Long Island City

Long Island City library may be evicted from Queens tower after Amazon debacle

image via Google Earth

April 25, 2019

Long Island City library may be evicted from Queens tower after Amazon debacle

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Two months after mega-retailer Amazon announced it was walking away from a lease at One Court Square, a Long Island City library branch that occupies space on the ground floor of the 53-story Citigroup building is facing the possibility of eviction according to non-profit publication The City. The lease on the 3,200-square-foot One Court Square branch of the Queens Public Library expires on August 31. The library has paid an annual rent of $1 since the building opened in 1989 as part of a deal with Citigroup, whose lease on the space ends in May of 2020, but a spokesperson for the library has said that the building's owner has “indicated it is seeking market rent for the library space.” Last year, building owner Savanna was reportedly seeking $55 to $65 per square foot for space in the building.
A valuable community service in jeopardy
Former 19th-century cigar factory in Long Island City becomes a haven for creatives
April 10, 2019

Former 19th-century cigar factory in Long Island City becomes a haven for creatives

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A former 19th-century cigar factory in Long Island City has been reimagined as mixed-use office space fit for creative companies. The four-story loft building on 35th Avenue offers tenants super high ceilings, exposed beams, and arched windows. Aptly dubbed "The Cigar Factory," the over 120,000-square-foot building also boasts a private landscaped courtyard.
See it here
1,200-unit Hunters Point development breaks ground and reveals new looks

New rendering by ODA Architects for TF Cornerstone

April 5, 2019

1,200-unit Hunters Point development breaks ground and reveals new looks

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Developer TF Cornerstone officially broke ground Friday on its mixed-use, affordable housing development in Long Island City, a plan that began nearly six years prior. The project, which consists of 1,194 new apartments across two buildings on Center Boulevard, falls under the city's redevelopment of Hunter's Point South, a proposal with the goal of bringing 5,000 units of new housing to the area first backed by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. In addition to the residences, the project includes construction of a community center, local retail, a new public park designed by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, and a K-8 school. A pair of new renderings highlights the open space planned between the new towers.
Get the details
Sample the wares and see what’s new at NYC’s top flea and food markets

Image courtesy of Brooklyn Flea; photo credit: Scott Lynch

April 5, 2019

Sample the wares and see what’s new at NYC’s top flea and food markets

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The city's local flea and food markets set up shop in springtime, bringing irresistible edibles and covetable goods to a neighborhood near you. Though dates and locations vary and favorite vendors come and go, the mighty market phenomenon keeps growing. The shop-and-nosh mecca Brooklyn Flea again changes locations (hello, WTC!), a favorite night market returns in Queens, and the Manhattan classics are back to offer more of what you didn't know you couldn't live without. Some of the best fairs are the most fleeting, and one-offs like the annual Renegade Arts and Crafts Fair are always worth the trip. The list below rounds up the city's top food and flea picks. Let the hunting and gathering begin!
Plan your market strategy
A hotel in Long Island City will be converted into a ‘short stay’ co-living spot

Via The Collective

March 20, 2019

A hotel in Long Island City will be converted into a ‘short stay’ co-living spot

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London-based communal living company The Collective has purchased a hotel in Long Island City with plans to convert the building into a space for co-living. The Paper Factory Hotel, located at 37-06 36th Street near the Astoria border, will be transformed into a space for "short-stay" co-living, which the company says will give members more flexibility in the length of their stay. The first phase of the conversion adds cultural and educational space to the building's ground floor; the second phase adds 100 more bedrooms to the hotel's existing 125 rooms.
More this way
Two-thirds of voters say losing Amazon deal was bad for New York

