Long Island City

The second phase of Hunters Point South Park will be ready for visitors by summer

Photo by David Lloyd/SWA

March 6, 2018

The second phase of Hunters Point South Park will be ready for visitors by summer

Long Island City is getting five more glorious acres of waterfront park space, with the city expected to complete Hunters Point South Park in the coming months. The second phase of the park, which stretches below 54th Avenue and wraps around Newtown Creek, is nearing completion after three years under construction, according to LIC Post. The city's Economic Development Corporation says the opening date will come by late spring or early summer, so New Yorkers will have a whole new outdoor amenity to enjoy when the weather warms up.
The park has tons of cool features

How NYC’s 2012 Olympic Village would have transformed the Queens waterfront

Renderings of the winning design by Morphosis

February 7, 2018

How NYC’s 2012 Olympic Village would have transformed the Queens waterfront

By Ondel Hylton

With the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea kicking off in just two days, we can't help but think what an incredible 17 days it would have been if they were here in New York City (logistical concerns aside). The city came closest in 2004 when it was chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as one of the five finalists to host the 2012 Olympics. London, Paris, Moscow and Madrid were the other four. Splashy renderings planted 27 venues across all five boroughs, New Jersey and Long Island, but the winning, and perhaps most eye-catching, proposal was the Olympic Village in Long Island City's Hunter's Point South by Thom Mayne's Morphosis.
Get the full history here

Long Island City’s Jackson Park will feature two pools, full-size basketball court, and a 1.6-acre park

Rendering of Jackson Park courtesy of Tishman Speyer

November 20, 2017

Long Island City’s Jackson Park will feature two pools, full-size basketball court, and a 1.6-acre park

By Devin Gannon

As the Long Island City skyline continues to grow, so does the list of amenities developments are offering residents in the booming Queens neighborhood. New renderings of the massive, three-tower, 1,871-unit rental complex, Jackson Park, reveal extravagant luxuries like two swimming pools, a gaming area, a full-size basketball/volleyball and squash court, and much more, as the New York Post reported. With move-ins expected in January, leasing has officially begun at the Tishman Speyer-complex, with net rents starting at $1,915 per month studios, $2,335 per month one-bedrooms, $3,555 per month for two-bedrooms, $4,745 per month for three-bedrooms and $7,310 per month for four-bedrooms.
Take a peek

Second phase of Hunters Point South development moves forward with 960 affordable unit proposal

Rendering of Hunters Point South courtesy of Handel Architects

November 17, 2017

Second phase of Hunters Point South development moves forward with 960 affordable unit proposal

By Devin Gannon

Plans to redevelop Hunters Point South, a project first proposed by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is finally making some headway. The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Housing Development Corp. on Thursday selected a proposal that will bring a 1,120-unit apartment complex, with 80 percent of them permanently affordable, to the southern tip of the Long Island City neighborhood. According to the Wall Street Journal, the $500 million, two-tower project is being developed by Gotham and RiseBoro Community Partnership Inc.
Find out more

Anable Basin proposal envisions a massive mixed-use district along the Long Island City waterfront

Rendering courtesy of WXY architecture + urban design

November 14, 2017

Anable Basin proposal envisions a massive mixed-use district along the Long Island City waterfront

By Devin Gannon

The plastics company, Plaxall, announced on Tuesday a massive rezoning proposal to allow for a mixed-use district in Anable Basin, the area surrounding a 149-year-old inlet located in Long Island City. Since founding the company more than 70 years ago, the Plaxall family has purchased and rehabilitated properties in the neighborhood and currently manages over one million square feet of space. Achieved through rezoning, the proposal calls for 335,000 square feet for industrial uses, 4,955 housing units with 25 percent of them affordable, a 700+ seat public school and a new, elevated promenade. If the rezoning is approved, construction is anticipated to begin in 2020 with a completion date in 2034, but no official timeline has been set.
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Live across from Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City for $867/month

Rendering of Vernon Tower, via PACS Architecture and Excel Development

November 3, 2017

Live across from Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City for $867/month

