Housing lottery launches for 750 rent-stabilized units in Willets Point
- Households that earn $20,469 to $301,350 are eligible to apply and rents start at $486 for a studio
- Willets Point is also slated to get a new elementary school, professional soccer stadium, and hotel
Developers have set aside 20 percent of units for Queens Community Board 7 residents.
Housing lottery applications are open for 747 rent-stabilized apartments at Willets Point Commons, a new development called in Queens. Households that earn $20,469 to $301,350 are eligible to apply, depending on the number of people you live with. Rents start at $486 for a studio.
The development is a joint venture between Related Companies and Sterling Equities and located near stops for the 7 train, Long Island Railroad, and Q19, Q90, and Q66 bus routes. Amenities include a community garden, outdoor terraces, children’s playroom, co-working space, and fitness center. The buildings will be all-electric and have high-efficiency HVAC systems and other energy-saving features.
The housing lottery units are in the first two buildings at 126-55 and 126-43 39th Ave. Both buildings will be managed by Related Management Company. The next phase will be a third building with 220 affordable housing units for low-income seniors.
The lottery apartments are set aside for New Yorkers earning from 30 and 120 percent of the area median income (AMI)—a metric that depends on how many people you live with. Currently the AMI for New York City is $129,600 for a two-person household. The apartments available include studios as well as one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.
There are 213 one-bedroom apartments available for one- to three-person households earning from $91,783-$174,960. The rent for these apartments is $2,550.
Developers have set aside 20 percent of units for Queens Community Board 7 residents, 10 percent for veterans and/or NYC municipal employees, 5 percent for persons with mobility access needs and 2 percent for visual/hearing access needs.
Willets Point is also slated to get a 650-seat public elementary school, open space for public use, plus a 250-room hotel near Etihad Park, the city’s first professional soccer-specific stadium, according to the developers.
Housing lottery applications must be submitted online or postmarked no later than February 25th, 2026.
If you’re interested and think you might qualify for one of these apartments, you can create a profile and apply online via NYC Housing Connect. For details on this particular lottery, click here. Don’t apply more than once, or you could be disqualified.
Winning a rent-stabilized apartment can be life changing: Rent increases are capped and lease renewals are automatic, providing long-term stability for NYC renters. Need more information on how the housing lottery works? Check out “6 steps for applying to NYC's affordable housing lottery.”
For some advice from successful applicants read “How to land a rental apartment through NYC's affordable housing lottery.” And if you or someone you know is having trouble with the application process, consider reaching out to a housing ambassador in the community.
Note: Brick Underground is in no way affiliated with New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development or the Housing Development Corporation. If you are interested in applying to these or other affordable housing developments, please go to NYC Housing Connect for information and instructions.
Have you successfully won an apartment through the affordable housing lottery? If you have first-person advice to share about the process, we’d love to hear from you. Please send us an email. We respect all requests for anonymity.
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