08/31/2026
Remember Innovation QNS?
In 2022, after years of debate and negotiations, Astoria got a major development deal that was supposed to set a new standard for affordable housing.
The final proposal called for 3,190 apartments 1,436 of them affordable. That was 45% affordable housing.
The original proposal had only 711 affordable units. The City Council negotiated that number to more than double, including hundreds of apartments for extremely and very low-income New Yorkers.
It was controversial. It was ambitious. And it was supposed to be a model for what Queens could demand when giving developers more density.
Then Innovation QNS fell apart. And now, look at what is actually moving forward on part of that rezoned land.
Meet Elara.
🏙️ 18 stories + 12 stories
🏠 429 apartments
🏡 107 permanently affordable apartments
🛍️ 4,000 SF of retail
That’s roughly 25% affordable housing.
So here’s the uncomfortable question:
Did Astoria lose the deal?
Because the lesson from Innovation QNS shouldn’t be:
“45% affordable housing was unrealistic, so let’s settle for 25%.”
The lesson should be:
If the city is going to allow significantly more housing and greater density, what does the community get in return?
And this is bigger than one building. Astoria is one of Queens’ most recognizable neighborhoods with a strong connection to film, television and the arts, including the Kaufman Astoria Studios area.
We talk constantly about building more housing.
And yes, we need more housing.But we also need to ask:
➡️ Who is that housing for?
➡️ How affordable is “affordable”?
➡️ What happened to the precedent of 45%?
➡️ Why should a neighborhood accept more density without demanding the strongest possible affordability commitment?
Innovation QNS promised 1,436 affordable homes.
Today, on this portion of the former development footprint, we’re looking at 107. That’s not necessarily a reason to oppose Elara. But it IS a reason to ask:
What did Queens actually gain and what did we lose when Innovation QNS failed?
Astoria deserves an honest conversation about that.
Tell us what you think?