Long Island City Development

[shocka]

Of course there’s the proximity to midtown Manhattan that makes Long Island City so attractive however lets not forget about the many unpleasant aspects of LIC. These aspects may contribute to why LIC is somewhat slow to take off as a bonafide central business district. Offhand these negative aspects are the elevated 7 line, put the 7 underground and development would be instantaneous ala Second Avenue. The LIE, entrance to the Queensboro Bridge, the Midtown Tunnel, and other highway infrastructure obstruct a healthy cityscape and reinforces Queens as a point between suburbia and the City. The LIRR rail yards, as hard as it has been to cover and build on top of the Westside rail yards the LIRR rail yards are even more expansive and is located above ground, what’s worse is that the LIRR rail yard is centrally located and will prohibit future expansion. Also prohibiting expansion is the Queensbridge housing projects, America’s largest housing project which is also centrally located, which is in conjunction with the dirty Keyspan power plant right on the waterfront. Among the advantages of LIC is the abundance of warehouses and factories, which allow for large floor plans and large commercial developments however many of these are Brownfield sites and make development costly.

I personally feel, these are items, that help to diversify LIC from any Manhattan 'hood.. as well as Williamsburg, Greenpoint and all the other greate water front 'hoods.

[jrosa51894]

They are closing hunter and cresent streets between 43rd ave and 44th ave.
I asked some of the construction workers why another super crane and they stated that the citigroup 2 building is not going to be 15 stories but 30 plus stories :eek: any thoughts?:) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[antinimby]

LIC is only getting better!Maybe better, but is it the best?
Those blocky buildings and parking garages add nothing to the streetscape, which will most likely end up being dull and lifeless.
Unfortunate that the urban planning mistakes made in the past by other places seems to be lost on the developers in LIC and much of the East River waterfront projects in Williamburg and Greenpoint.

[pianoman11686]

Here it is:

Citigroup - Long Island City 2

Location: Long Island City , Queens, N.Y.
Client: Tishman Speyer Properties
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox
Structure Type: 38-story Steel Structure
Project Category: Commercial Development
Photos: Click photos to enlarge

Project Description

Court Square Two, in Long Island City will provide a new 38 story back office building including training center with auditorium for Citigroup. Ideally located only one subway stop from the company's Manhattan headquarters, the new development will be a green building with the design team aiming to achieve a Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating.

The primary challenge of the development is its phasing. Instead of the construction of a single 38 story, 1.4 million square foot building, it will be built firstly as a 16 story development as Phase I and then a 38 story additional development as Phase II. The over 900,000 square foot Phase II tower will be built above and adjacent to Phase I. This arrangement requires the design of Phase I to accept Phase II without interruption to those working in Phase I and to be able to support the increased gravity and lateral loads.

In addition to the phasing, facades with slopes, setbacks and curves add complexity to the steel framing. Since the tower footprint is different than the podium footprint, many columns must shift location to accommodate the differing interior layouts. In fact, all the columns on the sloping east tower wall are picked up on a truss that slopes with the east facade. The four columns supporting this truss are strategically located to work with the podium layout.

Both phases are steel structures with concrete on metal deck composite floor slabs and feature 40' x 45' bays for optimal office layout and steel efficiency.

Height: 600 feet

http://www.cantorseinuk.com/cs_port_detail.cfm?pid=50#

[antinimby]

Wonderful news.
Here's the rendering of the 16-story first Phase:

http://www.cantorseinuk.com/images/largeImages/50_cs_detail_img1_lg.gif

[sfenn1117]

That is fantastic news. A tall tower to complement the green giant over there.

If the crane is arriving for the 30+ story tower, does that mean the two towers are being built simultaneously? The description makes it seem like the first phase would be open while the second is being built.

[kliq6]

the area is going to be the next hot residential place but i dont think it will become a office area for many many reasons, some bad news today on that front in the post as it has been something I heard for a bit and with 200 plus employees leaving since the move, it has to be done probally:

June 28, 2006 -- MET Life may be planning on bringing its minions back to high-rent Manhattan from el-cheapo Long Island City, where they have been perched at Bridge Plaza at 27-01 Queens Plaza North since 2002.
Sources tell us Met Life may be buying an office condo of nearly 700,000 feet in the soon-to-be rejiggered Verizon Building at 1095 Ave. of the Americas.


A Met Life spokesman chalked it up to "rumor and speculation" and advised that they have an $8 billion war chest with which to buy properties.

Now owned by Sam Zell's Equity Office Properties, the 1.2 million-square-footer overlooking Bryant Park is getting a complete makeover and glass curtain wall, as previously reported by Post colleague Steve Cuozzo.

CB Richard Ellis represents the building, while Peter Riguardi, president of Jones Lang LaSalle, is handling Met Life.

CBRE would not comment and Riguardi didn't return calls. High rents could be one reason the insurance giant would be willing to buy the space, rather than leasing it for $70 to $85 a foot or more, only to be subject to the tightening office market and continually rising rents.

But Met Life now has nearly $30 million in city and state incentives over the life of its 20-year LIC lease for having brought the nearly 2,000 employees to Queens.

Returning to Manhattan would cost it some of that money and still leave Met Life on the hook for rent to the Brause family's Bridge Plaza.

A Met Life spokesperson noted the company is very active in the real estate market. "We are always looking at things, and sometimes will bid on something," said spokesman John Calagna. "When things like Verizon come up, because we are tied to so many transactions, we will not comment on rumor or speculation

[jrosa51894]

They are shutting down the streets on cresent and hunter bet 43rd ave and 44th drive for 6 months i am told:eek:

[antinimby]

The large rendering I posted above seems to have some minor differences to the one that was circulated earlier in the year (below). I wonder which is the most current one.

http://nyc.gov/portal/beans/photogallery/images/2004/07/13/4843/10048/DB7D2955b.jpg

[antinimby]

Here's what Court Square Two should look like with the Phase II addition:

http://cgarchitect.com/user_artwork/CitiGroupinQueensNY.jpg

[Peakrate212]

Here are developments that I like:

underutilized area - great transportation/views - nothing of quality torn down.

Expanding the quality office space market while giving tenants a cheaper alternative to Manhattan, while staying in New York City.


Seems like a no-brainer, and yet..
Jesus, why is that so hard to do in NYC?

[pianoman11686]

Of course, that's why this sounds so familiar! I've seen that rendering many times before, but I think it always considered a pipe dream, abandoned for the more conservative 14-story building. It all makes sense now. Thanks anti.

It's great to see Citigroup continuing its investment in NYC, and not moving jobs to Jersey. I'm sure this is not being done just because of cost analysis (i.e. whether Jersey City is cheaper than LIC). The Long Island City campus lies on a straight line extending east from 53rd street, which is the location of at least 3 major offices for Citigroup, all within 3 subway stops along the E.

More on Court Square Two: http://newyork.construction.com/projects/TopPrj_05-06/TPstrt16-20.pdf

[Stern]

Anitnimby the rendering you posted at the top is the version that is being built. I dont believe that there is an option for an addition later on. I believe the rendering of the taller building was floating around in hopes of another tenant signing on. Since another tenant hasn't signed on the tower portion has since been chopped off. Perhaps there is a chance that the addition can be built in the future, but when does this ever actually happen?

[ramvid01]

i passed by the site today, and i saw what seemed to be peices for a kangaroo crane, which would support the theory that they are actually doing phase 2 also. :D

[antinimby]

Definitely keep us updated, ramvid.
I would like to see Phase II, too.
Maybe the hot Manhattan office market right now is making Citigroup more confident.

[krulltime]

"Build it and they will come." ~ Field of Dreams (1989)

[jrosa51894]

I spoke to the crane workers today (I also live on 43rd ave) It's going to be a 30+ story building. Thank you for raising my property value citigroup.:D

[tmg]

I have a question about the UN Credit Union building, which I assume is the northernmost (rightmost) of the buildings in the picture Antinimby posted. This rendering shows the building with a glass Eastern facade, yet the building going up has an ugly blank wall there instead. Will they cover this wall with glass? Or are there plans for another tower immedately adjoining the UN Credit Union?

[jrosa51894]

It will stay that ugly gray color. However i was told that is because once that 5 story residential building behing it is torn down a large building will replace it including the parking lot site. i hear 18-20 stories. i can't wait for that:cool: So the UN Credit corp will be built right up against it.

[Jaffter]

"Commercial projects include a new regional headquarters for HSBC Bank"


Anybody know where this is supposed to be??

[ramvid01]

its at the gaseteria site, which is at the corner of queens blvd and jackson, diagonal from the queens plaza garage.

[Jaffster]

Is there any info? Is it going to be big?

[Strattonport]

its at the gaseteria site, which is at the corner of queens blvd and jackson, diagnal from the queens plaza garage.

Hey, I know where that is. Right next to the Sunnyside rail yards. I'm happy to see development has gone that deep into LIC.

[investordude]

I went to check out the area today and was pretty excited to see all that's going on. One site I couldn't map to a project that's been written about is a large site across the street east of the Avalon Riverview North site. It's directly across the street from it, further from Manhattan. Does anyone know what's being built there?

[Jaffster]

I went to check out the area today and was pretty excited to see all that's going on. One site I couldn't map to a project that's been written about is a large site across the street east of the Avalon Riverview North site. It's directly across the street from it, further from Manhattan. Does anyone know what's being built there?
Isn't that the second building from Rockrose?

