Look, you've got a club that flies Stunt at Flushing Meadows park in Queens, they fly full sized Stunt Planes, some are even overweight, pretty and bizarrely painted. I grew up in Manhattan and built Sterling and Top Flight kits. We lived in an apartment. Tiny rooms (if you're used to a house...) But it seemed spacious enough to me. The issue really is the work surface on which you will build. I live (part time) on the Lower East Side, Manhattan, Grand and Essex Street. These days I take my stunt planes up the elevator in the NYC apartment, two planes at a time. Everyone has been kind enough to make way. So far. Nothing was ever stepped on or accidentally poked. Seems whatever Mom allows will fit in the apartment where you live. Storage on the other hand might be an issue. Where will you be staying. Drop me a private message and I'll see what I can do to help you out. It's New York. Granted CL planes are old fashioned and rare. Have no fear tho, you can walk down the street with your CL treasure without being thought strange. It's NY, what goes for the out of the ordinary elsewhere is commonplace and overlooked.
Might be a problem with the odor of CA. Use white glue then. Get a fan. Monokote and Nelsen paint won't smell bad.
Will you have a car? If you plan to have one in NY it will be a constant preoccupation and challenge. Two parking tickets (at least $100 a piece) and you get towed. Good for another $400 in charges at least. (If you pay right away, otherwise the cost will go up up up and away.) The parking rules are byzantine. Hard to believe how many ways you can interpret the meaning of parking signs in NYC. If you're from out of town. Forget it. Ask a local to explain what the sign means. Also, watch out for movie shoots. They're common. Seems it's legal for them to post signs reserving entire streets at a time for a shoot. Those signs can go up suddenly. If you fail to see one they tow your car someplace or other. It'll be up to you to find out where.