By Devin Gannon

On Monday, the lottery opens for 21 affordable units in a new luxury residential building located on the border of the trendy Queens neighborhoods of Astoria and Long Island City. The mixed-use rental at 11-06 31st Drive, called the Vernon Tower despite being just eight-stories, sits directly across from Socrates Sculpture Park and just a few blocks from the Noguchi Museum and waterfront promenade. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units ranging from $867/month studios to $1,123/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

First 5Pointz-replacing tower tops out in Long Island City

Construction progress as of late-October, via CityRealty

October 31, 2017

First 5Pointz-replacing tower tops out in Long Island City

By Devin Gannon

The first tower of the controversial rental complex in Long Island City, 5Pointz, has officially topped out, although not without some roadblocks. Once an art studio and exhibition space, known for its vibrant graffiti-covered warehouse, the complex was whitewashed of its iconic murals in 2013, making way for the new development. Now, four years and several lawsuits later, construction of the development at 22-44 Jackson Avenue continues to chug along, with its first and tallest tower topping out this week. As CityRealty discovered, David Wolkoff's 1.4 million-square-foot plan calls for a 47-story tower and a 41-story tower, with 1,115 apartments total.
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After four years, TF Cornerstone files plans for 1,200-unit building at Hunters Point South

Updated rendering of parcel c for Hunters Point South, courtesy of ODA Architecture

October 20, 2017

After four years, TF Cornerstone files plans for 1,200-unit building at Hunters Point South

By Devin Gannon

TF Cornerstone on Thursday filed its first permits for a 1,200-unit apartment building as the second phase of the city’s Hunters Point South redevelopment, a project that first began in 2013. The plan for the waterfront neighborhood in Long Island City, Queens called for a mixed-use, affordable housing development that would hold up to 5,000 units, with 60 percent of them affordable. Selected for phase two of the ambitious project by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration, TF Cornerstone’s original proposal was delayed for four years after local, state and federal authorities forced the developer to rethink its design (h/t Crain's).
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October 19, 2017

City officially pitches four neighborhoods for Amazon’s HQ2

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Economic Development Corporation released their official pitch for Amazon's second headquarters on Wednesday, one day before the deadline. Boasting the city's talented tech workforce, the de Blasio administration has pitched Midtown West, Long Island City, the Brooklyn Tech Triangle (DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn and the Navy Yard), and Lower Manhattan as the four best spots for Amazon to call home. The tech giant's nationwide competition, announced in September, set out to find their next headquarters, called HQ2. The company promises the headquarters will bring 50,000 new jobs and $5 billion in initial city investment.
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Policy

POPULAR Long Island City BUILDINGS

3 Court Square 3 Court Square

27-29 Queens Plaza North 27-29 Queens Plaza North

42-12 28th Street 42-12 28th Street

29-11 Queens Plaza North 29-11 Queens Plaza North

27-19 44th Drive 27-19 44th Drive

44-41 Purves Street 44-41 Purves Street

29-22 Northern Boulevard 29-22 Northern Boulevard

4545 Center Boulevard 4545 Center Boulevard

4610 Center Boulevard 4610 Center Boulevard

22-22 Jackson Avenue 22-22 Jackson Avenue

42-20 24th Street 42-20 24th Street

37-14 36th Street 37-14 36th Street

37-40 27th Street 37-40 27th Street

33-01 38th Avenue 33-01 38th Avenue

30-02 39th Avenue 30-02 39th Avenue

31 Bond Street 31 Bond Street

41-17 28th Street 41-17 28th Street

42-15 Crescent Street 42-15 Crescent Street

37-10 Crescent Street 37-10 Crescent Street

41-42 24th Street 41-42 24th Street

Rendering of the Hunters Point South project, courtesy of NYCEDC

October 18, 2017

Prime Long Island City site could be the perfect spot for Amazon’s HQ2

By Devin Gannon

An eight-acre, 1.6 million-square-foot residential site next to Hunters Point South is for sale, a piece of land owned by a family for generations. According to the New York Post, the site could potentially bring in $480 million if targeted to market-rate condominiums since land in Long Island City sells for roughly $300 per square foot. The triangle-shaped plot of land found at 55-01 Second Street and bounded by 54th Avenue and Vernon Boulevard, sits on Newtown Creek, an estuary that forms part of the border between Brooklyn and Queens. The site might make the perfect spot for Amazon’s second headquarters as the tech giant seeks 500,000 square feet for their HQ2 by 2019.
Find out more