[shocka]

I went to check out the area today and was pretty excited to see all that's going on. One site I couldn't map to a project that's been written about is a large site across the street east of the Avalon Riverview North site. It's directly across the street from it, further from Manhattan. Does anyone know what's being built there?

I think you are refering to the Toll Brothers project.
http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?p=94975&highlight=toll+brothers#post94975

[investordude]

In this article about the revival of Queens Plaza, they claim a motel currently considered a hotbed for prostitution will be converted to a hotel. It also reconfirms that Tishman plans to build an office tower on the Queens Plaza parking lot. The article is pretty vague on the hotel conversion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/09/nyregion/thecity/09plaz.html

[shocka]

In this article about the revival of Queens Plaza, they claim a motel currently considered a hotbed for prostitution will be converted to a hotel. It also reconfirms that Tishman plans to build an office tower on the Queens Plaza parking lot. The article is pretty vague on the hotel conversion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/09/nyregion/thecity/09plaz.html

I pass the hotel all the time and there is ALOT of construction going on there. There is a sign on wood that says "we are still open" but now the windows are boarded. Hey anything would be considered "luxury" compared to what was there.

I still ask though what is the point of a lux hotel there.

[investordude]

I actually can see a value in a hotel there for film/TV now that those industries are returning to studios in Brooklyn/Queens. Also, some people who currently stay at overpriced motels in Manhattan might be tempted by comfortable new surroundings at the same price that are so close by rail.

[shocka]

I actually can see a value in a hotel there for film/TV now that those industries are returning to studios in Brooklyn/Queens. Also, some people who currently stay at overpriced motels in Manhattan might be tempted by comfortable new surroundings at the same price that are so close by rail.

I understand for the entertainment industry, but those trying to avoid manhattan prices, unless uhave a car, that location is not really the best. I mean as long as you dont mind walking, you can goto F @ Queensbridge, the Many Options at Queens Plaza or 7 @ Vernon/Jackson.

[Peakrate212]

Yes, Toll Bros. and its a condo

[Jaffster]

http://www.curbed.com/archives/2006_06_LIC1.jpg
LIC is only getting better!

Are you sure we're not talking about the building marked "2nd luxury rental"? That one is 1 block further from manhattan from the one that is already built, and ground has been broken already.

[investordude]

I think I was looking a the Toll Brothers site. LIC is really up and coming - its exciting to walk around there - I think its great there is so much construction its hard to tell which project is which.

[ramvid01]

heres a model of the east coast development

http://www.queenswest.com/eastcoast/pictures/20060710_eastcoast_4027_52.jpg/view

theres also more pictures of apartments and the such in the slideshow.

[CMANDALA]

View from Gantry Park, July 8, 2006

[macreator]

They really did a nice job with that park

[jrosa51894]

Has anybody got any info on the hunter street condos that are to be built on hunter st bet 43rd ave and 44th drive or that the building located at 27-01 was sold and there may be possible condos there?

[infoshare]

heres a model of the east coast development


Great link AWesome!:)
thanks.

Also some good LIcity photos here (http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/LIC/lic.html)

[investordude]

There's a thumbnail of it on the Avalon site - http://www.avalonriverviewnorth.com/

I think it looks kind of boxy - it's good to see height and life come to LIC but I think the shape could be more interesting.

[Strattonport]

Silvercup gets approval for $1-billion project in Long Island City
By:Nathan Duke
07/14/2006

Times-Ledger article link (http://www.timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16924566&BRD=2676&PAG=461&dept_id=573700&rfi=6)
Silvercup Studios' $1 billion expansion project was approved unanimously on July 12 by the City Department of Planning and include new plans to offer affordable housing. Silvercup executives will meet with the City Council in August for final approval of the project.

The expansion project includes eight new soundstages, luxury and affordable housing, office and retail space and a waterfront esplanade in Long Island City. A new provision by Community Board 2, which covers Long Island City, Woodside and Sunnyside, to the project is that it must include 15 percent affordable housing.
City Planning representatives and elected officials praised the project, saying that it will help in the revitalization of the Queens waterfront and boost the borough's economy.
"The Silvercup West project embraces key priorities of this administration: fostering development of a key regional business district, providing jobs, creating new housing opportunities, reclaiming the waterfront for public use and design excellence," said Amanda Burden, of the City Planning Commission. "Its visibility and distinction will enhance the image of the city worldwide."

[Jaffster]

Is there any activity at the River East site? I haven't heard anything.

[webuiltthiscity]

It looks like the location of the Pepsi Sign has been changed from this model:
http://www.queenswest.com/eastcoast/pictures/20060710_eastcoast_4027_52.jpg?display=small[/URL]

To a new location directly in front of 4720 Center Blvd:
http://www.queenswest.com/eastcoast/pictures/20060710_eastcoast_4027_5.jpg?display=small[URL="http://www.queenswest.com/eastcoast/pictures/20060710_eastcoast_4027_5.jpg?display=small"] (http://www.queenswest.com/eastcoast/pictures/20060710_eastcoast_4027_52.jpg?display=small)

Can anyone confirm this? I am considering relocating to LIC but don't necessarily think a neon red glow at night on the bedroom walls is the most relaxing mood lighting. It would be impossible to know unless I could get a tour of the model apts at night, which in the summertime is most definitely after business hours.

Thanks

[Peakrate212]

The sign has been moved to its new location....wherever that exactly is.....just go look

[BrooklynRider]

The sign faces Manhattan, so I don;t think you'll have to deal with the glow of the neon.

[shocka]

It looks like the location of the Pepsi Sign has been changed from this model:
http://www.queenswest.com/eastcoast/pictures/20060710_eastcoast_4027_52.jpg?display=small

To a new location directly in front of 4720 Center Blvd:
http://www.queenswest.com/eastcoast/pictures/20060710_eastcoast_4027_5.jpg?display=small

Can anyone confirm this? I am considering relocating to LIC but don't necessarily think a neon red glow at night on the bedroom walls is the most relaxing mood lighting. It would be impossible to know unless I could get a tour of the model apts at night, which in the summertime is most definitely after business hours.

Thanks

Well the proof is there in the pictures, but the sign is supposed to be moved to another location if I am correct. Your best bet to really get info on LIC is to check out QueensWest.com the people there are friendly and really know the future happenings of LIC. Between QueensWest, Curbed and OuterB you should get the latest info on LIC.

Also if you are serious on moving to the East Coast... go there at night regardless you will love the views from Gantry park.. will make the decision that much easier.

[ramvid01]

The sign is in it's temporary position. The final spot the sign will be is to the north. It was said somewhere on the site's plan.

[jrosa51894]

Six stories down 32 to go. i say it will be topped out by late dec

[Derek2k3]

Thanks for the pic. Are you sure they're building all 38 stories at one time? The articles seem to hint 15-38 will come later and construction permits are only approved for 15 stories.

This one would be amazing...It's 600' between Citigroup and Queens Plaza.

http://static.flickr.com/67/202536517_282f5f6b67_o.jpg
TEN Arquitectos (http://www.ten-arquitectos.com)

From the Architect's Newspaper

Queens Street Apartments
Location:43–17 Dutch Kills Street
Developer:ROSMA Development
Architect(s):TEN Arquitectos
Consultant(s):Mehandes Engineering, D.V.A.
Size:600 units, 500,000 sq. ft.
Completion (est.):Unavailable

http://www.archpaper.com/features/2006_13_developers_list.htm

The Eagle Electric Manufacturing Company owned eight buildings in Long Island City, including the six-story cast-in-place concrete warehouse that will serve as a base for TEN Arquitectos’ 600-foot-tall slab. The residential project, still in concept phase, is in the recently upzoned area along Jackson Avenue near the Sunnyside Yards.


More new projects on the site.

[krulltime]

Very cool. I like it. Please keep building Long Island City!

[krulltime]

Here are some other interesting renderings...


Queens West Development Project
Queens, NY


Queens West Development rises on a 24-acre waterfront site in Long Island City in the borough of Queens. Our client, interested in purchasing the stage II site, asked for a schematic design for a presentation to the governing municipal agencies and to Pepsi-Cola, which owns the waterfront site. Four residential towers were placed toward the eastern side of the site. A striking, 50-story elliptical glass tower at the north end of the site is the focal point of the complex. As part of the scheme, the goal was to create a strong street facade along one side of Center Boulevard and step up the massing toward the towers. By having one tower directly face the water and Manhattan, we were able to create outdoor park space within the residential complex that would connect with the main recreational park across to this side of Center Boulevard. All these structures will be in a park setting accessible to pedestrians and with limited vehicle access.


Long Island City
Site: 24 Acres
Recreational Parkland: 7 Acres
Square Footage: 2.6 million SF.
Number of Stories: Ranges from 4-50 Stories
Number of Residential Units: 2,500
Number of Parking Spaces: 2,000



http://www.meltzermandl.com/projects/ls-project/Qwest/qwest1-pop.jpg

http://www.meltzermandl.com/projects/ls-project/Qwest/qwest2-pop.jpg


http://www.meltzermandl.com/projects/ls-project/queenswest.htm

[JCMAN320]

I like the eliptical building. Here in Jersey City that would be called the Elipse which is being built at Newport. Still can't find a rendering but it is similar to that except MUCH taller.

