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City Living: Whitestone

By Patrick Verel, Special to amNewYork | patrick.verel@am-ny.com

July 19, 2007

For waterfront access, there's no better city neighborhood than Whitestone, the sleepy residential area between the Throgs Neck and the Bronx Whitestone bridges in Queens.

The modest single-family houses that form the backbone of the housing stock are similar to many in neighboring Flushing, except Whitestone residents also have exclusive access to two beaches. Granted, they are no Jones Beaches, but their presence is indicative of the uniqueness of an area that was first settled by Dutch farmers and named after light-colored rock found in the East River. Combined with a mom-and-pop shopping district that could be plucked from a Hollywood lot, it makes for a distinct and tight-knit, family-oriented area.

State Sen. Frank Padavan, who has represented the area for 35 years, said that even though the Whitestone zip code has its own subdivisions -- Whitestone, Beechurst, Robinwood and ritzy Malba, on the other side of the Whitestone Bridge the area has a strong identity.

"It's a community of people who are very involved, from the civic organizations to the schools," he said, citing as an example the regular beach clean-ups organized by the Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Association.

Like neighboring Bayside, Whitestone more closely resembles Long Island, with older, 1940s- and '50s-era Tudor and Cape houses with modest yards and detached garages. Apartment buildings can be found in the eastern and southern sections. Some newer houses have been built in place of demolished homes but new , and since much of the land there has been developed, newer houses have over the years been built in place of demolished houses. Thanks to rezoning zoning laws have limited the number of new so-called McMansions.

Find it

The East River to the north, Francis Lewis Boulevard to the east, Bayside Avenue to the south and the Whitestone Expressway to the east.

The basics

Transportation Bus: QBX1, X 32, Q14, 15, 16, 34, 44, 76

Crime The 109th Precinct, which also includes downtown Flushing, East Flushing and College Point, has had two murders, 10 rapes and 102 robberies this year, compared to three murders, 11 rapes and 125 robberies at this time last year. There were a total of six murders, 19 rapes and 261 robberies last year.

Schools P.S. 184, 163-15 21st Rd., P.S. 209, 16-10 Utopia Parkway, P.S. 79, 147-27 15th Dr., J.H.S. 194, 154-60 17th Ave.

Post Offices 14-44 150th St., 153-65 Cross Island Parkway

Banks Astoria Federal, 153-01 10th Ave., 153-17 Cross Island Parkway, Citibank, 153-16 10th Ave., Chase, 153-15 Cross Island Parkway, Marathon Bank, 150-07 14th Ave.

Real estate

Befitting an area that easily has five distinct mini-neighborhoods, prices in Whitestone fluctuate wildly. As a general rule, prices are higher north of the Cross Island Parkway, where million-dollar houses line the waterfront. Anthony Carollo, owner of Carollo Real Estate, said the minimum cost for a small house will be $500,000, with the average cost falling around $750,000.

One bedroom co-ops can be had for $175,000 in the southeast section near Utopia Parkway, whereas two bedroom co-ops in Beechurst's Le Harve complex can be had for $275,000. Rentals average $800 to $1,000 for studios, $1,000 to $1,200 for one-bedrooms, $1200 to $1,400 for two-bedrooms and $1,500 to $1,700 for three-bedrooms.

To Buy A 3,200-square-foot, six-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom colonial at Powells Cove Boulevard and 161st Street: $979,500

A four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom house at 149th and 17th roads: $750,000

A four-bedroom, 2.5-bedroom house on 23rd Street between Francis Lewis Boulevard and Utopia Parkway: $818,800

A 1,612-square-foot, four-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom colonial 14th Avenue between 162nd and 166th streets: $965,000