A $2 Billion Culture Hub, Including Shops, Restaurants, a Cinema, Apartments, and More Could Be Coming to Astoria in 2025

A new arts and culture hub may be coming to Astoria, including shops, restaurants, a cinema, and new apartments, TimeOut reports.

Real estate developer Larry Silverstein, BedRock Real Estate Partners, ODA Architecture and Kaufman Astoria Studios are working together to redevelop five blocks from 37th to 43rd streets, between 35th and 36th avenues.

The new area is currently being called "Innovation QNS".

According to ODA Architecture's website, "Innovation QNS will expand the adjacent Kaufman Arts District and build on Astoria's rich cultural fabric including its existing cultural assets like the Museum of Moving Image and Frank Sinatra School of the Arts."

"The plan includes 2,700 units of mixed income housing - some 700 of which will be permanently affordable - as well as 200,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving retail and 250,000 square feet of space for the city's creative industries and other small businesses. The plan also includes nearly two acres of thoughtfully programmed open space, community health and wellness facilities, dedicated senior housing, an arts and culture hub, a state-of-the-art multiplex cinema, a new full-service grocery store and enhanced streetscapes."

About 5,400 on-site jobs would be created, including roughly 3,700 during construction and more than 1,700 permanent jobs.

Construction on the $2 billion endeavor could begin in 2023, if the plan gets approved. If all goes as planned, it could be up and running by 2025.

Read more on TimeOut.