Edgestone scaling back size of 18-acre Queens project

Plans are being revised after community reacted against proposal for 107 two-family homes

Edgestone's original plan for 151-45 Sixth Road in Whitestone, Queens (credit: JLS Designs)
Edgestone's original plan for 151-45 Sixth Road in Whitestone, Queens (credit: JLS Designs)

Edgestone Group is responding to complaints by Whitestone, Queens community members over its plans for townhouse development by going back to the drawing board to come up with a lower-density proposal.

The developer originally proposed 107 two-family houses for the 18-acre waterfront site at 151-45 6th Road. Six of the acres are underwater. But after a “barrage of complaints,” it is rethinking its strategy to include an undetermined number of single-family homes, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Whitestone, a middle and upper-class community that is comprised of mostly single-family homes, has proven to be extremely anti-density. State Senator Tony Avella issued a statement saying “This developer is declaring war on the community,” in response to the townhouse proposal.

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Edgestone purchased the site for $11.3 million in 2012 after its previous owner, Bayrock Group, filed for bankruptcy protection. Bayrock had planned to build 52 single-family homes.

A representative for Edgestone said that they preferred the townhouse concept because it would preserve affordability.
“If we built single-family homes, they would have to be priced at $2 million,” said Edgestone’s Anthony Hu, who presented at a community board meeting last month. “We didn’t think the average Whitestone resident could afford that.” [WSJ] — Tess Hofmann