2 Non-Profits Key to One Flushing Success

Yesterday, the city decided to move forward with a proposal that fully reflects its priority on comprehensive neighborhood development. A municipal parking lot in Queens is now slated to become a truly groundbreaking development – 208 units of green affordable housing with room and support for local businesses and innovative community uses. And what’s making this possible are the two not-for-profits, each with deep roots in Queens, who are involved in the development.

Yesterday, the city decided to move forward with a proposal that fully reflects its priority on comprehensive neighborhood development. A municipal parking lot in Queens is now slated to become a truly groundbreaking development – 208 units of green affordable housing with room and support for local businesses and innovative community uses. And what’s making this possible are the two not-for-profits, each with deep roots in Queens, who are involved in the development.

These non-profits, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) and the Hellenic American Neighborhood Action Committee (HANAC), are both thinking about a lot more than just building housing with this development. For instance, HANAC will open an office for weatherization services in the new building, allowing them to help more low-income households in Queens save money on energy costs. And AAFE will use $2 million from its community development fund to provide loans to local small businesses involved in the project, allowing neighborhood entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow and build a vibrant commercial corridor. Add to that a rooftop garden & community terrace, as well as solar panels & other cutting-edge green components, and you don’t just get a new building, you get an amazing new community asset.

And when it comes to the housing component, One Flushing is a model of the kind of vibrant, integrated communities we want to build – in addition to being a mixed-income building, it’s a mixed-generation building as well – one of the first ones done in New York City. Senior Housing, Affordable Family Housing, and a Day Care facilities will all be located in the same development, allowing for people of all ages to interact and be a valued part of a larger community.

This is something that only CDCs can bring to the table – a commitment to building communities, not just housing. Thinking about development as a way to improve the lives of people in our neighborhoods, not just in terms of dollars and cents.

And unlike regular affordable housing development, since the long-term stewards of the property are mission-driven community organizations, we can count on this development staying a community asset, and remaining affordable for the next generations, not just this one.

The city has increasingly few sites left it can use for large-scale development. It’s important that they chose the right stewards for them – CDCs that are committed to building communities, and mission-driven to keep the property affordable for the long-term. AAFE and HANAC are just two of many in New York City – with so many great non-profits committed to comprehensive neighborhood development and providing permanently affordable housing, it’s important we continue to get these decisions right.