Q41 Affordable Housing Lottery (sublet, month to, salary)

[I_Need_A_Dishwasher]

Hello all. I received a postcard late April, went in for the open house on May 10, and have been obsessing ever since. I'm hoping for a 2 BR/2 bath and I'm willing to pay the 2186 a month so I'm hoping that's an advantage (our rent in an old building for a 1 bedroom, advertised as a 2 bedroom, is going up to 2000 a month in September so I'm fine paying the difference if it means conveniences like laundry in my apartment and a dishwasher and 2 bedrooms). I'd love to use this to share my experiences with the process so far and hear from others in the same stages of application.

I checked my credit today and it looks like I should be ok, although I didn't see a credit inquiry from these folks as of yet (it's only been 2 business days, but again, obsessing). It sounds like if we get accepted we shouldn't expect to move in until probably September.

When we visited Saturday, they told us that the gym is $300 per yer per person. No pets (but they seemed flexible about cats and other non-biting animals). Parking will probably be way too expensive, as it's being managed by a third party, so I guess it's street parking for me.

Anyone else have any info they can share?

[MissModular]

FYI, they might be opening another Food Cellar gourmet grocery store (sort of like Whole Foods) nearby Q41 / Queensboro Plaza in another condo's ground floor.

Food Cellar Looking to Open Second Location in Court Square - Long Island City - DNAinfo.com New York

Checking in on progress at the Food Cellar | Construction | All Things Court Square, Long Island City

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...er#article_tab

[q41apartments]

I need A Dishwasher:

I wish you luck. I also saw the units last week as well. I don't recall them saying cats are OK because the 2nd application stated no pets and to check the box. Also, what makes you think the move in date would be in September and not sooner?

My experience was the same, but $2,186.00 for a 2 bedroom is NOT cute unless your married, but for one person to pay that monthly is truly painful.

[I_Need_A_Dishwasher]

Also, what makes you think the move in date would be in September and not sooner?

It seems like most people from November who received postcards moved in 3-5 months after the process started. Hopefully the management will move a little faster for this round since they need to fill the building.

I pushed them on the no pets policy and asked are cats ok? Are fish ok? The woman who was giving us the run-through of the process said fish are fine and another woman walked up to us and said cats are ok. As long as the animal doesn't bite or growl you're fine (they haven't met my male cat so I don't know if he'll be allowed in the building if those are the guidelines...). I won't advertise the fact I have cats if I get selected, but it seems like from what the lady told me that the no pets policy applies only to dogs.

Luckily, my husband and I will live in this apartment so we can make the rent work. It seems like couples and families will have the advantage here if they're only giving out the higher-rent apartments.

I talked to my in-laws last night, who grew up in the city. My father in law worked for the MTA for several years and told me that this particular area was very unsafe when he patrolled and he would not be comfortable with us living in this neighborhood. I think it will be wise for folks with kids or people who are concerned about personal safety (especially if you come home late from work or social events) to visit the neighborhood at different times of day to get a sense of the neighborhood. I read some comments from earlier posts about neighborhood safety, so maybe it's changed over the years and isn't as unsafe as when Pops would patrol. Anyone know the area well and want to comment?

[I_Need_A_Dishwasher]

I saw the A unit on the 13th floor. I've included pictures of the kitchen (2), living room, bathroom, and a bedroom. The bedrooms were tiny, but the A unit is smaller than other 2 bedrooms. Everything else was really nice. I'm not an expert on finishings and stuff; I've only lived in very old buildings in NYC so this place was ultra luxurious compared to my old apartments.

[q41apartments]

Good luck and you should mention the pets if you get another call back because God forbid you get the apartment and people see you throwing out kitty litter boxes and decide to report you and get you evicted for violating the pet policy. People are shady like that.

That's great your married, so it's less of a burden. It's hard for a single person to pay 2,186.00.

i actually live in LIC. Ok, borderline LIC. I am a block away but all my mail says LIC because of my zip code. However, my area of LIC is already built up with bars, cafes, and restaurats. Anyways, that area where Q41 is, to me, getting better each day, and what it is now compared to 15 years ago is much better. It is like night and day. A complete 360 turn around. It's getting more populated and the MET Life and Jet Blu offices are right around the corner. Citi bank headquarters are also a few blocks away. It is safe for the most part.

I just wish there were more stores. In a few years, LIC will be the IT, overpriced place to live. I also feel sad because all those expensive condos are going up in that area. I am sure you saw a sea of condos when you got off the train. That means the area is attracting a certain type of clientele with a specific type of income. This also means, if you haven't picked up on the subtext, is to run low income individuals out of the area and possibly even forcing them out of NYC all together by making rents unreasonable. A 1 bedroom not through a lottery in those new high rises in LIC is around $2,400.00 and I don't believe it is rent stabilized so the rent can increase a huge amount based on how popular the neighborhood is alone. Developers are basically saying: Let's get the low class people out and get the ones with $ in. It'll clean things up, make the area safer and more attractive. It's unfortunate, but in reality they want young, working class professionals in the 'New LIC'.

[I_Need_A_Dishwasher]

Originally Posted by q41apartments

Thanks for sending me the link to the affordable housing site, but everything is asking that people make under 25K. That is not where i fall under. Where are all the middle income housing lotteries?

This is a very unfortunate part of the housing lottery, but there are many developments in the works and the new mayoral administration is pushing middle-income housing. Ones you should look out for are Hunters Point South (condos for purchase in real LIC, not fake Q41 LIC), Hudson Yards, and Seward Park/Essex Crossing. The purely middle-income initiatives come and go, so check Housing Connect often and follow HPD on facebook.

I know the feeling about NYC pushing out middle-income families. As I get older and less inclined to leave my house for social purposes, I just want to live somewhere comfortable, clean, and convenient and for my family's income range it feels like this is not the city for me. But if we get a place at Hunters Point South or even if we can buy time with a Q41 place, I'm more excited about staying in the city. It's really a shame that teachers, health care providers, artists, and other hard-working people who contribute to society in a positive way feel pressure to leave the best city in the world.

[q41apartments]

Thanks for responding.

are the ones you mentioned accepting applications?

Also, why did you think September as your move in date if you were picked and not sooner?

[I_Need_A_Dishwasher]

I based the September move-in on other people's experiences from this forum. It seems like a lot of the people who received postcards in November moved in around March/April/May, so I concluded a 4-6 month process.

None of the developments I listed are accepting applications yet. Hunter's Point South is still under construction and I don't think they've broken ground on Hudson Yard or Seward Park. These are just developments to keep on your radar. From the research I've done, Hunters Point South was supposed to begin distributing applications 1Q FY14, but that's come and gone so I'm hoping they'll have open application by the end of this year. When I drove by today, it's still very much under construction and they won't release applications until it's at least 50% complete and it's nowhere near that.

[q41apartments]

I hope we all get it and I hope we can bring our pets. They are like family.