[pianoman11686]

Define MUCH, and keep in mind this one is planned to be 50 stories.

[JCMAN320]

Oh ok, than about the same height I guess, but it's not going to look so fat as this one does. The Elipse planned for Newport is more sleek and elegant not so stumpy as this one looks.

[Stern]

Define MUCH, and keep in mind this one is planned to be 50 stories.

This is a never-built project. Derek posted about this one two years ago. This was a design proposal for the Rockrose development site which was given to Arquitectonica and since then to other architects.

[ablarc]

Dull, mindless and suburban. Glad it's been abandoned; maybe something better will come along.

[BrooklynRider]

Here are some other interesting renderings...



Man, you are doing a lot of digging arond today. Some great posts today. You looking for anything specific or just poking around to see what's new?

[sfenn1117]

Thanks for posting that Derek. That is an incredible proposal that I really hope materializes. It would be highly visible in all directions.

[Jaffster]

Has anyone been down to Queens West lately? Has either tower started to rise yet?

[ramvid01]

I actually went by Queens West a few hours ago. It seems the Avalon development is ready to start moving as i saw 2 crane peices sitting outside the site. Maybe the crane will go up this week. As for Court Square 2, that thing has shot up, its got 7 full floors and they are already half way done with floors 8 and 9.

[Jaffster]

What about the 2nd East Coast tower?

[jrosa51894]

9 stories down 20+ to go:)

[krulltime]

^ lets hope it doesn't stop at 15 stories. ;)

[jrosa51894]

Hey Krulltime

I live one block from the site and the construction workers keep saying 30+ stories. i hope they are right also.:cool:

[Strattonport]

Are you guys talking about the middle building? What's the right one?

[Jaffster]

The UNFCU building

[jrosa51894]

we are talking about the new citigroup building.:rolleyes:

[Jaffster]

Are they doing all the stories at once, or are they doing 15 and then the extension?

[sfenn1117]

Because of personal reasons, my aunt is relocating from Turtle Bay to LIC. She has signed a lease at the first Rockrose building. She moves in August 28th, I leave for VT Sept 2nd, so if I don't go crazy in between that stretch I'm going to go visit her and get some photos from her apartment (10th floor)/the roof. She made sure she got the Manhattan view!

[kliq6]

LIC has a great future as a true residential area!!!

[Jaffster]

Has anyone been down there to take pics lately?

[jrosa51894]

yes they are building the entire buidling at once bet 30-40 stories

[Strattonport]

Met Life May Yank 1,700 Jobs From LIC
By IMAN KHAN

Link to article (http://www.queenstribune.com/news/1156617188.html)

Met Life, the international insurance company known the world over by its dancing Snoopy logo, may be waltzing 1,700 jobs out of Long Island City and leaving a giant vacant space in the middle of one of the areas seeing the most development in Queens.

According to Crain’s New York Business, the insurance company may be in talks to lease a large block of space at 1095 Sixth Ave., the office tower that Equity Office Properties Trust is renovating across from Bryant Park in Manhattan.

The company decided to relocate nearly 1,000 workers to Queens in 2001, which was hailed as a move that would help boost the boroughs outside Manhattan. It validated the city’s strategy of luring cost-conscious firms to less-expensive locations. In exchange for signing a 20-year lease, the company received more than $26 million in city tax and energy incentives and $4.3 million in state funding. It isn’t clear if MetLife would have to return any of that money should they move.

MetLife is believed to have encountered resistance from employees because its buildings are far from the area’s commercial and transportation core. Also, a predicted transformation of the area has not yet occurred.

“The borough president reached out to the president of Met Life, who reportedly is out of the country. She was told she could speak to his assistant. She wants only to speak to the president,” said Dan Andrews, spokesman for Helen Marshall. “She wants to ask him to be patient. The Queens Plaza Renaissance is going on, but it is not happening overnight.”

“The problem with MetLife is that, unlike the [Long Island City] Citibank building, there is no direct subway access where they are located,” said John Maltz, the president of Queens-based brokerage firm Greiner-Maltz Real Estate.

For her part, Marshall has also reached out to Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, and asked him to do all that the City can do to keep them here, according to Andrews.

“MetLife has been a great addition to Long Island City and a vital part of the rebirth of Queens Plaza,” said Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria). “I intend to do whatever it takes to keep them in Queens.”

Long Island City has seen massive growth since Citibank moved in more than a decade ago, and a bustling growth is occurring in the area south of Queens Plaza, with multiple developments being built at once. However, plans for Queens Plaza itself, which have been in the works for several years, have not yet come to fruition.

A spokesman for Met Life did not return calls.

[investordude]

They have been threatening forever to build a skyscraper on the Queens Plaza garage site. That would be an ideal place for these employees to stay in Queens and make the stay more appealing.

[ramvid01]

They have been threatening forever to build a skyscraper on the Queens Plaza garage site. That would be an ideal place for these employees to stay in Queens and make the stay more appealing.

thats definitly not the problem, since MetLife built the annex to their office in LIC, they just don't find the area attractive, and i don't blame them. Their excuse for lack of transportation is a joke though, the 7 train is across the street, and the ERVG are across the plaza, not a terrible walk away at all.

[investordude]

I think this article about Boymelgreen wanting to make modifications but held up for approval is a classic example of how excessive government in New York makes it difficult to get things done: http://www.queenstribune.com/news/1156617282.html

Why should something this minor require government review?

[kliq6]

thats definitly not the problem, since MetLife built the annex to their office in LIC, they just don't find the area attractive, and i don't blame them. Their excuse for lack of transportation is a joke though, the 7 train is across the street, and the ERVG are across the plaza, not a terrible walk away at all.

I work in the industry and have some inside info on this. Basically one of there top female VP's was chased after leaving the complex to late. This along with certain promises from the state to develop there area around there site has made them second guess there move. Morale also dropped significantly when they moved there. This is not like Citigroup that put its Human Resource and Credit Card operations in Queens, Metlife put most of there company, save 100 exec's that are at 200 Park Ave.

[investordude]

Quite a while ago on the thread, the claim was made that Schwartz chemical factory construction had halted because the owner was selling it.

It could have been echoes from other development, but I could have sworn I heard people working inside the building when I walked by it today. Are they still building that one out?

[ramvid01]

Quite a while ago on the thread, the claim was made that Schwartz chemical factory construction had halted because the owner was selling it.

It could have been echoes from other development, but I could have sworn I heard people working inside the building when I walked by it today. Are they still building that one out?

You mean the powerhouse construction? From what I understand the construction is still going.

[virtualchoirboy]

I was recently offered a job in Long Island City. I took a tour of the area this morning and that Queens plaza site is a eye sore. However, there are no less than 5 high rise projects in the area.

There is a lot of good, but there is some work that needs to be done.

[Peakrate212]

Its important to realize LIC is a HUGE place.....and there is a big difference between Queens Plaza and the Hunter's Point section, which is on the waterfront and is one stop on the 7 train to Grand Central.

[ramvid01]

Took some pictures of some of the development at Queens West today...

Crane for second Rockrose building being set up
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7569/contruction9702to9.th.png (http://img165.imageshack.us/my.php?image=contruction9702to9.png)
Construction of Avalon Riverview and crane
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/9880/contruction9703ye7.th.png (http://img165.imageshack.us/my.php?image=contruction9703ye7.png)
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7539/contruction9704ni0.th.png (http://img165.imageshack.us/my.php?image=contruction9704ni0.png)
Again the Rockrose crane being setup
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/5941/cranegoingup9706rr5.th.png (http://img165.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cranegoingup9706rr5.png)
Both cranes
http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/125/cranegoingupagain9706ks1.th.png (http://img165.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cranegoingupagain9706ks1.png)

[Strattonport]

Faso talks about Met Life move

BY JESSICA LYONS (jlyons@queenscourier.com)

Link to article (http://queenscourier.com/articles/2006/09/22/news/news02.txt)

Thursday, September 21, 2006 2:40 PM CDT

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Faso held a roundtable discussion with local media at the Cup Diner in Astoria on Monday, September 18, discussing state-wide issues while also touching upon more local ones, such as the possibility of Met Life relocating its headquarters from Queens.

In regards to Met Life, Faso said he would investigate the reasoning behind their desire to relocate, which would include seeing if they were receiving incentives.

After saying that he heard scuttlebutt that getting to the facility was an issue with some, Faso transitioned into talking about improving mass transit. He said that he would take the $600 million dollars in taxes that New Yorkers pay on gasoline and diesel fuel out of the general fund and put it towards road, bridge and mass transit improvements.

Decrying that New Yorkers pay 53 percent more in taxes than anywhere else in the nation, Faso also said that cutting taxes, along with fiscal restraint and reform, is a major point in his campaign. He said cuts need to be made in individual taxes, corporate taxes, property tax and income tax.

“I think it's very important for us to cut taxes,” said Faso, who attended Archbishop Molloy High School.
Education was also a prominent topic that Faso talked about, saying that he is in favor of charter schools and education tax credits. He said that he is “skeptical” of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. Faso listed some ways that the education system could be reformed by measuring performances, creating a system of accountability, giving incentives to teachers and creating alternate certification methods.

“I just fundamentally don't believe that just shoveling more money into the existing system is a recipe for improving results,” said Faso, who visited Our World Neighborhood Charter School in Astoria the same day as the roundtable.

