Updated 28th August 2025 – The Willets Point Transformation project has crossed the halfway mark. As far back as May New York City Mayor Eric Adams, along with Deputy Mayor Adolfo Carrión, Jr., HDC President Eric Enderlin, and NYCEDC President Andrew Kimball, announced a key milestone in the Willets Point Transformation project, the city’s largest fully affordable housing development in four decades. In partnership with Queens Development Group—a joint venture between Related Companies and Sterling Equities—the construction frames for Buildings 1 and 2 of Phase One are now complete, marking the halfway point of this phase. Once finished, Phase One will deliver 880 affordable homes for working-class New Yorkers. The broader Willets Point Transformation, unveiled in November 2022, will ultimately create over 2,500 affordable units, a new public school, 150,000 square feet of public open space, and more than 20,000 square feet of retail. It will also feature infrastructure upgrades, a 250-key hotel, and a state-of-the-art soccer stadium serving as the permanent home for New York City Football Club.

Factsheet: Willets Point Transformation – New York City

Project Overview

Location: Willets Point, Queens, New York City
Announced: November 2022 by Mayor Eric Adams
Partners:
- City of New York (Mayor’s Office, NYCEDC, HDC, HPD)
- Queens Development Group (Related Companies + Sterling Equities)
- New York City Football Club (NYCFC)

Housing Development

Largest 100% affordable housing project in NYC in 40 years
Phase 1:
- Buildings 1 & 2 (880 units) – Frames completed August 2025
- Building 3 – 220 senior housing units (upcoming)
Phase 2:
- 1,400 additional affordable units
- Completion goal: 2,500 affordable homes in total

Community Benefits

150,000 sq. ft. of new public open space
New public school
Over 20,000 sq. ft. of retail space
Infrastructure upgrades (roads, drainage, flood resiliency, utilities)
Environmental remediation: 200,000 tons of contaminated soil removed

Economic Impact

Projected $6.1 billion impact over 30 years
Jobs Created:
- 14,200 construction jobs
- 1,550 permanent jobs
Local hiring supported through HireNYC

Sports & Entertainment

25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium
- Permanent home of NYCFC
- First privately-financed major league stadium in NYC in generations
- Fully electric, first of its kind in MLS and NYC professional sports
- Opening: 2027 MLS season
Nearby: Citi Field & Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

Sustainability & Resiliency

Raised streets and buildings above 100-year floodplain
Target: LEED Gold or Enterprise Green Communities standards
All-electric stadium

Reported in December 21 2023 – Mayor Eric Adams along, with community leaders came together in Queens to celebrate the commencement of construction for a scale affordable housing development at Willets Point. This significant milestone signifies the step, in the citys plan to revitalize and transform the vicinity surrounding Citi Field.

The Willets Point transformation involves collaboration between the city government and co developers, Related Companies and Sterling Equities. The goal of this project is to provide over 2,500 homes, create 35,000 square feet of new public open space and make significant improvements to the infrastructure. Over the three decades it is estimated that this initiative will generate an impact of $6.1 billion while also creating 1,550 permanent jobs and 14,200 construction jobs.

First Phase of the affordable housing development at Willets Point

According to Adams, the project, at 38 21 Seaver Way will include 880 apartments. This development is part of a plan to bring market rate apartments to Willets Point in the near future. It’s noteworthy that this initiative represents the city’s expansion of affordable housing, in forty years.

“We’re embarking on a project of a lifetime constructing the affordable housing development our city has seen in four decades” the mayor expressed. “What we’re witnessing in Willets Point represents the future of New York City—a future where every New Yorker can comfortably reside in an apartment, near schools well-paying jobs, green spaces and convenient public transportation.”

The first part of the plan to redevelop Willets Point, dubbed “Phase One”, is set to wrap up in 2026. This initial stage will see two apartment buildings go up, which will serve as the cornerstone for the broader ambitions to transform the neighborhood. The larger vision calls for tons of new housing, a professional soccer stadium, a brand new public school, 22,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, and 30,000 square feet of community green spaces and plazas for people to gather.

Out of the new affordable houses being built at Willets Point Phase One, about 15% of them will be reserved for New Yorkers who were previously homeless and getting back on their feet. Another 40% of the units will be priced way below market rate, to make sure lower income families can afford them too. They’re setting aside these “deeply affordable” homes so folks earning less than 60% of the typical household income in the area will have quality housing options as well.