QUEENS — A new luxury rental building featuring a gym, indoor pool and children’s playground, is set to rise on Queens Boulevard in Rego Park, joining a number of upscale dwellings which have recently been popping up in the area.
The 9-story building will replace the current 1-story complex, which houses several storefronts, including Japanese restaurant Sato, Vera Pharmacy and a deli, as well as Masbia soup kitchen.
“It will be a high-end building which will improve the area,” said George Baharestani, the owner and developer of the property.
The new development, located between 65th Road and 66th Avenue, two blocks east from the 63rd Drive subway stop on the M and R lines, and near local malls, will feature about 60 units, including studios, 1-, 2-and 3-bedroom apartments, according to Baharestani.
The units will come with modern bathrooms, granite countertops and stainless steel kitchen appliances, he said.
The building will also feature 60 parking spaces, a storage room for bikes and a community facility, Baharestani said.
The apartments will take up the top seven stories, retail will occupy the ground level and the community space will fill the remaining floors, he said.
Baharestani said it’s too early to talk about prices, which will depend on the market at the time the building is complete, which he expects to happen in about 18 months, he said.
The wrecking ball will be on its way sometime this spring, after all the storefronts are vacated, he said. Baharestani also noted that the businesses will have the option to come back once the new building is finished.
Owners of the storefronts said they are currently looking for new locations. A representative for Sato said the eatery will be closing soon but they haven’t found a new location yet.
Indian restaurant Sajni has already closed.
Masbia, which, after local councilwoman Karen Koslowitz reached out to the developer, has until April 1 to relocate, may move to a new space on Eliot Avenue, but in the meantime it's still looking for a more convenient location in the neighborhood, according to Michael Cohen, a spokesman for Koslowitz.
“We were told in the beginning that this [location] is only temporary,” Alexander Rapaport, executive director of Masbia, said last month.
The new building will be one of several new developments in the neighborhood that seek to offer Manhattan-style amenities. The Alexander, a 27-story building atop the Rego Center Mall, began renting out its apartments last July.
