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Astoria Cove developers: We’ll hire union workers
Alma Reality overcomes big sticking point in winning approval for project
The developers behind the planned 2.2 million-square-foot Astoria Cove complex in Queens struck a tentative agreement with the city council to use union labor on the massive project.
The developers — a group lead by Alma Realty — indicated it planned to hire workers from the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York to construct the complex on the Queens waterfront, according to Capital New York. It’s still unclear if the developer will hire union workers for the maintenance jobs once the project is completed.
Developer John Mavroudis, who cannot move forward with the project without the city council’s approval, said during a city council hearing that he submitted a letter of intent to use union labor, according to the website.
The city council’s land use committee will vote on the project on Wednesday. The full council will cast its vote at the end of the month.
While the project was approved by the city’s planning commission, some elected officials — such as local councilman Costa Constantinides and speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito — have said they want to see more affordable housing units incorporated in the plan before they will approve it. Astoria Cove would be the first project built under the mayor’s mandatory inclusionary zoning program. [Capital NY] — Claire Moses