It may be hard to believe given the amount of construction in recent years, but more cranes could be on their way to Long Island City.
City Hall is targeting the Queens neighborhood along the East River and just north of the Long Island Expressway for a possible rezoning that would promote the construction around Queens Plaza of more high-rise apartment buildings, including ones with lower rents.
In 2001, the city rezoned 34 blocks of Long Island City between Queens Plaza and Court Square to spur residential high-rises while looking to maintain a mix of manufacturing and commercial space.
Since 2006, more than 8,000 units have been built in the neighborhood, and nearly 20,000 are under construction, according to the Long Island City Partnership, a nonprofit local development corporation.
But in the eyes of some residents and community leaders, the changes have created an enclave of shiny towers that looks more native to Miami than New York City.
The plans to encourage more high-rise development have the support of City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents the area. Mr. Van Bramer said he also wanted to ensure that development is accompanied by improvements to schools, transportation, space for technology companies and affordable housing for artists.
“I’m very much open to this idea as long as it includes those things that I already outlined and is done in a smart way that speaks to the needs of community and takes into account the additional folks who will then be in the neighborhood,” he said.
Still, industrial advocates are concerned that the administration’s efforts to create more housing here and elsewhere could lead to the further loss of space for longtime manufacturing businesses.
Manufacturers who have been in the area for decades said they already felt they were losing ground to new residential construction. Some have been forced to consider whether to sell out.
So let's understand this...Sunnyside Yards can't be developed with affordable housing because it will lead to overcrowding, but LIC can be massively upzoned once more. Oh, Jimmy doesn't live in LIC, that's right.
20 comments:
Why do Jimmy and Melinda like using the word "folks" so much?
LIC is a boring, manufactured neighborhood. It's not the Village in it's artistic, bohemian heyday.
Brooklyn is so much more interesting. This is a neighborhood for rubes.
LIC will end up looking like Flooshing with better shoes! Oh wait - the hookers are already wearing pretty nice shoes - or rather counterfeit versions of pretty nice shoes!
God, I miss the hookers.
LIC is a boring, manufactured neighborhood.
Correct in that regard - the area has no color, is cheerless, and simply is frenzied a real estate churning with Manhattan firms providing the money and dimwit Queens leadership providing the land.
No planning or style, as any charms are ruthlessly reduced to rubble leaving in its wake a place as joyless as Newport NJ, as stimulating and stylish as a 1970s suburb.
No one in their right mind wants to raise their family in a floodzone baptized regularly by sewage and toxic chemicals, on land that is essentially a garbage dump landfill and one of the nation's outstanding brownfields.
A 150 year deposit of heavy metals and petroleum waste will need at least 10 times as much time to cleanse itself. If you believe the government that a few months is all that is needed its your life, not mine.
Already tour guides working the creek are dropping from the toxic mix in the prime. Imagine your young children growing up next to this?
Its next to one of the largest train yards in the world stained by a century of creosote and the elevated L I Expressway where a constant thumping drone of trucks and the screech of brakes and horns are complimented by hoards of nesting pigeons depositing on the community nature's opinion on the wisdom of our politicians.
The hotels will wear out quickly, the speculators will soon fill their towers with Airbnb and transient multiple tenant groupings.
Just wait for the first inevitable economic downturn before corners are cut on vetting tenants. Paying off the construction loans demand cash flow and if its from Section 8 the movers and shakers creating this mess don't care: they don't live there.
The area is well on the way to being the barracks for Manhattan's servant class explaining feeling that we are looking at NYC's answer to a slapped together shoddy 3rd world colonia.
Certainly explains Jimmy's quick rise to the exalted ranks of Queens politics. Just think of donations and having a district that embraces just about the entire waterfront.
Sent out to everyone a sheet showing that he has helped tens of thousands. Although it was given the usual tiresome praise the that typical 'dirty dozen' that he lavishes enormous gifts of public money (we all know who you are) the real story is a calling his office and leaving a message down a faceless void.
Jimmy Van Brumer - Working for his Wallet.
...and affordable housing for artists.
what about housing for homeless families and single workers unemployed and living check to check?
what signifies affordable these days? Jimmy Van Vomit has just blatantly answered by pandering to demographic studies. Affordable for those who can afford to pursue art,trust fund infant millenial douches.
perhaps affordable to those foreign vulture investors looking to get pied-a-terre's.
judging by the last few posts,this should be a superfund site than a hotbed for vibrant beautification.
what planet are van vomit,katz and her cronies to support the escalation of overwhelming development sacrificing infrastructure and common sense and decency from?
why the Lonely Planet of queens.
Wattsamatta with you councilman Jimmy? Do you need more developers' money to run your campaigns with? Backdoor politics at its crudest...as practiced by Van Bramer...anything to screw the neighborhood and to facilitate his climb up the political ladder. Maybe you should shake down the Wolkoff family for some more cash. I guess the $10,500 you got for selling out 5 Pointz is already spent. A vote for Van Bramer is a knife in your back. Look out! He's got the hots to become mayor.
Van Bramer is the queen of corrupt politics. Donald Manes was its king.
Maybe now councilman Van Dumbo can get his ears tucked back with all the $$$$$$$$ he will be taking in builders' bribes.
I miss the hookers too George but I am sure that Van Bramer will see that we all get screwed properly.
Now that Jimmy's Sunnyside Gardens home is a protected municipal historic district he doesn't give a damn about the rest of you living with an up zoned to the hilt LIC. Now he will suck his way all the way up to become mayor. Lord protect us!
Jimmy Van Bugger is doing us again.
Let's all picket Jimmy's house. Up zone Sunnyside. Build a wall of skyscrapers around his landmark home. Cut off his sunlight. Put him in shadow.
"I miss the hookers too George but I am sure that Van Bramer will see that we all get screwed properly"
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At least the hookers gave LIC that "edge". There used to be conventions of them in the QPlaza area. Maybe some nouveau artiste can write an opera about them?
I WILL take those LIC hookers and dive bars and day over this Euro-Japan shit George !!!
Assholes--Yesterday I found every shack, beer, pizza and pretzel joint in Penn Station boarded up.
This included TGI Fridays, they are gonna put high end "hotel cubes" and restaurants like in Japan in the LIRR plaza.
No more $3 pretzel and beer waiting for the LIRR, NYC is so F_cked !! AND
You can't put 5 quarts into a gallon container.......
George, in that nouveau artiste opera , diva Van Bramer should sing the starring role. Isn't he whoring for developers anyway? He certainly hit a nice high "C" for the Wolkoff family...who destroyed 5 Pointz and voted for a variance that gives G&M Realty the right to build two 40 story buildings on the site.
Maybe Jimmy's secondary residence is Sunnyside... his primary one..."the baths". Meanwhile LIC is getting hosed.
"Said Jim with a grin as he wiped off his chin"....! One hand washes the other. Give Jimmy campaign cash and he will dance your tune. Doing developers is his best skill. Doing for his district is not.
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