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

WNYC News | Apr 24, 2024
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.

WNYC is funded by sponsors and member donations

Top Stories From Gothamist

How to Avoid Sneaky Phishing Scams

WNYC has been targeted by scammers who posed as hosts and offered authors interviews -- for a fee (which WNYC would never do). Here's how to spot the scams and deal if you fall for it.
The Brian Lehrer Show |

Justice for Epstein Victims Through NYS

State Senator Zellnor Myrie about his bill that would allow survivors of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein to seek damages from the Epstein estate.
The Brian Lehrer Show |

New Doc Celebrates NYC's Weird and Wild Public Access TV Experiment

In the 1970s and '80s, NYC's gave independent creators a platform on broadcast television, in the form of Manhattan Cable TV, a network that aired un-censored programs without editori...
All Of It with Alison Stewart |
YOU ARE ONLINE