Image via NYCEDC

March 19, 2019

Two-thirds of voters say losing Amazon deal was bad for New York

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According to a new poll conducted by the Siena College Research Institute, nearly two-thirds of New York state registered voters think Amazon’s decision to cancel its plans for a second headquarters in Queens was bad for New York. Sixty-one percent of the people who were polled say they would approve of the deal—in which Amazon would receive up to $3 billion in state and city incentives and create up to 25,000 jobs—if the company were to reconsider. The results are clear: “While some may have celebrated Amazon’s announcement to pull the plug, the vast majority of New Yorkers of every stripe thought it was bad for the Empire State,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
More info
An interactive ‘junglescape’ is coming to the courtyard of MoMA PS1 this summer

Hórama Rama by Pedro & Juana, winner of the 2019 Young Architects Program. Ana Paula Ruiz Galindo & Mecky Reuss. Mexico City, Mexico

March 8, 2019

An interactive ‘junglescape’ is coming to the courtyard of MoMA PS1 this summer

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Serving as the light at the end of winter's tunnel, MoMA PS1 unveiled this week the winning design for its popular summer outdoor music series Warm Up. The installation "Hórama Rama" by Pedro & Juana (a Mexico City-based studio founded by Ana Paula Ruiz Galindo and Mecky Reuss) will bring an immersive "junglescape" with a cyclorama that sits on top of the concrete courtyard walls. "Hórama Rama" will feature a 40-foot-tall, 90-foot-wide structure that floats over the courtyard space, with hammocks and a functioning, two-story waterfall contributing to the wilderness vibe. The temporary exhibit accompanies the outdoor music series that runs from June to September.
See the winning design
Cuomo pleads with Amazon to reconsider Long Island City deal

Image via CityRealty

March 1, 2019

Cuomo pleads with Amazon to reconsider Long Island City deal

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Update 3/1/19, 1:10pm: According to Crain's, Governor Cuomo said today on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show, "They have given no indication that they would reconsider. I have no reason to believe that Amazon is reconsidering. Would I like them to? Certainly. But I have no reason to believe that." Amazon's Valentine's Day breakup with New York City has been rough on Governor Andrew Cuomo; the New York Times reports that Cuomo has continued to beseech the retail giant to build one of its two new headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, as it had announced plans to do last November. According to the Times, Cuomo has privately assured Amazon officials that he would ease the company's path to any needed approvals and is "working intensely behind the scenes"–including a personal pitch to founder Jeff Bezos–to get Amazon to reconsider.
Baby, come back
Long Island City restaurant owner traveled to Seattle in an attempt to revive Amazon deal

John Brown Smokehouse on 44th Drive in LIC via Flickr

February 28, 2019

Long Island City restaurant owner traveled to Seattle in an attempt to revive Amazon deal

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The owner of a Long Island City barbecue restaurant flew to Seattle on Monday in an attempt to revive the city's deal with Amazon. Josh Bowen, who owns neighborhood joint John Brown Smokehouse, met with executives from the company for two hours, according to Qns.com. Earlier this month, Amazon announced it would no longer open a headquarters at the proposed waterfront location in Queens after facing resistance from local politicians and activist groups. During the meeting, the businessman asked if they would reconsider their decision to pull out of the project. Their response? "Never say never," the executives told him, according to Bowen.
More here
Plan for affordable housing and industrial space back on the table for ex-Amazon site in LIC

A rendering from 2017 depicting the proposed mixed-use site; courtesy of TF Cornerstone

February 25, 2019

Plan for affordable housing and industrial space back on the table for ex-Amazon site in LIC

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The city's plan to bring a thousand residential units and a mix of industrial space to Long Island City is back on the table after Amazon last month announced it will not open a complex in the neighborhood. James Patchett, the president of the city's Economic Development Corporation, said during the Crain's New York Business breakfast on Thursday that the city will forge ahead with its original plan of bringing a mix of businesses and homes to the Queens neighborhood, Gothamist reported.
More here
Amazon will not move to Long Island City

