Rego Park Center - Mixed Use - GreenbergFarrow / SLCE / Ehrenkrantx Eckstut & Kuhn

[Gulcrapek]

EEK Architects

http://www.eekarchitects.com/indprjd...me=Residential



Rego Park


Location: Rego Park, New York

This new mixed use retail/residential development is being planned for Rego Park, Queens. The goals of the complex are to provide more public space for the neighborhood as well as augment the retail opportunities on Junction Boulevard. The mixed use nature of the development helps to revitalize this portion of Junction Boulevard, transforming it from an empty lot into a Mixed Use Main Street.

The complex consists of a residential towers totaling 300,000 sf that surround a central public plaza. A pedestrian promenade links the retail with surrounding residential streets. The three floors of retail, 485,000 sf total, will supplement the existing malls in the area, forming a true shopping destination in this area of Queens.

Visual interest of the area will be improved by removing cars from street level. The residents will have an underground parking garage and the shoppers will have 5 above- grade parking levels with a pedestrian/vehicular bridge linking to the adjacent shopping mall.

[Derek2k3]

I remember seeing this also. It doesn't look like a typical New York development.

[Bernie]

Memories of Rego Park: Howard Johnson's, Jahns, Hamburger Train, Alexanders, Woolworth & McCrorys, Scott's Seafood, The Boulevard Club, Instant Pants, Sunny's Chinese, Parsonts Toy Store, the GG local.

[Derek2k3]

Queens Courier
With Wal-Mart Out, Large Development Proposed
By Tonia N. Cimino

http://www.queenscourier.com/archive...ead031605a.htm


Image courtesy Vornado Realty
An artist's rendering of the proposed residential/commercial development that may be coming to Rego Park.


Shoppers need not fret. Although Wal-Mart will not be coming to Queens, the site in Rego Park may still serve a retail purpose, as well as a residential one.

According to Vornado Realty Trust, the location may still be home to a three-story mall, two residential towers and 1,416 parking spaces.

The plans for the 1.8-million-square-foot complex were unveiled at last week's Community Board (CB) 6 meeting to mixed reactions.

"You have Queens Center Mall not too far from there," said Robert Hassele, who resides in the area. "This may affect it as per business."

Michael Berfield also announced at the meeting that Vornado is currently in discussions with a potential tenant, a branch of the Century 21 retail chain.

But those claiming victory over Wal-Mart are still concerned that any development will only increase vehicular congestion, pollution and school overcrowding in the area.

"Congestion is terrible, especially on 63rd Drive," said Hassele. "If it happens, we will definitely need a police presence."

Vornado countered the environmental concerns, saying that its Environmental Impact Statement addressed these and that its plans for development were in keeping with area trends.

The plans may not be a reality as of yet, as Vornado needs to get several variances in order to build. The site, which is flanked by the Long Island Expressway and Junction Boulevard, is zoned for residential and community development and will require a variance to adjust the amount of parking spaces needed to accommodate shoppers.

"Personally, I would have preferred a Wal-Mart because it's more price-efficient for local shoppers," said Hassele. "A store like that would really serve the community needs better."

When The Queens Courier attempted to contact CB 6 officials, District Manager Kathleen Histon declined to comment on her opinion of the proposals. She did say that a vote on the plan will take place at the April 13 meeting, after which it will be forwarded to other agencies.

Dan Andrews, spokesperson for Borough President Helen Marshall, said, "We need [Vornado] to come in and give us a detailed presentation to see how the plans will fit on that parcel. The likelihood is that they won't be bringing in tenants with a history of labor issues [like those that Wal-Mart had]."

[elfgam]

I think this is great -- it's time to build up the outer boroughs with more developments like this -- mixed-use, high density, primarily urban (not suburban). I only wish they would increase the density a bit more and downplay the parking. Does anyone know how close this development is to the Junction Boulevard subway station or LIRR? It'd be nice if they made it more of a transit-oriented city (high-density development centered around a transit node within 10 minute walk). They should be doing that all over queens.

[tmg]

It's a very long way from the Junction Blvd. station, but right on top of the 63rd Dr/Rego Park station on the Queens Blvd local line. The Forest Hills LIRR station is two stops and a very short walk away.

In my view, the main reason more of this isn't happening is that the subway lines are at capacity. Travel time into the city isn't bad, but more people can't physically squeeze onto the express trains at rush hour. Also, traffic in the vicinity of Queens Blvd. (especially on the side streets immediately surrounding QB) is truly nightmarish, especially on weekends. QB was designed for through traffic, not the tremendous volumes of local traffic generated by the malls and other retail along it.

[krulltime]

Vornado Project Gets Approval


By Ian Ritter
September 21, 2005

QUEENS, NY-Alexander’s Inc., a REIT managed and one-third-owned by Vornado Realty Trust, has gotten government approval to build Rego Park II, a mixed-use project here with 600,000 sf of retail and 450 apartment units. A 122,000-sf Century 21 discount department store will anchor the project, for which Paramus, NJ-based Alexander’s executives do not yet have a construction or completion date.

The development, located at the intersection of the Long Island Expressway and Junction Boulevard in the Rego Park neighborhood, will have four levels of retail. Vornado has not yet announced any other tenants that will go into the center.

Wal-Mart was originally slated to go into Rego Park II with its first New York City store, but Alexander’s proceeded without the retailer after community opposition to the project. “We do a lot of business with Wal-Mart and were talking to them, among others, about Rego Park,” says Steven Roth, the chairman/CEO of Vornado, which is also based in Paramus, in the company's annual report. “We believe in Wal-Mart, but Wal-Mart has its critics, and when it became certain that the entire project could be rejected if Wal-Mart were a tenant, we had no choice but to continue without them.”

With or without Wal-Mart, Vornado won’t have trouble filling up the center with stores, says David Rosenberg, executive vice president at New York City-based Robert K. Futterman & Associates, which is working with Vornado to bring tenants to the development. “That’s one of the most densely-populated areas in New York City,” he tells GSR. “It’s got tremendous demographics.”

Nearby the Rego Park II site, Vornado owns Queens Boulevard at 63rd, a 343,248-sf center anchored by Bed Bath & Beyond, Circuit City, Marshall’s, Old Navy and Sears. Within a three-mile radius of that center, according to Vornado’s website, the average household income is nearly $84,000.

The tenant mix in Rego Park II could range from discounters to higher-end tenants, Rosenberg surmises. “I think what you’re going to see is some sort of hybrid of smaller store and big boxes,” he says. “There are a number of tenants that are not in the market that would like to be in the market, in all shapes and sizes.”


Copyright © 2005 Real Estate Media.

[krulltime]

Here are more renderings...










More in here... http://www.eekarchitects.com

[krulltime]

Can a moderator move this thread to the Queens section?

[elfgam]

This is amazing! keep it under architecture.

[Ninjahedge]

Ugh.

Mini-Mall-Itis.

[Jaffster]

Any news on when this is actually happening? The site used to be a pay parking lot but now its just fenced in.

[Strattonport]

The website where the renderings are located mentioned it is still being planned, so who knows.

But Queens does need all the retail.

[ablarc]

Parking lot. Ugh.

[pianoman11686]

Reminds me of a shopping center I once saw in suburban Poland. Wrap your head around that idea...


I'd like to know who came up with the brilliant idea to clad it in that tacky color, which seems to resemble red sheet metal. This is going to look horrible from all angles.