Queens’ LaGuardia Center Takes Next Steps Toward Mixed-Use Conversion
By Larry Getlen August 26, 2025 1:59 pm
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The Rosenwach Group, owner of the 122,570-square-foot outdoor retail hub known as LaGuardia Shopping Center at 43-02 Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria, Queens, is seeking a zoning change to convert the property into a 412,000-square-foot mixed-use project with almost 500 apartments.
The proposed building would stand eight to 10 stories tall, according to Crain’s New York Business, which first reported the filing. It would contain roughly 492 units, with around 123 designated for households earning no more than 60 percent of area median income (AMI). In keeping with the property’s strip mall roots, the project would also include 62,000 square feet of street-level retail, which the Rosenwach Group plans to fill with its current retail tenants.
The Rosenwach Group first filed permits for the change in June 2022. At the time, the redevelopment called for an eight-story project of 390,570 square feet, with “335,334 square feet designated for residential space and 55,236 square feet for commercial space,” New York Yimby reported at the time, also noting the goal of 500 residences. Ismael Leyva Architects was listed as the architect of record. It is unclear why the project did not move forward at the time, or whether Ismael Leyva Architects is still involved.
Paperwork related to the filing cites LaGuardia Center Realty as the official owner of the property since 1989, and recognizes it as “an affiliate of The Rosenwach Group, a major supplier and servicer of water storage tanks and towers, cooling products and services.” The Rosenwach family has been involved in the installation and maintenance of rooftop water tanks in New York City since 1894, according to the company’s website.
The Rosenwach Group, operating as Astoria Rlty Inc., purchased LaGuardia Center for an undisclosed amount in 1989 from Allied Stores of Cincinnati, according to public records.
The Rosenwach Group and Ismael Leyva Architects did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Larry Getlen can be reached at lgetlen@commercialobserver.com.