Via CityRealty

February 14, 2019

Amazon will not move to Long Island City

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Amazon said on Thursday it will no longer build a new headquarters in Long Island City, the New York Times reported. The online retail giant selected the Queens neighborhood last year for its "HQ2" campus following a 14-month nationwide contest. Amazon had promised to bring 25,000 jobs to New York City in exchange for nearly $3 billion in state and city incentives. In a statement, the company said it does not plan to look for another location at this time.
Details here
Timber bridge between Greenpoint and Long Island City gets support from local politicians

Rendering via CRÈME / Jun Aizaki Architecture and Design

February 14, 2019

Timber bridge between Greenpoint and Long Island City gets support from local politicians

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6sqft reported last May on a proposal for a civic design project aimed at reconnecting the neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Long Island City. Brooklyn-based studio CRÈME's concept, called Timber Bridge at LongPoint Corridor, calls for constructing a floating bridge made of durable timber that would span Newtown Creek and expand past it to the LIRR rail yard in LIC. Not only would the new bridge provide greater access to transit options, but, according to the design team, Timber Bridge would give cyclists and pedestrians a safer commute than the car-jammed Pulaski Bridge. The Brooklyn Eagle reports that this grassroots initiative is now just a bit closer to becoming a reality with the creation of a nonprofit and new support from local civic leaders.
Bridge love, this way
A majority of New Yorkers want Amazon in Queens, new poll shows

Rendering via NYCEDC

February 12, 2019

A majority of New Yorkers want Amazon in Queens, new poll shows

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News broke last week that Amazon was reconsidering its move to New York City after facing opposition from residents and local officials. But a new poll released on Tuesday shows a majority of New York voters actually support the deal for the tech company to open its headquarters in Queens. According to the Siena College Research Institute, 56 percent of voters in the state back the project, while 36 percent disapprove. City residents support the Amazon deal even more, with 58 percent approving, according to the poll.
Details here
Learning from Seattle: How Amazon could shape NYC real estate

Via CityRealty

February 11, 2019

Learning from Seattle: How Amazon could shape NYC real estate

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Since Amazon announced it had selected Long Island City for its new headquarters last fall, a lot of people have wondered what will happen to the neighborhood and its surrounding communities. While LIC has already undergone a series of radical changes of the past two decades—first there was an influx of artists seeking larger live-work spaces and later a wave of condo developments—the arrival of Amazon promises to have an even deeper impact on LIC. And the potential negative effect of the tech giant moving into town has not gone unnoticed by public officials and locals, who have led a strong opposition campaign. It was reported on Friday that Amazon was reconsidering its plan to move to the neighborhood after facing an intense backlash from those who fear increased rents and even more congestion. But with no plan to officially abandon Queens, it's important to understand what could happen if Amazon does put down roots in LIC by first looking at how the company has already changed Seattle, where it first set up shop back in 1994.
More on the effect
Amazon is rethinking its move to Long Island City

Via Wikimedia

February 8, 2019

Amazon is rethinking its move to Long Island City

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After facing months of intense backlash from residents and local officials, Amazon is rethinking its plan to open a massive complex in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City, the Washington Post reported on Friday. Sources told the newspaper, which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, that executives at the tech company have had discussions to reassess the plan to open its "HQ2" in New York City. "The question is whether it's worth it if the politicians in New York don't want the project, especially with how people in Virginia and Nashville have been so welcoming," a source told the Post.
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Amazon will fight efforts to unionize by NYC workforce

A rendering of One Court Square in LIC, where Amazon will temporarily move this year; via NYCEDC

January 31, 2019

Amazon will fight efforts to unionize by NYC workforce

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During a heated City Council hearing on Wednesday, Amazon said it will oppose efforts by its New York City workforce to unionize. Speaker Corey Johnson asked Brian Huseman, the public policy vice president for Amazon, if the company would allow workers to unionize while remaining neutral during the process. Huseman responded, "No, sir," establishing a tense tone for the rest of the hearing, the Daily News reported.
More here
Amazon fuels HQ2 buzz with shiny new job postings
January 16, 2019