Although Faso trails opponent Eliot Spitzer in the polls, he said he is hoping to “reach enough voters to make it a competitive election.

“I knew right from the get go that this was the position I was going to be in September,” he said. “People, not polls, vote.”

[Strattonport]

Met Life Reportedly To Quit Queens
By IMAN KHAN
September 21, 2006

Link to article (http://www.queenstribune.com/news/1158881226.html)

http://www.queenstribune.com/upload/images/deadline1_092106.jpg
Reports state that Met Life will leave Queens. Tribune Photo By Ira Cohen

As Long Island City continues to grow and develop, Met Life may not be invested in waiting around for the development to reach its full realization as their move back to Manhattan was reported last Friday.

Met Life originally came to Long Island City with a package from the city worth $26 million in tax incentives as a part of the city’s effort to kickstart the business growth of the area in 2001. According to a source, the company has received approximately $12 million from that deal and would be in violation of the terms of the deal if it moved 100 percent of its workforce out of Queens before 2011. The company would also still need to remain in New York through at least 2021.

If Met Life does indeed leave Queens to return to Manhattan, they would leave behind a giant vacant space in an area of Queens seeing the most development, and take with them 1,700 jobs, which will undoubtedly have a profound economic impact on the area.

“Long Island City remains one of New York City’s best opportunities for growth, and its ongoing development continues to be a priority for the Bloomberg Administration,” said Andrew Brent, Director of Public Affairs for New York City’s Economic Development Corporation. “Given MetLife’s existing lease in Long Island City, if it moves part of its operations to Manhattan, it would do so with the confidence that it would be able to find new commercial tenants to take its place, and considering the level of activity underway, I think it’s clear that the development community is equally optimistic about the future of the area.”

A possible reason for their departure may be the resistance they have encountered from employees as a result of their buildings being far from the area’s commercial and transportation core, and therefore difficult to commute to.

“I am extremely saddened and disappointed by Friday’s report that MetLife plans to leave Long Island City and return to Manhattan after a comparatively brief stay of five years in an area that has been rezoned for office space, undergone street, landscaping and transportation improvements and attracted renewed interest from developers and businesses over the past several years,” said Borough President Helen Marshall. “The face of Long Island City is changing as it gets older and adjusts to a new age of redevelopment.”

Long Island City has seen massive growth since Citibank moved in more than a decade ago. The company is now building a second structure, and a bustling growth is occurring in the area south of Queens Plaza, with multiple developments being built at once.

Silvercup Studios is slated to begin a $1 billion expansion along the East River that will include 1,000 residential apartments and a waterfront esplanade. The United Nations Credit Union will soon open in a new building in Long Island City as well.

“Be assured that the recent improvements in and around Long Island City will continue to make it attractive for companies looking to relocate or expand,” said Marshall. “If only MetLife had a little more patience, and cultivated the vision that residents and businesses at the nearby Queens West redevelopment project possessed, MetLife would also see transformation, growth and progress take root and feed on itself.”

Although no official announcement has yet been made about the departure, talks of Met Life’s move have been circulating since mid-July.
“We are working with MetLife to ensure that if the company moves jobs to Manhattan, it retains a significant portion in Long Island City while extending the length of its commitment to Queens,” said Brent.

[shocka]

I want to know what buyers in the Queens Plaza Building have to say about this?

[Strattonport]

Across the East River and Poised for Growth


By LISA CHAMBERLAIN
Published: September 27, 2006
Link to article (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/27/realestate/commercial/27queens.html)

The many advantages of Long Island City, Queens (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/queens/?inline=nyt-geo), as an alternative commercial district in close proximity to Midtown Manhattan (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/?inline=nyt-geo) have long been promoted by the city: qualities like great transportation, cheap space and sweeping views of the island just across the East River. Now, with nearly a million square feet of commercial office space coming out of the ground within the next year, the vibrancy of this submarket in Queens will be put to the test.

At the head of the line is the new Court Square Place, the first commercial property built here on speculation. The 16-story 275,000-square-foot building near the 48-story Citigroup tower is owned and operated by the United Nations (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/united_nations/index.html?inline=nyt-org) Federal Credit Union, which will move into the building’s second through seventh floors by the end of the year and is marketing the other floors to potential tenants.

http://graphics10.nytimes.com/images/2006/09/27/business/450_queens.jpg
Court Square Place, a 16-story building, is the first commercial property in Long Island City built on speculation. - G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times

By any measure, the building rivals new construction in Manhattan. Designed by HLW International, an architecture and engineering firm, it is being built by the Tishman Construction Corporation, builder of 7 World Trade Center.

Rents in Long Island City are considerably lower than for new construction in Midtown Manhattan. The annual asking rent at Court Square Place is $42 a square foot, but with state and city incentives for relocating there, tenants will pay closer to $26. Space of this quality could cost $85 to $100, or even more, in Midtown.

Yet, leasing activity has not exactly happened at a frenzied pace, despite skyrocketing rents and minuscule vacancy rates in Midtown. The building has been marketed by JRT Realty Group since early this year without securing a tenant, although Greg Smith, executive vice president of JRT, is confident there will be announcements by the end of the year.

“There’s been a lot of activity,” Mr. Smith said on a tour of the building. “We’re talking to enough tenants to fill half the space. Until very recently, the building wasn’t ready to be shown.”


If the current overall commercial vacancy rate in Long Island City — 2.9 percent — is any indication, there is demand for space. According to Cushman & Wakefield, of the total 7.1 million square feet in this submarket, only 204,000 square feet is available. But some of the new construction will start to show up in the statistics soon. In addition, one of Long Island City’s most visible tenants, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, is said to be looking to move to the former Verizon building on 42nd Street and Avenue of the Americas after just five years in its current space at Queens Plaza North.

“Companies can be in Long Island City in a comparable building for 50 percent of the cost of Midtown,” said Patrick Gardner, senior vice president at Cresa Partners, a corporate real estate advisory firm. “But despite all of the savings, it’s very difficult to get tenants to pull the trigger and move there. MetLife is finding that they’ve lost key personnel. The biggest asset is the employees, and as long as the job market is reasonably healthy, people will want to stay in Midtown.”

In addition to the nearly one million square feet currently rising out of the ground in Long Island City, including a second Citigroup tower and the United Nations Federal Credit Union building, several other projects are in the planning process.

Gotham Center, formerly called Midtown East, is being developed by Tishman Speyer Properties, which also owns Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler Building. If all goes as planned, this project could eventually expand to occupy two large parcels along Queens Plaza, creating as much as three million new square feet of office and retail space.

There is also Silvercup West, a planned development by Silvercup Studios that received final approval from the city in August. Plans for this mixed-use project along the East River include 650,000 square feet of commercial space in addition to residences and sound stages.

“We consider Long Island City to be Midtown East,” said Stuart Match Suna, president of Silvercup, the largest film and television production center in New York. “Our project is modeled in part on what’s been happening on the West Coast, where office space geared toward media companies is springing up around film studios.”


Given an explosion of film and television production in New York City (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/?inline=nyt-geo) in the last two years, a targeted commercial office sector is perhaps less of a gamble than building on speculation in hopes of catching the overflow of Midtown. But even that might not be such a gamble after all.

Even if the United Nations Federal Credit Union building does not lease its space immediately, it is still a good investment for the credit union, according to its vice president and general counsel, John Lewis (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/john_lewis/index.html?inline=nyt-per). “We identified Long Island City three years ago as the place to be,” he said. “Call us lucky or smart, but before we even move in, the building will have appreciated by 30 percent,” based on independent appraisals.


The Long Island City Business Development Corporation, a business improvement district, had no comment on the possible move of MetLife out of Long Island City, but Andrew Ebenstein, the district’s operations manager, said that even if true, it was merely a blip in the progress of the area’s commercial and retail sectors.


“Like everything, you need the critical mass,” Mr. Ebenstein said. “You can look at how much is being built, and it’s moments away. Most large projects are not yet constructed and waiting for anchors. As soon as a tenant is signed to the U.N. building, it will signal what the market is and will be.”

[Edward]

http://www.qgazette.com/news/2006/0927/Front_page/
Riverview Apartments To Open
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

Gutted and completely rebuilt, the former Eagle Electric Company factory on 21st Street will soon officially become Riverview Apartments. Although an opening date has not yet been announced, the $30 million coop development has been given the green light by the state attorney general's office.

"We have been approved [to sell] and will begin to market at the end of this month," said Joseph Pistilli, chief operating officer for Pistilli Realty Group, developers of the project, at the September meeting of the United Community Civic Association (UCCA).

"We are very excited about this project for many reasons," said Vincent Reilly, sales and marketing director for Riverview Apartments. "These are very large apartments," he said of the 188 units at Riverview.

One-bedroom apartments will range in size from 650 square feet to 865 square feet, at purchase prices from $254,000 to $328,000 (median price $305,000). An average two-bedroom apartment is 1,400 square feet at $556,000, while an average three-bedroom apartment is 1,750 square feet at $750,000. Some three-bedroom units have lofts and mezzanines.

"The average square footage (for an apartment) is 1,400 square feet and an average apartment in the building will cost about $550,000," said Pistilli. "[Prices] will also depend on the floor, view, and location of apartments. It's not only the apartment's size."

Bordered by 19th and 21st Streets and 24th Avenue and 23rd Terrace, the units in Riverview Apartments on the 19th Street side will have views of Astoria Park, the East River and the Triborough Bridge.