Live in Long Island City’s luxurious rental tower, the Hayden, from $947/month

Rendering of the Hayden, courtesy of Rockrose Development

September 21, 2017

Live in Long Island City’s luxurious rental tower, the Hayden, from $947/month

By Devin Gannon

The second batch of affordable apartments is now available at the Hayden, a 50-story, 924-unit highrise in the blossoming neighborhood of Long Island City in Queens. Designed by SCLE Architects, the building at 43-25 Hunter Street features amenities like a fitness center, yoga room, basketball court, rooftop solarium, screening room, library and more. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between $34,355 and $57,240 can apply for $947 per month studios, $1,017 per month one-bedrooms and the $1,230 per month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

$925M mega-project may bring 1,000 rentals and a 100,000-square-foot factory to Long Island City

Rendering courtesy of TF Cornerstone

July 31, 2017

$925M mega-project may bring 1,000 rentals and a 100,000-square-foot factory to Long Island City

By Devin Gannon

The waterfront Queens neighborhood of Long Island City has gone from a sleepy, factory town to boasting the country's largest number of new rental apartments. Now, to preserve some of LIC’s industrial backbone, a new development proposal from TF Cornerstone calls for a massive $925 million mixed-use complex, which will include 1,000 rental apartments and 100,000 square feet of light manufacturing space. As the New York Times reported, the project comes at the city’s request in 2016 for mixed-use project proposals with a focus on commercial and industrial space.
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July 25, 2017

REVEALED: Tishman Speyer’s Long Island City office development boasts food hall and rooftop park

By Devin Gannon

Long Island City, New York City’s fastest growing neighborhood, shows no signs of slowing down. Following the completion of Jackson Park, the residential phase of Tishman Speyer Properties’ massive Gotham Center development, renderings have been revealed for their creative office space across the street at 28-01 Jackson Avenue. As CityRealty learned, the development, called the JACX, consists of two identical towers that will include over 40,000 square feet of retail space, with a gourmet market, food hall, dining, and boutique fitness centers, as well as a one-acre rooftop terrace.
See inside

July 3, 2017

New photos of Long Island City’s 1 QPS Tower show off NYC’s highest rooftop pool

By Dana Schulz

Just in time for the height of the summer season, developer Property Markets Group has released a set of new photos of their 500-foot Long Island City rental 1 QPS Tower, which has the highest rooftop pool in the city, complete with panoramic skyline views, plenty of lounge chairs, and a stylish bar area (h/t CityRealty). The new images also show off the SLCE-designed skyscraper's other amenities, including a garden terrace, library, triple-height gym with rock climbing wall, and conference/lounge areas.
Check out all the photos

June 28, 2017

Watch MoMA PS1’s solar canopy art installation get installed

By Emily Nonko

Every summer, New Yorkers are treated to kooky architectural innovation in the MoMA PS1 Courtyard. ( Last summer: this wild woven design from Mexico City-based architecture firm Escobedo Solíz Studio.) This year, Ithaca, New York-based architect Jenny Sabin takes the spotlight with her Lumen installation, a structure made of over one thousand digitally knitted photo luminescent cells that change color in the presence of sunlight. In honor of the installation opening this week, MoMA PS1 released videos in which the architect explains the development of her 500-pound solar-active canopy and shows off the construction and installation process.
Watch the videos here

June 28, 2017

Map: Where to watch the Macy’s fireworks this July 4th

By Michelle Cohen

Here's a handy guide outlining some prime spots for experiencing Macy's Fourth of July live fireworks extravaganza this Tuesday evening; in addition, the folks that put on the show have provided a helpful interactive neighborhood finder so you're well situated when things go boom. Take a fun quiz here, then find out the best spots to watch from. Or just check out some prime spots here.
More info this way

June 26, 2017

More apartments have been built in Long Island City than any other U.S. neighborhood since 2010