Amazon fuels HQ2 buzz with shiny new job postings

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A pair of job postings listed by online retail giant Amazon kicked the excitement level up a notch in anticipation of the company's new "HQ2" headed for Long Island City, Queens. According to Bloomberg, the ads, seeking a software development manager and software engineer, referred to the company's impending New York expansion by saying the new HQ would be the site of a 50-person team starting in 2019 as part of its Intelligent Cloud Control group. Following a flurry of press inquiries, Amazon quickly added that though they would begin hiring for HQ2 later in 2019, the listings were for positions in an already-existing office.
More Amazon excitement this way
FDNY says Amazon’s HQ2 may overwhelm an already stretched LIC fire department

Google Street View of Long Island City’s engine 261

January 15, 2019

FDNY says Amazon’s HQ2 may overwhelm an already stretched LIC fire department

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Google Street View of Long Island City's engine 261 In 2003, when then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg shuttered six city firehouses including Engine Company 261 at 37-20 29th Street in Long Island City, the growing neighborhood was nowhere near its current density. Since then, a veritable mini-city of high-rise residential towers has sprung up in the once-industrial Queens neighborhood; the FDNY has been considering the need for more firepower to keep the mini-metropolis safe. The recent announcement of Amazon's impending arrival with 25,000 jobs in tow has given more urgency to concerns about the increased demand for emergency services, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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New renderings released of Long Island City’s Skyline Tower, Queens’ soon-to-be-tallest

Rendering via Binyan Studios

January 2, 2019

New renderings released of Long Island City’s Skyline Tower, Queens’ soon-to-be-tallest

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The Skyline Tower, a 67-story condo building under construction in Long Island City, ended the year on a very high note. In addition to being named 6sqft's 2018 Building of the Year, the Hill West Architects-designed, 778-foot-tall tower became the first in Queens to pass $1 billion in total sell out. Plus, the property, which developer United Construction & Development Group first filed plans for in 2016, sits across the street from One Court Square, where Amazon is leasing one million square feet of office space before the company moves to its new HQ2 complex along the waterfront. On Wednesday, new renderings of Skyline Tower were released, showing off the interiors, views, and new subway entrance at the future tallest tower in Queens.
See the renderings
Major 7 train disruptions between Long Island City and Manhattan in January and February

Photo via Flickr cc

December 26, 2018

Major 7 train disruptions between Long Island City and Manhattan in January and February

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On weeknights in January and the first week of February, as well as all weekends in January, the 7 train will not run between 34th Street-Hudson Yards and Queensboro Plaza, the MTA announced. As 6sqft reported last month, after seven years of installing modern signals on the 7 line, the system failed the first day it went live. The upcoming work will address repairs needed on a 2,000-foot section of track near Grand Central, "where defects were discovered" during this recent Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) modern signaling system installation.
All the details
Announcing 6sqft’s 2018 Building of the Year!

Rendering via Hill West Architects; frame via Pixabay

December 13, 2018

Announcing 6sqft’s 2018 Building of the Year!

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The votes have been tallied, and it's time to name the 2018 Building of the Year! The winning title belongs to none other than Long Island City's Skyline Tower. The 778-foot-tall tower beat out 11 other significant NYC buildings in a competitive two-week competition held by 6sqft. Out of nearly 3,000 votes cast, the Hill West-designed structure took first place with a whopping 1,021 votes or 35.5% of the total. Was it the fact that the Skyline Tower is on course to become the borough’s tallest building? Or that it has an estimated $1.088 billion sellout, the first in the borough to break the one billion mark? Or perhaps it's the LIC location, the forthcoming home to 25,000 Amazon employees?
More on this year's winner!
How New York won Amazon: See the official proposals for each NYC neighborhood

A rendering of One Court Square, where Amazon will temporarily move in 2019; via NYCEDC

