City Council, Speaker Adrienne Adams Back $7.5M Plan for New Variety Boys & Girls Club in Queens

At an event at the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens, officials said the New York City Council has committed $7.5 million in capital funding toward a new, expanded clubhouse in Astoria and that Speaker Adrienne Adams has provided $2.5 million of that total.

The expansion, organizers said, is intended to greatly increase the club’s capacity and services. “In the last few years, the city council has been so generous to us with $7,500,000 in capital funding to help us build our new clubhouse here in Astoria,” Costa Constantinides, the club’s longtime leader and a former City Council member, said during the event. He said the finished facility would serve about 16,000 young people annually; the club currently serves about 4,000 each year.

Why it matters: club leaders and elected officials said the project will provide free after-school programming, meals and enrichment to children from nearby public housing developments and neighborhoods. “Our young people represent the future of this community and our city,” Speaker Adrienne Adams said. “When we invest in places like this, we are planting the seeds of success for generations of families.”

Organizers described a multiuse facility that will include athletics and arts spaces and housing. Remarks at the event listed a six-lane pool, a planetarium (described as the first in Queens), theater space, and housing totaling 236 units with 69 units set aside for youth aging out of foster care. Costa Constantinides said the building would include a “1,500-seat arena” and a “200-seat theater,” while later remarks at the same event described a “250-seat black box theater” and a “400-seat school.” The transcript therefore contains differing descriptions of some capacities and room counts; organizers did not provide a single, final set of specifications at the event.

Council members in attendance said the project also aims to remove price barriers for extracurricular activities. “We can’t have income barriers for after school programming,” Council Member Tiffany Caban said. She described the space as giving children opportunities in robotics, aquatics and other activities without fees that many families cannot afford.

Local partners and club leadership outlined the project scale and timeline only in general terms. Walter Sanchez, board president of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens, and Steve Zimmerman, a club officer, described the expansion as the result of a multi-year effort with a private developer. A representative identified as Manny Kokanakis was introduced as part of the development team; event remarks referred to a roughly $283 million development cost but provided no detailed financing plan for the remainder of the project budget.

Organizers said the capital campaign still needs roughly $5 million to reach its stated goal. When asked whether additional money would come from the City Council budget negotiations, Speaker Adams responded that “it could” and did not commit a specific funding source or schedule. No formal vote or legislative action was recorded at the event.

The announcement brought expressions of gratitude from community leaders who said the expanded clubhouse will serve youth from Astoria Houses, Queensbridge Houses, Ravenswood Houses and Woodside Houses. Vanessa Jones Hall, president of the Astoria Houses Residents Association, said generations of local residents have used the club’s programs and welcomed the expansion. Bishop Mitchell Taylor, identified at the event as associated with local community services, praised the club as a lifesaving resource for neighborhood children.

Organizers and elected officials said they expect future milestones such as a groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting, but they did not provide firm dates at the event. Questions about final design details, the remaining fundraising plan, and required approvals remained unanswered at the time of the announcement.