Queens Housing
A surge in Queens population has contributed to a rush in housing. In 2004, the greatest increase in building permits in the city came from Astoria, Ridgewood and Maspeth. Even with an increase in rental vacancy rates, Queens still suffers from the city’s worst overcrowding. Jamaica, Elmhurst and Corona have the most severely crowded households in the city, measured as more than 1.5 people per room in a unit. The borough continues to burst as the poverty level increases. From 2002 to 2005, the poverty rate doubled from 5.1 percent to 10.4 percent. Available land continues to diminish and dipped under 4 percent last year after remaining steady the two previous years.
Source: NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods 2005 Report
Queens’ First House
The Riker-Lent house may be the oldest dwelling in America. |
It started with one home. Built in 1654 by Abraham Riker (of the island, too), the Riker-Lent-Smith home is the oldest dwelling in Queens—and possibly in America. Used as a tavern for British troops during the Revolutionary War, the house also became a family cemetery in 1919 that today consists of 132 Riker-Lent graves. In 2006, the home’s current owners, the Smiths, applied for National Monument status with National Parks. In July, it was featured Riker-Lent on the CBS special “Landmarks of New York.”
Source: www.rikerhome.com
On The Rise: New apartment construction, like the Windsor in Forest Hills, is on the rise in Queens, keeping up with the borough’s demanding housing market. Tribune Photo By Ira Cohen
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Famous Homes in Queens
Business titan Donald Trump lived in a posh home on Midland Parkway in Jamaica Estates while social reformer Jacob Riis wrote “How the Other Half Lives” at 84-47 120th street in Richmond Hill. Another modest yet famous home can be found at 149-04 Roosevelt Ave. Biographies of former First Lady Nancy Reagan gloss over her Flushing roots, but she lived at this address, which was then 417 Amity St.
Musical notes floated from the windows of Louis Armstrong home at 34-56 107th St. in Corona, and to the south in Forest Hills, Helen Keller lived with her teacher A.J. Macy at 93 Seminole Ave. Her home was burglarized in 1921 and $5,000 worth of goods were stolen.
Source: Greater Astoria Historical Society, www.about.com/queens
Growing Neighborhoods
Queens has the highest percentage of immigrant households in the city due to its concentrated ethnic neighborhoods. In Flushing, where the city’s highest number of Asians live, the population increased 13.5 percent from 1990 to 2000, making it the fastest growing neighborhood. The explosion contributed the highest median rent in the borough, $1,000 a month, which is equivalent to median rent in Manhattan. Flushing property values have mushroomed 161 percent between 2000 and 2006.
Source: New York State Comptroller Report, June 2006
Housing Availability
From 2002 to 2005, Queens reported the biggest decline in housing shortages in the city. Stacked up with the rest of the city, Queens is the most accommodating.
Bronx
Housing Demand: 503, 670
Housing Available: 483, 198
Brooklyn:
Housing Demand: 930, 095
Housing Available: 901, 342
Manhattan:
Housing Demand: 783,312
Housing Available: 765, 673
Queens:
Housing Demand: 832,723
Housing Available: 806, 608
Staten Island:
Housing Demand: 173, 357
Housing Available: 167, 322
Source: Recent Trends in Affordability and Availability of Housing, NYU
Building Up: The most recent trend in Queens – and also one of its oldest – is to take existing homes and to build bigger around or on top of them, often dwarfing the neighbors in comparison.
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Public Housing
Public Housing in Queens has increased from 3.8 percent in 2002 to 4.0 percent in 2005, according to the NYU’s State of New NYC’s Housing and Neighborhood Report.
Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City is the largest public housing development in Queens, New York City and the United States. The 3,142 apartments were designed in 1939 using a “Y” shape to maximize sun exposure and keep down energy costs. A long line of rappers emerged from Queensbridge, including Nas and Marlon Williams. Basketball star Ron Artest also got his start at Queensbridge.
Source: New York City Housing Authority, www.wikipedia.com
Rented Homes
With 447,770 renter-occupied units in Queens some of the lowest rents are in Jamaica/Hollis where renters pay $884 a month and Rockaway/ Broad Channel at $800 a month. On the other end, apartment hunters in Bayside/ Little Neck can expect to pay $1,200 or $1,000 in Flushing, the highest rents in Queens.
Source: NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods, www.epodunk.com
Owned Homes
An average of 3.1 people live in housing units that are owner-occupied with the highest home ownership rates in Bayside/Little Neck at 74.4 percent and Queens Village at 71.9 percent. Astoria and Woodside/Sunnyside rank the lowest with 18.1 percent and 24.3 percent.
With 334,894 owner-occupied housing units in Queens, Bayside/Little Neck and Rego Park/Forest Hills have the highest home purchase loan approval rate in Queens.
Source: NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods, www.epodunk.com
Home ownership rates:
NEIGHBORHOOD Percent
1. Bayside/Little Neck: 74.4
2. Queens Village: 71.9
3. South Ozone Park/ Howard Beach: 64.8
4. Jamaica/Hollis: 59.0
5. Hillcrest/Fresh Meadows: 52.5
6. Flushing/Whitestone: 51.1
7. Forest Hills/Rego Park: 45.5
8. Ridgewood/Maspeth: 44.2
9. Ozone Park/ Woodhaven: 42.2
10. Jackson Heights: 35.7
11. Woodside/Sunnyside: 24.3
12. Astoria 18.1
Source: NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods 2005 Report
