ASTORIA — The City Council voted Wednesday in favor of zoning changes that will make way for a massive $1 billion housing development on the Astoria waterfront and plans to study the possibility of ferry service there..
The council approved the proposal by Lincoln Equities Group, which is planning to construct more than 2,000 apartments, including 483 affordable units, on seven acres of Astoria's Hallets Point peninsula, home to the NYCHA Astoria Houses.
The project also includes more than 68,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, including a 30,000 square-foot supermarket, a landscaped, publicly-accessible esplanade along the East River, space set aside for a potential public school.
City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., who represents Astoria, said the city has also agreed to commit $500,000 to conduct a study on the feasibility of bringing a ferry service to the peninsula.
He said the service is needed to accommodate the thousands of new residents the development is expected to bring.
"I think we could use ferry service right now," he said.
