Retail space for lease in Forest Hills
Forest Hills' office buildings line Queens Boulevard from 71st Avenue to Union Turnpike and hold many medical and professional practices, and Northwell's Forest Hills Hospital sits a short walk north. Austin Street, a block off the boulevard, is one of the busiest shopping streets in Queens, with national chains, independent shops and restaurants. The Forest Hills-71st Avenue station, where the E, F, M and R meet, and the LIRR stop at Station Square make it one of the best-connected neighborhoods in the borough.
- Retail stock
- 1.1M SF
- Retail properties
- 132
- Largest retail
- 70-00 Austin Street
- Transit
- E F M R at Forest Hills-71 Av
Building figures are existing stock from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax lot records, not space on the market. More below.
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NYC Department of Finance filings
Rent collected per square foot: retail buildings in Queens
In 2024, 3,243 Queens retail properties filed income statements with the city. Their median gross income was $36.08 per square foot, and the middle half collected between $24.11 and $54.28. The typical property's income was up 1.8% on 2023. The city publishes these figures by borough, not by neighborhood, so they cover Queens as a whole.
Gross income per square foot, 2024
Queens retail buildings
- Median gross income
- $36.08/SF
- Middle half
- $24.11 to $54.28
- Typical change on 2023
- +1.78%
- Citywide median
- $36.07/SF
- Filings
- 3,243
Turn a price per square foot into monthly rentWhat tenants pay on top of rent
Source: NYC Department of Finance, FY 2027 RPIE 2024 Income and Expense Distributions (FY 2027 assessment roll, published January 2026), page 16. Owners of income-producing properties file a Real Property Income and Expense statement each year; gross income is everything a property collected in 2024 per square foot, as filed, with outlier and partial-year filers left out. It includes vacant space, concessions and older leases, so it is not an asking rent.
NYC storefront registry
Storefronts in Forest Hills
How many shopfronts the city's registry counts here and how many stood empty at the end of 2025: a quick read on how much choice a retail or restaurant tenant has.
- Registered storefronts
- 386
- Vacant on Dec 31, 2025
- 24
- Vacancy rate
- 6.2%
- NYC 9.2%
- A year earlier
- 7.5%
- fewer empty now
Streets with the most storefronts in Forest Hills
Large buildings with a vacant storefront
Owners of 1 of the 4 large buildings we track in Forest Hills with registered storefronts reported at least one vacant on December 31, 2025. Each links to the building's filings by year. Not listings: the registry records no size, rent or asking terms.
| Building | Vacant storefronts | Reported vacant |
|---|---|---|
| 70-00 Austin Street | 1 of 9 | Every year end since 2024 |
Own or represent a vacant storefront in Forest Hills? List it free and it is matched against every retail requirement the day it goes up.
NYC storefront vacancy report: every borough, neighborhood and street, by year
Source: NYC Department of Finance, Storefronts Reported Vacant or Not (Local Law 157), annual filings, pulled 2026-10-16. Owners of buildings with ground- or second-floor storefronts register each one every year with its status on December 31. Neighborhood figures count storefronts near the neighborhood's commercial core, the same area as the building figures on this page. A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.
NYC tax lot records
Retail buildings in Forest Hills
What already stands here, from the city's own property data. Useful for sizing a search before a single space is listed.
- Retail space
- 1.1M SF
- Properties with retail space
- 132
- All commercial space
- 4.5M SF
- Built before 1940
- 45%
Largest retail buildings
All 6 large commercial buildings in Forest HillsAge, height and zoning
- Median year built: 1941.
- Median height: 3 floors.
- Most common zoning districts: R7-1 (50), C4-4A (50), R6 (40).
- 2 lots are designated city landmarks.
Source: NYC Department of City Planning, PLUTO 26v2, pulled 2026-10-16. Counts cover tax lots with commercial floor area within about 0.6 mi of Forest Hills' commercial core, and each lot counts toward one neighborhood only, so boundaries are approximate. Building figures are the city's floor-area estimates, not available space.
MTA station data
Subway stations in Forest Hills
Every station within about 0.6 mi of Forest Hills' commercial core, closest first. Stations joined by a free transfer count once.
