Willets Point Commons Phase One Lottery Closes Early

Here's the important part to know right now: the Phase 1 lottery opened December 12, 2025, ran for about two and a half months, and closed February 25, 2026. WELL ahead of schedule, shut down by what officials called overwhelming demand. The response underscored just how badly affordable housing is needed in this city. If you missed it, you missed it, for now - but there are many more units in the pipeline for this development.

Skip to the end for a link to NYC Housing connect to enter yourself into the system so you're ready for the next phase.

A Little Background...

For most of the last century, Willets Point was the last place anyone wanted to live. F. Scott Fitzgerald looked at it and saw the Valley of Ashes. The Brooklyn Ash Removal Company dumped heaps of ash there until 1930, when the company was cleared out to make way for the World's Fair. After that it became a city dump, and eventually a dense cluster of auto repair shops so gritty they called it the Iron Triangle. Wedged between Flushing Creek, the Whitestone Expressway, and Roosevelt Avenue, it was a corner of the city that the city mostly chose to ignore.

That era is officially over.

Willets Point Commons, the first phase of an 880-unit affordable housing development built next to Citi Field, has officially opened to new residents, with move-ins beginning this month. It was until 2021 that a plan to finally develop Willets Point began to move forward, and what's standing there now is the result. As Queens Borough President Donovan Richards put it at the ribbon cutting: "For almost a century, this very spot we're standing has been maligned, ignored, and forgotten. But a phoenix has risen in the form of New York City's newest community."

That's not hyperbole. This is the largest 100% affordable housing development New York City has seen in 40 years.

What's Being Built

Once complete, the Willets Point project will include 2,500 100% affordable homes, a new public school, more than 150,000 square feet of public open space, a brand-new hotel, and Etihad Park - the future home of New York City Football Club (NYCFC), the city's first professional soccer-specific stadium and Major League Soccer's first fully-electric stadium in the country. Beyond the borders of what was once the Iron Triangle, Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock will soon break ground on Metropolitan Park, a massive casino, resort and entertainment complex on Citi Field's parking lot, separated from Willets Point Commons only by the baseball stadium.

Phase 1 is the two residential buildings that just opened, plus a third building currently under construction. That third building will comprise 220 units for low-income seniors. When all three are complete, Phase 1 will total 1,100 units.

The two buildings sit at the southeast corner of the neighborhood. In front of them is a new public plaza with benches, tables, and young trees. To support the new residents, the city and private developers Related Companies and Sterling Equities had to build out the neighborhood's infrastructure, including a new water line and a sewage system, which the area previously lacked.

The Apartments and Amenities

Willets Point Commons features two landscaped inner courtyards, tenant lounge space, outdoor terraces and BBQs, a community garden, fitness center, children's playroom, co-working space, ground floor retail shops, and other community facilities. The buildings also include an on-site parking garage, bike storage, a 24/7 attended lobby, and free high-speed Wi-Fi. The buildings are pet-friendly. Electric vehicle charging is also available.

Transit access is direct

The 7 train, the LIRR, and the Q19, Q90, and Q66 bus routes are all right there, making the commute to Manhattan straightforward.

One honest caveat worth mentioning: residents will contend with the sounds of Mets games, NYCFC matches, and the US Open tennis tournament — plus the roar of 7 trains and low-flying planes from LaGuardia, which is less than two miles away. It's a trade-off. But for the rent, it's a trade-off a lot of New Yorkers would make in a heartbeat.

Who Qualified and What It They Actually Cost

Housing ranges from studios to three-bedrooms and is available to households earning between 30 and 120 percent of the area median income (AMI). The income tiers represented in the lottery are 30%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 120%, and 150% AMI.

Rents started at $486 per month for single applicants earning between $20,469 and $34,020 seeking a studio. The top end reached $4,244 per month for seven-member households with income between $152,778 and $301,350. Roughly half of the 880 units were available to applicants at 120% AMI, with 219 units set aside for those at 60% AMI or below.

In terms of set-asides: 20% of apartments go to Queens Community Board 7 residents, 10% to veterans and/or NYC municipal employees, 5% for mobility access needs, and 2% for visual/hearing access needs.
Yes, The Lottery Has Closed, But Stay Alert

The Phase 1 lottery is closed. But Phase 2 is coming, and it's bigger. Another 1,400 units, more open space, a hotel, and Etihad Park are all on the way. The smartest move is to set up your profile on NYC Housing Connect now so you're ready when the next lottery drops. There's no fee to apply, and getting your profile complete ahead of time means you won't be scrambling when the window opens.