroughfares (Broadway, 30th Avenue, Steinway Street) packed with ethnic restaurants, supermarkets, fishmongers, green grocers and major retailers like the Gap and Victoria's Secret, Astoria already functions as a convenient, family-friendly neighborhood.
Unlike Long Island City's Hunters Point - where a hipster community is growing along Vernon Boulevard - Astoria is a sprawling, established area with a distinct personality of its own.
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