"There are river views, but actually, all three sides of the building have really nice views," Pistilli said.

The original factory and warehouse, built in the 1920s, is a three-story building in which half of the units are located. Three additional stories were added to the original factory building as part of the redevelopment and the remaining units are located in a new five-story building built next to the old factory. All are linked together.

"The apartments are [each] very different," said Pistilli. "They're not square, they're not boxy, they're very artistic."

"Typically, topend new construction in Long Island City goes for $800 a square foot," Reilly said. "Riverview is between $500 and $600 per square feet."

In addition, Reilly said maintenance charges, typically set at $1.50 to $2.00 per square foot are between $1.06 and $1.22 at Riverview. For example, an apartment of 700 square feet would have a monthly maintenance charge of about $700, he said.

While heat is included, gas, electricity and parking, are all additional. Parking spaces will be allocated on a rental basis. There will be a doorman at the 24th Avenue main entrance and security personnel on site.

"The best way to find out a [unit] price is to call Mr. Reilly to make an appointment and come on down to see an apartment and get a feel for the building," Pistilli said. Reilly can be reached at 718204-1600.

Approval by the state attorney general's office is required for a co-op or condominium plan in New York state. The attorney general also requires that any condominium developer own both the building and the land.

Pistilli Realty does not own the land at Riverview, instead leases it from Eagle Electric with an agreement to purchase in no later than 10 years. Therefore, Riverview Apartments can only be offered at this time for sale as a cooperative development and not as a condominium.

The plan is to refinance Riverview eventually. "When the [cooperative] board takes over there is an opportunity to convert from co-op to condo," said Pistilli. The Riverview plan approved by the attorney general's office includes a provision making it mandatory that co-op apartment buyers participate in the purchase of the building and land.

Although co-ops and condominiums are both considered "common interest developments", a co-op building is owned by a cooperative housing corporation, while in a condominium, each unit owner owns his/her individual apartment.

Co-op owners do not own their units but they own a share in the cooperative corporation, and that co-op share gives them sole right to their living space. A coop is also generally stricter about screening prospective buyers and has more say in the handling of a unit.

Riverview is not 100 percent complete, but Pistilli said a temporary certificate of occupancy will probably be ready by Christmas or New Year's.

"The beauty of this development is the value. We're competitive," said Reilly.

A second Pistilli development, the conversion of the former Stern's warehouse, a 300,000 square foot industrial structure originally built by William Steinway, into a 200-unit residential condominium is still awaiting an approval from the attorney general's office.

[ramvid01]

Passed by LIC this week and saw that the new avalon tower is only on its 7th floor but i think its the parking structure and that the 2nd rockrose tower is on the 4th floor. As for 2 court square it seems that they are working on the 15th and 16th floor, which would make my believe that the tower portion is going to go up. Theres a few more construction sites going up, one i believe is the purves street buildilngs, its at least a good 10 floors up and then theres another construction going up right behind that horrible looking garage in queens plaza, i believe its a hotel/motel? Not sure.

[shocka]

http://lic.realityimpaired.net

Here is a little map of hte current residential buildings in LIC. It is not 100% complete and I doubt I will be updating it, as I have seen LIC is out of my budget.

[Derek2k3]

As for 2 court square it seems that they are working on the 15th and 16th floor, which would make my believe that the tower portion is going to go up..

Looks like you might be right, unless thats some double height mech. floor. The DOB permits still only indicates a 15 story building.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/2006/CIMG0378.jpg
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=2369843&postcount=145

[ramvid01]

If the renderings are any indication, the mech. floor is anything but double height, in fact from what I've read all the mech. and operations systems are in the basement (http://newyork.construction.com/projects/TopPrj_05-06/TPstrt16-20.pdf#search=%222%20court%20square%22) what i do find weird is that the permit is only for 15 floors. I' m guessing they haven't applied for an extension or maybe something else is up?

[lofter1]

I see on the rendering (at the pdf link) a good sized box on top of the 15 stories -- could easily be 2 stories worth of stuff.

Would they put HVAC in the basement? Also they need space for elevator mechanicals up above, no?

[ramvid01]

Maybe? I don't know, I've also tried to figure out how to find construction permits ont he DOB site but i don't seem to have any luck figuring out how to get it for this building? :confused:

[sfenn1117]

My aunt bought into East Coast. I came home for the weekend and finally visited her. I've never been to LIC....Ive seen many pictures, but man, the skyline is just incredible from over there. I finally appreciate the height of Trump World Tower! These pics are from the 11th floor rooftop:

Avalon Riverview North....working on the 8th floor:

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/6715/lic017nf3.th.jpg (http://img153.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lic017nf3.jpg)

Rockrose Building 2....working on the 5th floor:

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/5213/lic018uc6.th.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lic018uc6.jpg)

Court Square 2...I really hope we are getting the jumbo version:

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1376/lic020el6.th.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lic020el6.jpg)

What is the small building to the right of Citicorp u/c?

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2184/lic021pu6.th.jpg (http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lic021pu6.jpg)

The site of 5th street lofts and the Gantry basically finished:

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/3116/lic023ne5.th.jpg (http://img182.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lic023ne5.jpg)

Other shots....downtown skyline:

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9109/lic024ex7.th.jpg (http://img182.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lic024ex7.jpg)

Midtown zoomed in:

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/1576/lic027dz3.th.jpg (http://img206.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lic027dz3.jpg)

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6219/lic028ni3.th.jpg (http://img206.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lic028ni3.jpg)

Just incredible:

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/8498/lic031na8.th.jpg (http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lic031na8.jpg)

This neighborhood has so much potential. There are so many old warehouses that will inevitably succomb to development. The silvercup project is exciting, as is the prospect of more big office towers. It was all bound to happen.

And it sure was windy on the water! Summer days must be nice, but ouch in the winter.

[Derek2k3]

Nice shots, wish I had an aunt who lived above the 3rd floor.

Maybe? I don't know, I've also tried to figure out how to find construction permits ont he DOB site but i don't seem to have any luck figuring out how to get it for this building? :confused:

DOB (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/bispi00.jsp?static=true&s=44C7A034E318560DF046344337C7312E)
The address is 23-21 44 DRIVE, QUEENS

[lofter1]

All the DOB permits for this building (the latest updated at 9.27.06) show a 15 story building.

Mechanical sheds on the roof are not included in that number.

Again I have to ask: Who is the clever guy who lobbied to have roof-top mechanicals excluded from zoning regulations?

And why doesn't NYC have the requirement, as mentioned in a recent post about other cities (I can't find the post :( ), which requires that roof-top mechanicals be built in a way (via surrounding structure / landscaping) that they don't look like tool sheds on the top of buildings (as is the case throughout NYC, especially the cooling towers for HVAC) :confused: :confused:

[antinimby]

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/6715/lic017nf3.th.jpg (http://img153.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lic017nf3.jpg)
Is it me or do the floorplates on this one look razor-thin, like wafers?
Looks as if they'd crumble in your hands type thin.

Cost cutting? Trying to maximize the number of allowable floors?
The quality of these projects in this city are beginning to scare me.

The other question is, will they be streetlevel friendly?

[ramvid01]

That particular building will have ground floor retail, i believe the first rockrose tower also has some retail on it's ground floor that just opened.

[ramvid01]

Passed by 2 Court Square today, and it seems that glass has started to rise on the Hunter Street side of the building. It seems to be of a light greenish hue, but it's hard to tell how reflective it is since its in the shadow.

[antinimby]

Yeah, but we only want to know one thing.

Will it reach it's full height?

[kyle]

Looks like there's finally a Powerhouse website, but I don't know if it's an official one. Might interest some people here though, so I figured I'd post it.

http://thepowerhouselic.com/

[shocka]

Looks like there's finally a Powerhouse website, but I don't know if it's an official one. Might interest some people here though, so I figured I'd post it.

http://thepowerhouselic.com/

Even though that website is posted on the building itself, you dont think its offical?

[pianoman11686]

Yeah, but we only want to know one thing.

Will it reach it's full height?

New York Daily News (http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/462807p-389246c.html)

Long Island Citi gets little sister

Bank celebrates 2nd skyscraper in complex

By DONALD BERTRAND

Another tower - this one 15 stories high - is officially altering the skyline of Long Island City.

Last week, Citigroup celebrated the "topping off" of its $290 million, 528,000-square-foot building on 44th Road across from the 50-story Citibank building.

"This 15-story building is a tangible symbol of our continuing commitment to Long Island City, Queens and the city of New York," said Eric Eve, a Citigroup senior vice president. "Citigroup is very much committed [to] the continued growth of Queens."

With the final steel beam in place, Citigroup officials expect some 1,200 workers to be relocated to the building within a year.

The structure will house the national headquarters for the bank's credit card division as well as its branch banking headquarters.

"They took a chance many years ago by building this beautiful structure across the street here in Long Island City," said Borough President Helen Marshall, referring to the original skyscraper that opened at One Court Square in 1989.

"They were the only tall buildings here then. They made the right decision then and they continue to make the right decision with this wonderful, wonderful building."

Other politicians also were quick to praise Citigroup's commitment to Queens and Long Island City.

Calling the topping off a "joyful, joyful day for our city and particularly for Queens," Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Queens, Manhattan) praised the bank for its "historic leadership" and "for their vision for being the pioneer, real pioneer, for coming to Queens."

Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood, Woodside) spoke of Citigroup's "marvelous investment in our community."

The bank, said Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), came to Queens when many other big companies chose not to do so.

The new building is designed to be environmentally friendly, with a storm-water recycling program, high-efficiency fixtures and workstations that afford outside views to 90% of employees.

Next door, at Court Square Place, construction of a 16-story, 275,000- square-foot building is nearly finished. The United Nations Federal Credit Union is scheduled to move into the building by the end of the year.

"Long Island City has become a world class business district and this project represents a major milestone in its evolution," said Jerry Speyer, president and chief executive officer of Tishman Speyer. "We are proud of our work with Citigroup to help foster economic development in Long Island City."

Originally published on October 17, 2006

All contents © 2006 Daily News, L.P.

[Jaffster]

I guess the contruction worker lied about the height.

[Strattonport]

Well, there's always the possibility of building taller if they want to, right?

[ramvid01]

Well, there's always the possibility of building taller if they want to, right?

Yea, I'm pretty sure the bracing seen facing the 7 train is a clear indication that it was built with the tower in mind, hopefully they build it.

[kyle]

Any thoughts on here about the new Queens West South plans?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/nyregion/20queens.html?ref=nyregion

http://www.nysun.com/article/41992

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10202006/news/regionalnews/new_queens_stuy_town_regionalnews_tom_topousis.htm

http://therealestate.observer.com/2006/10/morphosis-morphs-into-mitchelllama.html

[jrosa51894]

Hey Jaffster.

Don't be so quick to knock my sources. look at the building. pat attention to the rear of the building where the 10 two story beams are sticking out of the top awaiting new floors. Now look at the pictures of the completed building as a 30+ building. looks like the building is going up just as planned to me. phase 1 complete and topped out. phase two continuing as we speak. They just announced the first phase complete because the media wanted to inform the public about the new low income jobs coming to the building. By the way they are wrapping the building very fast. i live across the street and these guys are non-stop.

[ramvid01]

Well its obvious that the building was constructed to accomidate a tower, but the problem is the permit only allows a 15 storey tower, maybe they will apply for an extension? (i hope)

[Derek2k3]

Here are those images I said I'd post of Court Square II.

http://static.flickr.com/60/277802940_9eb73d3aa2_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/111/277802945_9ddc7a6491_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/88/277802943_6a609a4b99_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/60/277802942_fd2fd7c5b8_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/97/277802941_b310171bd6_o.jpg
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
http://www.kpf.com

[Jaffster]

Can you confirm that phase 2 is actually being built?

[ramvid01]

Wow those are some great renderings, i really like the massing of the building, but it doesnt seem that phase II is being built just yet, as a crane right now occupies part of the tower site, and i think the corner building may play a role in phase 2 not being built.

[kyle]

Those are some *AMAZING* renderings! Thanks for posting them.

[krulltime]

Here are those images I said I'd post of Court Square II.

http://static.flickr.com/60/277802940_9eb73d3aa2_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/111/277802945_9ddc7a6491_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/88/277802943_6a609a4b99_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/60/277802942_fd2fd7c5b8_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/97/277802941_b310171bd6_o.jpg
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
http://www.kpf.com

Awesome! Thanks Derek2k3! I really want that tower to be built!

[antinimby]

I suspect we'll never see the second phase.

[Jaffster]

I agree.

[antinimby]

http://static.flickr.com/117/291841134_45313255e9_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124416876@N01/291841134/

[antinimby]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/325328054_3639e7750c_b.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50734824@N00/325328054/

[antinimby]

Is there a reason for the crane to still be there if the tower's been topped out for some time now?

Working on Phase 2 or wishful thinking on my part?

[ramvid01]

I'm not sure the reason for Citi not to build the tower portion. The only thing i can think of, is maybe they dont own the corner lots, which are needed for the tower portion, if you look closely in the renderings.

Either way, the ugly cinderblock/rubber wall on the other side of the building HAS to be temporary. I don't think citi would build such a crappy wall as a permanent one (hopes).

[Dagrecco82]

http://static.flickr.com/117/291841134_45313255e9_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124416876@N01/291841134/

I had family who used to live in the red-bricked building. I always remember watching the marathon from the side walk in front of Phase II. I also remember as a kid the random prostitutes you enountered when leaving the area for the 59th St. Bridge. :memories::o

[krulltime]

^ Lets just hope they never destroy that red-bricked building for new development. That is what is cool about keeping the old sometimes. Memories. :)

[macreator]

I'm sure it would be costly, but I always thought it would be awesome if a new building going up on let's say a whole city block gutted all of the worthy existing buildings and built through them and used the facades of some of the existing buildings as part of the new building's base while filling in empty spots with glass.

[Derek2k3]

Took these while on the FDR yesterday.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/329832913_3787ef1547.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98487711@N00/329832913/

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/329832912_47faba185e_o.jpg

[macreator]

Quite a view. I spot 4 buildings going up. Bring on the cranes!

[Jaffster]

What is the one all the way to the right?

[Derek2k3]

The Powerhouse
http://thepowerhouselic.com/

Tower coming in the second phase.

[kyle]

Are you sure about the tower part of the Powerhouse? Last I heard it was denied and that was that. They weren't to go ahead with it...just the smaller addition.

---kyle

[krulltime]

Are you sure about the tower part of the Powerhouse? Last I heard it was denied and that was that. They weren't to go ahead with it...just the smaller addition.

---kyle

Hmmm... Why would they denied it?

Anyway, I am loving the new skyine in LIC. :)

[kyle]

I dunno why it was denied, but I remember seeing the link to the denied permit on another site. That was the last of it.

Also, on the official website it just has the low-rise version...no mention or renderings of the taller tower part, so I think that's it.

I believe that there's only going to be like 200+ apartments too, so if the tower part was going to happen, they would say 'we'll have 400 or whatever available' since that's more in line with a building that was going to be over 25-30 stories tall.

[krulltime]

Well hopefully they build that tall tower... According to Karl Fischer Website, Phase 2 (The tall tower) will start in 2007. Will have my fingers crossed.


http://www.pbase.com/image/71999865.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/71999867.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/71999868.jpg

http://www.kfarchitect.com/

[Derek2k3]

If its a denied building permit I wouldn't worry about it. The developers will file again when they're actually ready to start construction. If the site is zoned for more square footage and can accomodate a tower I have no doubts they'll build it eventually.

[JCMAN320]

*Does double take at LIC pics thought it was JC for a moment with all them cranes* ;) Keep up the good work LIC!

[antinimby]

JC has a more substantial skyline than LIC.

LIC's is puny.

[sfenn1117]

LIC is just getting started.

[Derek2k3]

LIC has quite a ways to go before catching up to JC. I don't think we'll have buildings as tall either. I predict the entire Brooklyn-Queens waterfront will be more impressive than the Jersey waterfront in a decade though.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/331377355_f246acfbd6_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/126/331377352_1720076780_o.jpg

Here's a nice gallery of recent constructions in LIC. Newer pictures towards the end.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124416876@N01/sets/72157594364620337/

[sfenn1117]

^It'd be nice to get a couple tall buildings near the Citi Building, and it's certainly possible given the zoning.

Within 20 years I'd imagine the entire waterfront between the Williamsburg Bridge and Queensboro will be filled with towers. Hopefully more along the lines of Silvercup West then Avalon junk.

[Derek2k3]

Just a taste...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/332358481_7e99a886b5_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/332358479_21fccdf161_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/127/332358483_d57f02d1c8_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/146/332358487_4c9601a0d2_b.jpg

[ramvid01]

Nice collage of pictures Derek. Thanks.

[Derek2k3]

What a difference a river can make.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/98/215094321_1925b19dff_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/215094435_180666f4b7_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/67/215094475_d409f34156_o.jpg
Swanky Feline (http://www.flickr.com/photos/swankyfeline/)

[kyle]

Great pics derek! Wow, very cool.

[krulltime]

Project #1

45-56 Pearson Street
20 stories
Scarano & Associates Architects
Dev-Rosma Development
Residential Condominium
120 units
Proposed July 2005-Late 2006

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/597-building.JPG
Preliminary rendering by Scarano Architects of condominium project at 45-56 Pearson St. near Queens West waterfront.


Condo craze building
in Long Island City

Daily News Exclusive
http://www.nydailynews.com/business/story/292477p-250402c.html

By LORE CROGHAN
DAILY NEWS BUSINESS WRITER

The heart of Long Island City is finally going condo.

In a move that could touch off a wave of apartment construction, a Brooklyn condo developer bought the first major building site sold since the 37-block Queens industrial area was rezoned in mid-2001.

The developer is one of a host of builders from hot residential enclaves like Williamsburg who are looking for a new frontier.

"I see a very good opportunity in Long Island City," Mark Junger of Rosma Development told the Daily News. "I think it's going to be a hot neighborhood."

He paid $16.5 million for the site at 45-56 Pearson St. - where he's going to construct a 20-story "Manhattan-style building,"he said.

Until now, big residential projects have hugged the Queens West waterfront. The new condo tower will be further inland, off Jackson Avenue.

Junger's luxury tower will have fancy touches like a swimming pool with a retractable dome, a running track on one roof of the building, and a garden on another.