December 11, 2018

How New York won Amazon: See the official proposals for each NYC neighborhood

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City and state officials lured Amazon to open its new office complex in New York with an extensive pitch, complete with four suggested neighborhoods and the promise of prime real estate, according to documents released by the city's economic development corporation on Monday. In exchange for 25,000 new jobs, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio are offering Amazon nearly $3 billion in incentives and grants. And while last month Amazon selected the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City as its new home, officials had proposed bringing Amazon's campus to the Farley Building, 3 World Trade Center, Brooklyn Height's Watchtower building, Bjarke Ingels' The Spiral, and even Governors Island.
See the full pitch
New renderings of 1,100-unit Hunter’s Point South project in Long Island City

Rendering via Handel Architects

December 7, 2018

New renderings of 1,100-unit Hunter’s Point South project in Long Island City

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New renderings were released this week of the one million square foot development coming to the Long Island City's Hunter's Point South neighborhood. Designed by Handel Architects, the complex features two high-rise towers, retail, and community space. Notably, the project is expected to bring 1,100 new residential units, with 80 percent of them permanently affordable. The complex sits less than a mile from the planned office complex of Amazon, which chose the Queens neighborhood last month for its new home. As CityRealty reported, the two towers will rise 57 and 33 floors, with the taller of the two reaching 600 feet high, which would make it the tallest building on the waterfront.
See the LIC project
Poll shows a majority of New Yorkers approve of Amazon’s move to Queens

Rendering of Plaxall’s proposed (but not approved) mixed-use LIC project courtesy of WXY architecture + urban design

December 6, 2018

Poll shows a majority of New Yorkers approve of Amazon’s move to Queens

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A majority of New Yorkers approve of Amazon moving to Long Island City despite opposition from Queens activists and politicians, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. Fifty-seven percent of all respondents said they support the company's plan to build a waterfront office complex in Queens, with 26 percent disproving. And approval among Queens residents is even higher, with 60 percent supporting the deal. But the poll did find a more divided opinion about the potential $3 billion in public incentives and grants offered to Amazon by the city and state, with 46 percent approving of the subsidies and 44 percent disapproving.
More here
Queens senator wants to crack down on real estate ‘insider trading’ following Amazon deal

Via CityRealty

December 4, 2018

Queens senator wants to crack down on real estate ‘insider trading’ following Amazon deal

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State Sen. Michael Gianaris announced on Tuesday plans to draft legislation aimed at cracking down on insider dealing in real estate. The proposed law comes after a report in the Wall Street Journal found Amazon employees were buying condos in Long Island City before the company had publicly announced plans to build their second headquarters in the neighborhood. The legislation would prohibit anyone from using confidential government information to buy or sell real estate, according to Gianaris.
Find out more
NYC Council to grill city leaders on Amazon deal

Via CityRealty

November 30, 2018

NYC Council to grill city leaders on Amazon deal

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Citing concerns about the closed-door deal that drove Amazon to choose Long Island City as home for its second headquarters, the New York City Council announced it will host three hearings to question both city leaders and company exeuctives. Council Speaker Corey Johnson said the first hearing will take place on Dec. 12 to look at how the deal happened, as the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. "One of the major perversions of this is that was all done behind closed doors, with nondisclosure agreements, and without the public or elected officials who weren't including feeling like they had any say," Johnson told the WSJ.
Get the details
Most expensive condo listing in Queens gets price cut despite Amazon announcement
November 29, 2018

Most expensive condo listing in Queens gets price cut despite Amazon announcement

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While real estate prices are expected to rise in Long Island City and the surrounding area due to Amazon's impending move to the neighborhood, one listing has lowered its price. The most expensive apartment in the borough of Queens, located at 46-30 Center Boulevard, is on the market again, the New York Post reported. The penthouse, which sits just north of the Pepsi-Cola sign, is asking $3.65 million, less than the $4.25 million it was listed for in 2017. Soon after Amazon announced their move to Long Island City, interest in the neighborhood surged. As 6sqft previously reported, searches for residential apartments in the neighborhood are up 281 percent compared to the daily averages prior to the Amazon news.
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