- Stations
- 3
- Subway lines
- 4
- Fully accessible
- 2 of 3
- Closest
- Kew Gardens-Union Tpke, 2 min walk
The 3 stations
- Kew Gardens-Union Tpke
- Forest Hills-71 Av
- 75 Av
Lines
The E, F, M and R trains stop within about 0.6 mi of Forest Hills' core.
Step-free access
- Kew Gardens-Union Tpke (E F) is fully accessible.
- Forest Hills-71 Av (E F M R) is fully accessible.
Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, MTA Subway Stations, pulled 2026-10-16. Walking times are straight-line estimates from the nearest point of Forest Hills' commercial core (the same area as the building counts), so the street route is longer. Accessibility is the MTA's rating for the named station. PATH, LIRR, Metro-North and ferries are not in this data.
Before you sign
Plain-English guides to square footage, rent and lease terms in New York, and free calculators to run your own numbers.
How much is commercial rent in NYC? Per square foot, by borough
What NYC office, retail and industrial buildings collect per square foot in each borough, from the city's own filings, with the monthly math and the costs on top of rent.
Good guy guarantee in NYC commercial leases
How a good guy guarantee works in a NYC commercial lease: what it covers, how the guarantor gets released, what to negotiate and the 2025 surrender ruling.
Retail lease terms in New York: percentage rent, escalations and more
A New York retail lease covers much more than rent. Here is what percentage rent, escalations, pass-throughs, use clauses and restaurant terms mean for you.
Questions about retail space in Forest Hills
Is there retail space for lease in Forest Hills right now?
No retail space for lease in Forest Hills is listed on Leasemark right now. Post what you need and Leasemark matches you the day a space that fits is listed; your contact details stay private until you accept an intro. Owners and brokers can list a space here for free.
How much does retail space cost in Forest Hills?
Leasemark has no asking rents posted here yet, so here are the city's own numbers. Retail buildings in Queens collected a median $36.08 per square foot in 2024, and the middle half between $24.11 and $54.28, according to the income and expense statements owners file with the NYC Department of Finance (FY 2027 distributions, 3,243 filings). The city publishes these figures by borough, so this is Queens as a whole, not Forest Hills alone. That is what buildings actually collected, with vacant space, concessions and leases signed years ago in the mix, so it is a baseline rather than a quote: a specific space's price depends on the building's class, floor, condition and the length of the lease.
How do I find retail space in Forest Hills that is not publicly listed?
Post a requirement on Leasemark. Owners and listing brokers see what you need (without your contact details) and can respond with spaces, including ones that are not on the market yet. You choose who gets an intro.
How much retail space is there in Forest Hills?
New York City's PLUTO tax lot data (26v2) records about 1.1 million square feet of retail floor area across 132 properties in the part of Forest Hills Leasemark covers. The largest by that measure is 70-00 Austin Street, at about 75,000 square feet. That is the existing building stock, not space currently for lease.
How many storefronts are vacant in Forest Hills?
Owners registered 386 ground- and second-floor storefronts in the part of Forest Hills Leasemark covers for the end of 2025, and 24 of them (6.2%) stood vacant on December 31, 2025, against 9.2% citywide and 7.5% here a year earlier. The most storefronts are on Queens Boulevard (161) and Austin Street (96). A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.
Which large buildings in Forest Hills have a vacant storefront?
Owners of 1 of the 4 large buildings Leasemark tracks in Forest Hills with registered storefronts reported at least one vacant on December 31, 2025. It is 70-00 Austin Street (1 of 9 storefronts). Each building's page shows its filings by year. A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.
What subway lines serve Forest Hills?
Three subway stations sit within about 0.6 mi of Forest Hills' commercial core, served by the E, F, M and R trains. The closest is Kew Gardens-Union Tpke (E F), roughly 2 minutes on foot; then Forest Hills-71 Av (E F M R) and 75 Av (E F). Walking times are straight-line estimates from MTA station data.
Is it free to post on Leasemark?
Yes. Posting a space or a requirement is free. Contact details are only shared when both sides accept an intro.