Schuman Properties proposes 243 units in Astoria

Schuman Properties filed a zoning application to develop 243 residential units with a medical office facility on a site currently defined by low-rise retail on four tax lots composed of 34-27 38th Street, 34-13 38th Street, 34-11 38th Street and 32-05 Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens.
ULURP application 2025Q0124

The plan, detailed in recent city planning documents submitted yesterday, envisions a three-building complex totaling approximately 311,484 gross square feet. The project would rise across a footprint encompassing Lots 13, 18, 19, and 25, bounded by Steinway Street, 34th Avenue and 38th Street.

The proposal serves as another test for New York’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) program in an increasingly gentrified pocket of Queens. By seeking a 5.63 Floor Area Ratio (FAR)—a significant jump from typical mid-rise zoning — the developer is betting that the city’s appetite for housing will outweigh typical local concerns over height. The project’s 243 dwelling units include a critical carve-out of 49 to 73 affordable apartments (20% to 30% of the total), potentially providing in-demand housing for middle-income residents in a neighborhood and city where rents have surged. Beyond residential gains, the project’s inclusion of a 31,722-square-foot medical facility and the retention of an anchor supermarket follows a pattern of “complete neighborhood” development, where essential services are baked into the residential footprint to insulate the project against the volatility of the pure luxury market.

The proposed development features two adjacent structures, Building A and Building B, which would be constructed simultaneously in a single phase over an approximately 23-month period, the application says. Building A is a 12-story mixed-use tower situated on the eastern portion of Lots 13 and 25, fronting the high-traffic Steinway Street. Building B is a nine-story residential building along 38th Street, occupying Lots 18, 19, and the western edge of Lot 25. Building C, the existing one-story soccer center on the western portion of Lot 13, will remain in its current structure and use.

Work on the development site is slated to begin with demolition, excavation, and foundation activities. These initial stages will occur concurrently for both buildings, lasting approximately five months for Building A and four months for Building B. Once the foundations are secured, crews will transition to the superstructure and exterior envelope work, a phase expected to take nine months for Building A and six months for Building B, the application says.

The final stage of the project involves interior construction, including core and shell fit-out. This work will span roughly nine months for Building A and eight months for Building B.

Ultimately, the construction of the 185,519-square-foot Building A will take approximately 23 months to complete. The smaller 112,104-square-foot Building B is expected to reach completion in 18 months.

The proposed development will feature 31,722 square feet of medical office space designated as a community facility, the largest single component of the project. The site plan allocates an additional 27,841 square feet for new small-to-mid-scale retail that remains currently available for lease. Operations will be anchored by 24,500 square feet of existing space, split between a retained soccer center and a reoccupied supermarket tenant.

Direct link to the property’s 34-27 38 Street ACRIS page.
Direct link to the property’s 34-13 38 Street ACRIS page.
Direct link to the property’s 34-11 38 Street ACRIS page.
Direct link to the property’s 32-05 Steinway Street ACRIS page.