There will be 120 condos of varying sizes, from one-bedroom units to big penthouses. He plans to break ground by July, and spend the following year and a half building the project. The site now consists of a warehouse and parking lot.

It's too soon to set apartment prices, but Junger anticipates they'll run around $600 to $700 per square foot - comparable to condo rates in sought-after Williamsburg.

He expects to attract buyers who work in Manhattan - it's about a 15-minute subway ride to Grand Central Terminal.

Most of the 15 bidders for the development site wanted to build condos, and the rest were planning rental apartments, said Jeffrey Troy of Eastern Consolidated, the sale broker with colleagues Alan Miller and Louis Ricci.

Junger paid about $92 per buildable square foot for the site. As demand for sites in the nabe heats up, it will be hard to find land for less than $100 per buildable square foot, Eastern brokers predicted.

Still, that's not as high as Williamsburg land prices, which are approaching $150 per square foot.

Several Long Island City sites are now in play - Junger himself's going after one.

Originally published on March 23, 2005


What ever happened to this building? Is it under construction already?


http://www.pbase.com/image/72216614.jpg http://www.pbase.com/image/72216693.jpg

[kyle]

There seems to be some construction at Pearson, but don't know for sure if it's this particular site/building.

I'll try and head out around there this weekend and get some pictures up here.

[kyle]

Re; the Powerhouse...they updated their website with no mention of the taller tower portion of that building, so I'm pretty sure it's just going to be the 12-story building.

http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/DocumentOverviewServlet?requestid=2&passjobnumber=402513570&allbin=4000015

[ramvid01]

The guys over at Queens West have posted some pictures (http://www.queenswest.com/riverview/pictures/riverview_north) of Avalon North with the Rockrose building under construction in the backround.

I must say though, that the Avalon building facade seems to be the worst I've seen on anything of more than 5 floors (aside from the O'Hare POS).

[ld876]

What ever happened to this building? Is it under construction already?


http://www.pbase.com/image/72216614.jpg http://www.pbase.com/image/72216693.jpg

This reminds me of the Atelier. I don't like this one as much as the Atelier though...too many incongruities.

[antinimby]

The guys over at Queens West have posted some pictures (http://www.queenswest.com/riverview/pictures/riverview_north) of Avalon North with the Rockrose building under construction in the backround.
I must say though, that the Avalon building facade seems to be the worst I've seen on anything of more than 5 floors (aside from the O'Hare POS).Wow, the streetscapes around those Avalon developments are truly dreadful.

It's like they didn't learn a damn thing from all the urban design disasters in the past 50 years.

http://www.queenswest.com/riverview/pictures/riverview_north/20070108_riverview_north_36.jpg

[ramvid01]

That truely is just disgusting. I can't use words to desribe how bad that looks. Hopefully they'll cover that with some kind of fake wall or something, because thats just terrible.:mad:

[antinimby]

It's not so much how it looks (eventhough it does look horrendous) but what it does for the vibrancy of the area streets that's so horrible.

Empty, lifeless, dull.

[ramvid01]

Well thats just the corner. The actual tower has a lot of retail. But still. Ick.

[BrooklynRider]

Crime scene waiting to happen.

[kyle]

You should see what it looks like between the second Rockrose building and the second Avalon building...they have it blocked off, but it looks so bad and dark.

It practically tightens your chest to look at it...like the buildings will fall over you.

I'll try and get a picture one day this week if anyone is interested.

Also, the corner photo that's linked here doesn't show the Toll Brothers site which is across the street from all this and will be about 5-6 stories, I believe. It's going to be *SO* depressing when it's all built out.

[lofter1]

Pray for BIG trees ...

[sfenn1117]

Avalon has put up some of the ugliest residential buildings in the city, which is a real shame for a luxury home builder. That parking garage is disgraceful, as well as the tower itself. Compare to the Citylights garage which at least has retail on the street, and is made to look like the tower and not bare concrete. At least Rockrose is putting up pretty nice glass buildings.

[Peakrate212]

You see this is where I dont understand the City's (and its people) priorities.

How in the world was this approved? Above ground parking like this is something out of the worst of the 1960-70s. Have we learned nothing?

What an assault to the neighborhood which has been leary about development as it is.

I would rather see a building twice as tall than this awful parking garage.

Remember, the City sold Avalon the property - as well as at Chrystie Street...and Avalon has zero respect for the City and its citizens. It just a big F U to everyone.

Is a stop work order possible?

[ramvid01]

That parking lot is truely horrible, especially since it's on a corner. I don't think i ever saw any renderings of Avalon north with this parking lot shown, all they ever showed was the tower (which doesnt look like the render really).

In fact, I was so in shock of how horrible that parking lot looked, that I failed to mention it when i posted the link lol. :eek:

[ld876]

Pray for BIG trees ...

Redwoods.

[antinimby]

ramvid01, they don't draw up renderings for parking garages. Lol.

[antinimby]

This is exactly what I was talking about before that it's not a good idea to have such a large tract of land for them to build on.

Better to have them develop on individual plots scattered throughout the city.

It's like handing them a huge blank slate, there's so much room for them that they won't know how best to do it and chances are they'll get it wrong like they have proven here.

[Peakrate212]

Somebody needs to get Amanda Burden's limo driver to take her to see this.

[antinimby]

Yeah, so much for the article (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showpost.php?p=141176&postcount=130) that said how much she wants to foster streetlife in new developments...

[investordude]

Keep in mind the soil was polluted, and probably has a very shallow water line. I'm guessing there is a need for the parking to be above ground, unless you want leaking carcinogenic 100 year old oil byproducts seeping onto your car while its parked.

They key for me is - will they wrap it with retail at ground level? If they do, then I think they did what they could.

[antinimby]

^ Poor excuse.

The walls are made of thick concrete, not a brown paper bag.

And the last time I checked, cars contain plenty of toxic oils themselves.

So there's absolutely no excuse for that parking garage, none.

Anyway, on to other news...



Historic building doomed

Attempt to rescue old Boro Hall fails


http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/327-triangleBldg_jacksonAve.JPG
The Hacket Building, Queens'
first Borough Hall, is slated
for demolition.


BY DONALD BERTRAND

Another relic of Queens' storied history - a 19th-century building that was once home to Queens Borough Hall - is slated to fall to the wreckers' ball this month.

Plans call for the Hackett Building, situated on a triangular lot at the corner of Jackson Ave. and 49th St., to be replaced by an eight-story luxury condominium. The Buildings Department issued the required demolition permit on Jan 2.

The work will begin in the next one to two weeks and should take about a month to complete, said Jover Naranjo of Gladiators Contracting Corp. in Jackson Heights.

Neighborhood residents upset with the plans tried to get the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to save the structure.

"Its really disappointing; the neighborhood is losing a very valuable historical building," said Talitha Whidbee, who once ran a cafe on the ground floor of the Hackett Building. "More than 100 of us requested that the Landmarks Commission evaluate the property, but the Department of Buildings issued the [demolition] permit before Landmarks could act."

However, said Landmarks spokeswoman Elisabeth de Bourbon "We reviewed it and determined it did not rise to the level of an individual New York City landmark."

"[The building] has been altered over time and its integrity has been significantly compromised by major storefront alterations - making it impossible for us to consider it for designation," de Bourbon said.

Community Board 2 chairman Joe Conley said he met with owner Perry Fine to see what could be done to save a part of the building, which served as Queens Borough Hall from 1898 to 1916.

The building once housed a large department store, O. Demarest & Co. In 1898, it was made the seat of the Queens County government, when the Borough President's Office moved in and stayed until 1916.

However, in the decades since, "the integrity of the building on the inside has pretty much deteriorated," said Conley. "What we have asked them to do is to try and preserve something from the outside because it was the first Borough Hall."

Conley said he also talked to Fine about the possibility of installing a plaque to commemorate the site's status as a former Borough Hall. Fine, a principal of Triangle Services in Manhattan, did not return phone calls.

Originally published on January 18, 2007 (http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/489196p-411994c.html)

© 2007 Daily News, L.P.

[clubBR]

How sad. The first Borough Hall for any place should be kept historical.

[clubBR]

What are the developments in L.I.C's specific neighborhoods? Hunters Point (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunters_Point%2C_New_York), Blissville (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blissville%2C_Queens), Ravenswood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenswood%2C_Queens), Dutch Kills (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Kills%2C_New_York)?

[clubBR]

What are the developments in L.I.C's specific neighborhoods? Hunters Point (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunters_Point%2C_New_York), Blissville (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blissville%2C_Queens), Ravenswood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenswood%2C_Queens), Dutch Kills (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Kills%2C_New_York)?
After considerable research i've found the answers to my own question.
Hunters Point has the most commercial/residential development thus far with a dozen or so new luxury apartments being built. Above 47th St. is still barren land with warehouses and industrial remnants. Ravenswood and Dutch Kills is still undesirable with the presence of Queens Plaza; notorious for its prostitution and drug dealing. However, i couldnt find any information on the current developments in Blissville. Looking at the map, I see that Blissville is isolated with the Calvary Cemetery to the east (bordering West Maspeth)and the Long Island Expressway to the north (bordering Sunnyside) and the Dutch Kills creek to the west (bordering Hunters Point) and of course Newtown Creek to the south (bordering Greenpoint, Brooklyn). After Hunters Point is gentrified and over priced, I believe Blissville to be the next area that will experience rapid development.

