New York Planners Propose Bayside Rezoning for Apartment Buildings, ADUs

City officials filed a rezoning application on July 8 that targets 180 blocks in Bayside, Queens, to allow buildings up to eight stories along Northern Boulevard and permit accessory dwelling units on lots currently restricted to single-family homes.

The filing arrives as median home prices across New York City sit at $800,000 while Manhattan co-op and condo sales exceed $1.3 million, pushing more buyers toward outer-borough neighborhoods where Brooklyn and Queens have recorded the strongest price growth since 2023.

Targeted Corridors and Local Programs

The proposal covers parcels near the Bayside Long Island Rail Road station and stretches west along 35th Avenue toward the Cross Island Parkway. Staff from the Department of City Planning have coordinated with Queens Community Board 11 and the NYC Housing Preservation Department to tie new density bonuses to the Affordable Neighborhoods for New Yorkers program, which requires 20 percent of units in rezoned projects to remain below market rate for 35 years.

Planners also referenced the city’s expanding accessory dwelling unit rules that took effect in 2025, allowing homeowners in Bayside to add basement or garage apartments without triggering full site-plan review if the units stay under 1,200 square feet.

Market Data and Hearing Schedule

Current listings in Bayside show two-bedroom homes priced between $925,000 and $1.1 million, with rental vacancy rates below 3 percent according to June data from the city’s Housing and Vacancy Survey. The rezoning would add an estimated 4,200 new housing units over the next decade if approved.

Public hearings before the City Planning Commission are set for August 19 at the Queens Borough Hall, followed by a full Council vote expected in October. Property owners within the rezoning boundary can review the draft maps on the Department of City Planning website and submit comments through their community board by July 31.