A hotel row in Queens is getting a new look. New affordable housing is part of the mix.

On a recent afternoon, sneakered tourists streamed out of the various hotels located along a quiet stretch of Jamaica, Queens. The Radisson, a Hampton Inn, a Residence Inn by Marriott, and erstwhile JFK Hilton, just a stone's throw from JFK Airport, represent the future of affordable housing in the city, as well as what is perhaps a missed opportunity.
Months of interior demolition work is concluding at the 350-room Hilton property on 135th Avenue, just east of the Van Wyck Expressway. A massive renovation will soon follow. The structure is set to reopen in October 2025 — not as a hotel, but as a 318-unit housing complex for low-income and formerly homeless New Yorkers.