The site is cleared, and one of the bigger residential projects in Astoria is getting close to its start. Demolition is complete at 35-10 Steinway Street, where a 27-story mixed-use residential tower is planned, New York YIMBY reported Thursday.
The former surface parking lot has been cleared, with a lone heap of asphalt rubble left behind. Construction machinery had not arrived yet, but the outlet said it's possible excavation could begin before the end of the year.
What's going up
The building is designed by Beyer Blinder Belle and developed in a joint venture between LMXD and BedRock Real Estate Partners. The nearly 500,000-square-foot structure will hold 560 rental apartments, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms, according to New York YIMBY.
The project is all-electric and will include ground-floor retail space for P.C. Richard & Son. The site is bounded by 35th Avenue, 38th Street and Steinway Street. The nearest subway is the M and R trains at the Steinway Street station.
Twenty-five percent of the homes, or about 140 apartments, will be set aside as affordable under the city's Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program, averaging 60 percent of area median income. Amenities have not been announced.
The design
According to New York YIMBY, the rendering shows a large rectangular building with setbacks at the sixth and 25th floors. It is shown wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows framed by beveled metal paneling, with a grid of horizontal bands every two to three stories and vertical columns spaced more tightly toward the center. Terraces sit on top of the setbacks and the flat roof, and a bulkhead with a pleated metal skin will cap the building.
In a mostly low-rise part of Queens, the outlet noted, the tower will stand out and give upper-floor residents wide skyline views.
The money
LMXD bought the property for $53 million. Earlier this year, LMXD and BedRock paid $15.8 million for adjacent sites at 35-17 42nd Street and 42-08 35th Avenue, New York YIMBY reported. The developers also lined up a $250 million construction loan from New York Life Investment Management in a deal arranged by JLL.
The site was once slated to be part of Innovation QNS, a $2 billion mixed-use complex that was scrapped in September 2025, according to the outlet.
From megaproject to one tower
The Steinway Street site sits within an area the city rezoned in 2022 as part of Innovation QNS, QNS reported in August. That plan, from Silverstein Properties, BedRock Real Estate Partners and Kaufman Astoria Studios, would have remade five blocks of 35th Avenue with about 3,200 apartments, retail space, community facilities and more than two acres of public green space.
After the larger plan was scrapped, council officials said BedRock remained invested alongside LMXD, according to QNS. Council Member Julie Won said developers moving forward with smaller pieces of the original plan are still expected to meet the community benefit commitments made in the rezoning, including affordable housing. A project spokesperson told QNS the building will be known as Steinway Crossing.
What comes next
An info board at the site lists January 2029 as the anticipated completion date. With demolition finished and financing in place, the next visible step is excavation and foundation work, which New York YIMBY said could start before year's end.
The report did not name a general contractor or construction manager for the job.
Why it matters for contractors
A 27-story, nearly 500,000-square-foot residential tower with a $250 million construction loan is a major job for the Queens market. Over a roughly two-year build, it will need excavation and foundation crews, concrete or steel superstructure, curtain wall and metal panel installers, and the full lineup of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, elevator and interior trades.
The all-electric design is worth noting. An all-electric building typically leans on electric heating and cooling, electric water heating and larger electrical services, which shifts more of the scope toward electrical and HVAC contractors who know those systems. Subs with experience on all-electric high-rise systems should be well positioned.
The affordable housing component under Mandatory Inclusionary Housing may bring its own requirements, so subcontractors should ask early what labor, reporting and documentation rules apply.
With financing secured and the lot cleared, now is the time for trade contractors to find out who is running construction and get on the bid list before excavation starts.