The former Hilton hotel near JFK airport will soon become an affordable housing building.
Originally built in 1987, the 350-room JFK Hilton hotel is located half a mile from John F. Kennedy International Airport. It opened in 1988 but closed last month.
“Getting our city out of this serious housing shortage will take every tool at our disposal, and our administration helped win an important fight to add these hotel conversions,” Mayor Eric Adams said of the project.
“Moving forward with this plan to convert an empty hotel into over 300 new, affordable homes is a sign that we can think outside the box and take advantage of the opportunities before us. “I want to thank our partners in Albany for making it possible to turn empty hotels into affordable housing and our development partners who will deliver on the promise of this idea for hundreds of New Yorkers,” the mayor added.
Construction plans will convert the hotel into 318 apartments for low-income New Yorkers and formerly homeless people. It will be renamed “Baisley Pond Park Residences.”
All units will have full kitchens and bathrooms accessible to people with disabilities.
There will also be community rooms, a fitness area and laundry facilities.
This is the state’s first bill of the so-called Housing for Our Neighbors with Dignity Act, which became law in 2021.
“This important investment will help bring our state one step closer to building the affordable, supportive and sustainable housing that New Yorkers deserve,” said Governor Kathy Hochul.
“My administration continues to support transformative projects that unlock our state’s housing potential, including the first hotel conversion project through the Housing with Dignity for Our Neighbors Act, and we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to build the homes we need. making New York more vibrant and more affordable,” Hochul added.
Following its conversion to Baisley Pond Park Residences, all apartments will have full kitchens and ADA-compliant bathrooms. Building amenities will include several community rooms, a computer lab, a fitness center and on-site laundry facilities. Landscape architecture firm OSD has designed a stunning indoor and outdoor garden space for residents. Rents will range from $784 for a studio to $1,493 for a 2-bedroom.
Construction will begin in January and is expected to be completed in a little less than two years.