By Devin Gannon

Following the country’s economic recession, neighborhoods throughout the United States have witnessed an apartment boom. According to a report by RENTCafe, since 2010, apartment buildings have been popping up at an increasingly faster rate. Unsurprisingly, Long Island City came in first for the largest number of new rental apartments, with 41 new apartment buildings and 12,533 new units built in the past seven years. Nearly 36 percent of all apartments are brand new in this Queens waterfront neighborhood.
See which other NYC 'hoods made the top-10 list

Real Estate Trends

May 18, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 5/18-5/24

By Lori Zimmer

Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top art, design and architecture event picks for 6sqft readers! There’s nothing better than walking around the city when the weather is great, and this week’s round up will get you outdoors and enjoying the sun. Open studios abound on Saturday and Sunday, offering art lovers a chance to peek into the private studios of artists across the boroughs. The city's sacred sites—churches, synagogues and temples—are also swinging their doors open, inviting the public to bask in the beauty of their stained glass collections.
Details on these events and more this way

Events & Things To Do

May 17, 2017

Rare Italianate townhouse in Long Island City comes with a sunroom and lush backyard

By Emily Nonko

Long Island City isn't known as a neighborhood of historic townhomes--especially considering all the new development--but it does boast the impressive Hunters Point Historic District, lined with incredible residential architecture. One such building in the historic district is the Italianate townhouse at 21-20 45th Avenue built by developers Root and Rust in 1870. It's now on the market for $3.5 million. According to the listing, the exterior use of Westchester stone--a durable sandstone resembling marble--"has allowed this and other townhouses along the row to survive almost 150 years looking almost as good as the day they were built." Inside, there's tin ceilings, marble mantels and exposed brick, as well as a sunroom that leads out to a truly incredible backyard.
Go see it

May 12, 2017

Apply for 34 affordable units in Long Island City’s new Watermark tower, from $908/month

By Devin Gannon

While all of Long Island City seems to be undergoing development, one block in particular, Purves Street, remains the neighborhood’s most concentrated construction hub. Applications open Monday for 34 affordable units in one of these new builds, Watermark LIC (formerly Watermark Court Square) located at 27-19 44th Drive and 44-16 Purves Street. The 27-story building designed by Handel Architects offers 168 apartments and has 2,500 square feet of retail space. New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the below-market rate apartments that range from $908/month studios to $1,176/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

April 14, 2017

731-foot Long Island City skyscraper may briefly be Queens’ tallest building

By Devin Gannon

With another skyscraper proposal approved, Long Island City moves one step closer to looking like a Manhattan copycat. The latest sky-high tower to get its site cleared and zoning approved sits in Court Square at 43-30 24th Street. As covered by CityRealty, the permits show this building, developed by commercial real estate firm Stawski Partners, will hold 921 condos and rise 731 feet, almost 75 feet higher than the borough’s current tallest building at One Court Square. And if it finishes before the Court Square City View Tower next door, set to rise 66 stories and become Queen's tallest, it will briefly hold that title.
Find out more

5Pointz graffiti artists whose work was destroyed will get a chance to face developer in court

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

April 10, 2017

5Pointz graffiti artists whose work was destroyed will get a chance to face developer in court

By Michelle Cohen

Photo via Wikimedia Commons Starting with the news that the iconic graffiti-covered warehouse known as 5Pointz in Long Island City, Queens, visible from passing trains since its beginnings the 1990s as an artists' studio and exhibition space, was being razed and replaced by rental apartments, the building has been the subject of heated controversy. As 6sqft previously reported, in 2013 the complex was whitewashed of its colorful exterior murals under cover of night, and renderings surfaced for the rental towers that would replace it; as if to add insult to injury, the building's owner, Jerry Wolkoff of G&M Realty, revealed plans to use the name 5Pointz as a marketing angle for the new development. Several attempts were made at intervention–and prevention of a similar fate for artists' spaces since then. Now, the New York Times reports, a federal lawsuit filed by 23 5Pointz artists against Wolkoff, who ordered the art destroyed, is getting its day in court. On March 31, Judge Frederic Block of Federal District Court in Brooklyn ruled that the federal lawsuit against Wolkoff, who ordered the artwork destroyed–could have a jury trial, an incremental legal victory for the artists and a chance to confront Wolkoff in court to seek redress.
Find out more

