The Tallest Building in Queens Rises in Long Island City

The Orchard is set to be the tallest building in Queens, after topping out at 823 feet this summer. The amenity-rich rental tower in Long Island City is expected to open in early 2026, with 824 units, a third of which will be designated as affordable housing.

“The tallest, biggest, newest, best” — that’s how Lloyd Goldman, the president of BLDG Management, the developer behind the Orchard, described it over a recent video call. Mr. Goldman rattled off an almost comically long list of amenities, including a fitness center, a basketball court, swimming pools, theater rooms, fire pits, a dog park, a golf simulator, steam rooms, a podcast room, an arcade room and, of course, an orchard. “I’m sure I’m leaving something out,” he added.

A representative for BLDG Management said that the developer could not “comment on pricing specifics at the moment.”

The building is part of a new phase for the borough. Long Island City, in particular, has seen a large wave of new development in recent years, with the rise of several high-end residential buildings, restaurants and shops. It is home to the borough’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, Meju, which opened last year, and will soon get an outpost of Butterfield Market, the upscale Upper East Side grocery. Since 2019, over 9,000 new rental units have been added to the neighborhood, according to the Corcoran Group.

The neighborhood’s waterfront, proximity to Manhattan and accessibility via multiple train lines have all made it prime territory for developers. “It is clearly a place that has good views of Manhattan, but it has always been kind of semi-industrial and a bit forlorn,” said Daniel Safarik, the research director at the nonprofit Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.