[jrosa51894]

Within the next two years the continuing transformation in Long Island City will be amazing. Look at the new park and building changes on Queens plaza starting now and continuing through 2009. Also within the next two years with the completion and full ocupency of the aris lofts,citicorp II tower phase one,the fusion bulding and the new purvis street building will bring with it thousands of middle and upper class people to the area furthering development.

[clubBR]

Keep in mind the soil was polluted, and probably has a very shallow water line. I'm guessing there is a need for the parking to be above ground, unless you want leaking carcinogenic 100 year old oil byproducts seeping onto your car while its parked.

They key for me is - will they wrap it with retail at ground level? If they do, then I think they did what they could.

The Avalon property should hire graffiti artists to paint their walls (goes with L.I.C.'s theme!!)

[jrosa51894]

The Avalon property should hire graffiti artists to paint their walls (goes with L.I.C.'s theme!!)January 28th, 2007 08:41 AM
By CLubBR

Hey you will be eating those words in a couple of years, trust me.

[clubBR]

Hey you will be eating those words in a couple of years, trust me.

It depends on how well the graffiti is placed. It cant be too messy. It has to look like actual art.

[jrosa51894]

you must not own property or live in the area if you make comments like that. Just wait and see

[jrosa51894]

So to change the topic from negative to postive

Has anybody seen the new building of view 59 as of lately or that every corner has a new garbage can. i can"t wait for the fall when the new park and trees are planted along the plaza. any comments?

[clubBR]

you must not own property or live in the area if you make comments like that. Just wait and see

When I made a comment about possible graffiti on the walls of the avalon garage, I was making a reference to 5 Pointz and other legal L.I.C. graffiti. Obviously, as L.I.C. progresses, any kind of graffiti will most likely be painted over. I was born and raised in Queens, NY and I dont know about you but I think this sight is beautiful (while it lasts).http://a79.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/37/l_127db1cb89c3a0f148ab0b633e7d5df6.jpg

[clubBR]

I think we are the only ones who are really into L.I.C. and its development. Where do you live, Hunters Point? My family is thinking of starting a dry cleaners in L.I.C., any good ideas on where? Probably along Jackson Ave or Vernon Blvd (most likely the latter). Is the area above 45th Ave developed? Or is it still a desolate industrial landscape?? So many questions and I've posted them before, but no answers.

[jrosa51894]

I own properties in the LIC core near the citcorp building. A dry cleaners would be good and profitable near the waterfront with a 2 year stretch for the maxium influx of people coming in from the three towers being contructed. personally i like a good bagel house!:)

[clubBR]

http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?p=145587&posted=1#post145587

[jrosa51894]

I Just Viewed The New Condos Going Up At The Fusion And I Must Say They Look Unreal. They Have 4 Sample Apts To View On The 5th Floor. If You Have The Time Take A Look

[kyle]

I would hope they look unreal...they 'start' at 849k!!! I hope they're really large or made out of gold at that price. :eek:

I think a lot of developers in LIC are making the mistake of producing so many 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condos for 600k-1 million+. At one point the 2bed/2bath was an unserved market here, but not anymore. Now there's hardly anything under 400k in Hunters Point and when they do come on the market, they sell quickly, but not the 2bed/2bath apartments. If there's any sort of glut in LIC, it's that section of the market.

[infoshare]

A blog (http://www.outerb.com/?p=358) with some news on L.I.C. architecture/development: and the fusion website (http://www.fusionlic.com/). Enjoy the tour.

[jrosa51894]

hey look i visited the arris,echeleon and the fusion (Sorry if i spelled any of them wrong) and the fusion blows the other two away! i understand the price but in a couple of years as queens plaza continues it transformation it will be a nice development.

[jrosa51894]

thanks for the blog info

[jrosa51894]

i was informed that 50% of view 59 is sold out already? they haven't even topped on on all 11 floors yet wow! Any info?

[kyle]

I don't think selling 50% of a new, smaller building is too much of an indication of how the rest of the building/area will go.

The first floors are usually the least expensive and pre-construction is even more discounted. And those floors are usually 1 bedrooms and studios, if they have studios there. It's the higher floor, more expensive 2 bedrooms that are flooding the market in LIC that I would watch sell to better indicate how the building/demand is doing.

Not that I know that that's what has been sold...for all I know they sold all the penthouses and nothing else there. :)

[clubBR]

Any new developments along Borden Ave?

[jrosa51894]

well kyle for a building that is not even topped yet that has to say something.
view 59 50% sold not topped yet
Arris Lofts- 75% sold not completed yet
Echelon-80% sold
Fusion 50% sold of the first lot, not completed yet.

i am not talking about the waterfront but LIC's core is filling up and i say it again wait until queens plaza is done.

[jrosa51894]

i spoke to the construction manager for the new citigroup building he states that the tower section has been delayed due to fact that Con Edsion cannot assure the power needed to fuel 2 skyscrapers. That is why when you look at the train faced side of the building that is why they are putting up a tempoary wall. to be continued...........

[Jaffster]

They'll never build the tower part.

[antinimby]

Well if they're waiting for Con Ed to deliver more juice, then never might not be that farfetched.

[jrosa51894]

Hey jaffster

you keep knocking the second tower but if they straighten out the problems with con ed. you'll be eating those words. why don't you wait and see what the outcome is. Second just look at the building pal why would citigroup put up a temp wall on the side facing manhattan! if they did not have palns for something additional. i mean we are only talking about a building worth millions of dollars

[clubBR]

when is ConEd going to finish setting up the gas/electric for Court Square 2? Also, anyone know the environmental issues regarding the development of Hunters Point?

[jrosa51894]

The Sooner The Better Stupid Con Ed

[Jaffster]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[ramvid01]

I'm starting to really believe they intend to build the tower portion in the relative near future, because that temporary wall, well if that isn't a temporary wall idk what is, because wow does it look cruddy and the upper portions look flimsy and made of rubber or plastic..

[jrosa51894]

Don"t worry jaffster you"ll see and then you"ll here it from me alot.

[jrosa51894]

After the summer you"ll see the tower going up in my opinion. they are putting up the rubber.temp siding so that they will finish the interior of the first phase because the credit card division is coming there upon completion

[jrosa51894]

found out they just purchased 25-14 43rd ave for $3,000,000 . also they are getting ready to build on the engine factory site on 43rd ave and hunter st. Con Edsion is working on the power lines as we speak.

[ramvid01]

found out they just purchased 25-14 43rd ave for $3,000,000 . also they are getting ready to build on the engine factory site on 43rd ave and hunter st. Con Edsion is working on the power lines as we speak.

Who? Citibank? If so then what would they be planning with this lot. They really seem to like Queens :D (and at least the architecture of their buildings is decent).

[jrosa51894]

No not citbank private developers. but i like the way you think

[jrosa51894]

Hey ramvid01

Developers are buying up parcels around the LIC core like crazy.

[ZippyTheChimp]

February 10, 2007

Long Island City Journal

A Bachelor Pad With a View: A Giant Bottle Cap

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/02/10/nyregion/10jour600.1.jpg
Jeremy M. Lange for The New York Times

By ELLEN BARRY

When Yo Han Cho wakes up in the morning, one of the first things he sees out his window is the top of the Pepsi-Cola bottle, 50 feet tall and tipping south. When he returns to his apartment 18 or 19 hours later to go to sleep, there is the bottle cap, silhouetted against the lights of Manhattan.

Like many of his neighbors in this new glass high-rise in Long Island City, Queens, Mr. Cho is a newcomer to New York. When he first moved into his “humble room,” as he calls it, he did not quite understand.

“I was like, what is this sign doing in front of my apartment?” said Mr. Cho, 25, who was born in Seoul, South Korea, and educated at a boarding school in Scotland. One of his roommates, an accountant originally from Mumbai, was downright irritated.

“I would rather not have that, by choice,” said the roommate, Arif Chiba, who is also 25. Mr. Chiba’s room is on the northwest corner of the building. He has the most spectacular view: At night, the East River is an expanse of silver, and the lights of the Queensboro Bridge fall in loops, like a necklace.

The Pepsi-Cola Company bottled soda on the site beginning in 1936. Over the course of the 20th century, residents of the East Side of Manhattan became accustomed to the sign’s livid glow across the river; Long Island City residents came to count it among their local wonders. When Rockrose Development Corporation bought the property from PepsiCo in 2003, planners began receiving passionate letters in defense of the sign. PepsiCo made its preservation a contract of the sale. “It’s like a lighthouse,” said Kathleen Scott, Rockrose’s director of leasing and sales.

Rockrose paid to move the sign, painstakingly lowering each letter with a crane, laying it on the back of a flatbed truck and hauling it 300 feet to a spot on the waterfront. It will remain there for 18 months, then be moved by the same process to its permanent location. The residential development on the grounds, EastCoast, will eventually house 10,000 to 12,000 people.

In August, tenants began taking their places in the tower behind the sign. For the four young men in Apartment 505, among the city’s newer transplants, that meant coming face to face — or face to back — with a vestige of industrial New York.

They are bachelors. In their living room, one wall is bare except for a dartboard, and another is decorated with a small illuminated sign that reads, “open BAR.” On an end table is a 48-ounce container of Utz party mix and a letter from the building manager complaining about noise. Mr. Cho cheerfully indicates an ornate bar in the corner, which is stocked w