February 17, 2017

A photo-luminescent, solar canopy is coming to MoMA PS1 this summer

By Dana Schulz

It never hurts to think of warmer months on days like today, and MoMA PS1's announcement of whose design will fill their courtyard this summer certainly does the trick. The winner of their 18th annual Young Architects Program is Jenny Sabin Studio. The Ithaca-based experimental architecture studio created "Lumen" in response to the competition's request for a temporary outdoor installation that provides shade, seating, and water, while addressing environmental issues such as sustainability and recycling. The result is a tubular canopy made of "recycled, photo-luminescent, and solar active textiles that absorb, collect, and deliver light."
More renderings and info on Lumen

Construction update: Tishman Speyer’s trio of Long Island City rental towers

View of residential towers from Queens Plaza as of last week, via CityRealty

February 2, 2017

Construction update: Tishman Speyer’s trio of Long Island City rental towers

By Dana Schulz

Of the 30+ under-construction and proposed projects in Long Island City, many of the tallest and bulkiest are located near Queens Plaza, including this trio of slab-glass rental towers from Tishman Speyer and H&R Real Estate Investment Trust that will bring nearly 1,800 new apartments to the area. The residential buildings--located at 28-34 Jackson Avenue, 28-10 Jackson Avenue and 30-02 Queens Boulevard--are directly adjacent to Tishman's two-towered commercial venture that will be home to WeWork, Macy's, and a food hall. CityRealty recently stopped by the construction to see how things are shaping up at the rentals, which from the looks of it are well on their way to welcoming in LIC's newest batch of residents.
Find out more this way

January 9, 2017

Tower 28, Queens’ soon-to-be second-tallest residential building, gets new renderings

By Dana Schulz

When it's completed in March, Long Island City's Tower 28 (formerly 28 on 28th) will be the tallest residential building in Queens at 647 feet and 57 stories--that is, until it's taken over by the 66-story Court Square City View Tower nearby (this will also overtake the 673-foot 1 Court Square as the tallest overall building in the borough). Though its superlative will be short-lived, Heatherwood Communities' rental at 42-12 28th Street will still offer panoramic views, which new renderings from architects Hill West tell us will be taken in from a top-floor observatory, as well as a host of swanky amenities to "rival any vacation destination." According to CityRealty, the new exterior and interior views also come with news that leasing will begin in March, ranging from $1,900/month studios to $7,500/month three-bedrooms.
More renderings and details ahead

January 6, 2017

New renderings of Court Square City View Tower, Queens’ future tallest building

By Dana Schulz

When plans were originally filed in February 2016, the Long Island City skyscraper since dubbed Court Square City View Tower was set to reach 964 feet. In April, it got bumped up to supertall status at 984 feet, making it Queens' future tallest building. It's since been dropped to 66 stories, but according to a new project page from architects Hill West (formerly Goldstein Hill & West), it will still be Long Island City's tallest tower, and therefore the tallest in the borough. CityRealty first noticed the updated details, which come with the first true renderings of the 800-unit condominium at 23-15 44th Drive. In addition to 360-degree views of Manhattan, the tower will offer an all-glass curtainwall facade, a retail base, and a slew of corner-apartment balconies.
More details ahead

December 21, 2016

First look at the artsy common spaces of 5Pointz-replacing rental towers

By Dana Schulz

It's been three years since Long Island City's beloved graffiti mecca 5Pointz was whitewashed overnight and a year and a half since renderings first surfaced of the bland 41- and 47-story rental towers that would replace the site at 22-44 Jackson Avenue. Despite a perceived lack of respect towards the artistic community, G&M Realty’s David Wolkoff eventually said he planned to set aside 20 artists’ studios and displays to make up for those lost at 5Pointz, and it looks like he's making good on his word. HTO Architect, who designed the towers, initially put forth views of a large public park and rotating mural exhibit that would fill the space between the buildings, and now 6sqft has uncovered renderings from Mojo Stumer of the artsy entryway, lobby and pool, which reveal the graffiti-inspired logo for the project.
See it all right here

Brooklyn Point

138 Willoughby Street

Downtown Brooklyn

America's highest infinity pool + 25-year tax abatement

Studios starting at $985,000
1 beds starting at $1,200,000
2 beds starting at $1,885,000
3 beds starting at $2,700,000

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