You are reading

Variety Boys & Girls Club’s Elaborate Astoria Development to be Carbon Neutral

Rendering of the clubhouse and apartment complex that is being developed by the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens. The development will go up at 21-20 30th Rd. and is expected to be completed by 2026 (Rendering courtesy of VBGCQ)

Sept. 21, 2022 By Christian Murray

Officials with the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens (VBGCQ) were joined by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Tuesday to announce that the development of their 5-story clubhouse—and 14-story apartment complex—will be carbon neutral.

Construction of the development, which involves a 123,000 square foot clubhouse and a residential apartment building containing 229 affordable units, is scheduled to begin in 2023, with the design phase nearing completion.

The project, which will go up at the VBGCQ existing 21-20 30th Rd. site in Astoria, will be carbon neutral-ready and is scheduled to be completed by 2026. The officials were also joined yesterday by representatives of Mega Development and Ettinger Engineering Associates.

“This Climate Week, the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens is proud to unveil our plans to build our new building carbon neutral and have it function as a renewable energy learning lab,” said Costa Constantinides, who is the CEO of VBGCQ and was the former councilmember for the Astoria district.

“For too long our community has bore the brunt of fossil fuel technology polluting our backyard. Now our kids will see the energy revolution on a firsthand basis learning how we go green right here in Western Queens. We are excited to help the scientists of the 21st century on their first steps toward leading the way.”

Officials with the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens were joined by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards to announce that their upcoming development will be designed to be carbon neutral. The photo is of Costa Constantinides, CEO of VBGCQ, discussing the project Tuesday (Photo courtesy of VBGCQ)

The development will be elaborate. The new clubhouse will include Queens’ first planetarium, a 1,000-seat basketball arena, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a 200-seat black box theater. It will also have several art, music and dance studios; science labs; and dozens of fully equipped education rooms and tech spaces for STEM and robotics.

The organization is developing the 14-story apartment building alongside the clubhouse, which it will use to help fund its programming.

“I commend The Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens for showcasing just how committed Queens is to leading by example in the fight for environmental justice by ensuring their redevelopment project is carbon neutral,” Richards said. “By operating as a renewable energy learning lab, they are also giving our future generations the education they need to beat climate change. “

The apartments will be designed utilizing Passive House principles that vastly improve building envelope performance and drastically reduce heating and cooling energy use.

The project will include a 125+ KW rooftop solar photovoltaic system that will offset over 10 percent of the annual residential electrical demand. The central courtyard will comprise a vegetable garden for use by both the club and residential tenants—and will include bioretention planter boxes that will retain stormwater on-site.

“To protect our community and our country from the climate crisis, Queens needs to lead,” said state senator Michael Gianaris in a statement. “I’m proud to represent the Variety Boys & Girls Club, soon to be home to a new carbon-neutral facility, and commend their continued efforts to make our community stronger and healthier.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

AG releases bodycam footage of police-involved shooting of Great Neck senior outside Bayside precinct

New York Attorney General Letitia James released NYPD body-worn camera videos and security camera footage on Tuesday that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the police-involved shooting death of Emil Williams, a physician’s assistant from Great Neck, LI, who was fatally shot on Feb. 18, following an encounter with NYPD officers in front of the 111th Precinct in Bayside.

At around 6:40 p.m. on Feb. 18, the 79-year-old Williams walked into the parking area next to the 111th Precinct at 45-06 215th St. while holding a firearm.

Jamaica teen busted in Bronx after taking part in Ozone Park street takeover early Sunday: NYPD

A Jamaica teenager is accused of taking part in a chaotic street takeover in Ozone Park on Saturday night, where several NYPD vehicles were vandalized by a mob of hundreds. Police say he later fled to the Bronx, where he was tased and arrested following a foot chase through the Van Nest neighborhood early Sunday morning.

Tristan Nandram, 18, of Liverpool Street in Jamaica, was booked at the 43rd Precinct in Soundview, where he was charged with criminal mischief and other related crimes after police responded to a 911 call of possible shots fired in the vicinity of Zerega Avenue and Gleason Avenue.