QUEENS — The site of the former Joe Abbracciamento Restaurant was sold last week for nearly $11 million — the second time the property has changed hands in the year since the renowned Italian eatery closed.
It’s unclear whether the new owner will continue the plans, initiated by the previous developer, to replace the old property with a new apartment building.
The new owner — Flushing-based 62-98 Realty LLC — purchased the site, at 62-98 Woodhaven Blvd., last week for $10,850,000, according to public records.
The sale was first reported by The Queens Courier.
The previous owner, Long Island City-based Criterion Group, purchased the site for $9 million last April from longtime owner Joe Abbracciamento, whose family ran the restaurant at the location for more than six decades.
Several businesses situated within the block-long property on Woodhaven Boulevard had to look for a new location after Criterion filed plans with the Department of Buildings last year to demolish the current structure and replace it with a new seven-story building, featuring 119 apartments and 18 parking spaces.
But as of Wednesday, according to data provided by the DOB, all work permits issued for the property have already expired. The plans to construct a new building were initially denied in May and the application is still pending, according to the DOB.
A representative for Criterion Group confirmed the sale Wednesday. But he offered no explanation as to why the site had been sold and said that he was not aware what the new owner's plans for the property were.
The new owner did not respond to requests seeking comment.
Joe Abbracciamento Restaurant closed at the site in March last year after 65 years in business. One month later, the family sold the entire building, which stretches between 63rd Avenue and 62nd Drive.
In the 1960s and the 1970s, the restaurant served numerous politicians, including John F. Kennedy and his brother Ted as well as Rep. Geraldine Ferraro.
