The city is planning to rezone LIC. What's the plan?
Long Island City is the epicenter of growth in Queens, and the administration sees an opportunity. Rather than one-off developments and individual variance requests, the idea is to bring in parts of Northern Boulevard, Queens Plaza and all of Jackson Avenue and some adjoining streets, and have a master plan.
How many units altogether could be built as a result of the rezoning?
Thousands of units of additional housing, and if you allow for 25% to 30% to be affordable, you’re talking about a significant number.
What is the timing?
By mid- to late 2016, they will move to certify. They have to get East New York’s rezoning out of the way, and then Long Island City is next.
What kind of infrastructure are you asking for?
Schools and parks and transit improvements. We can’t have the rezoning without a firm commitment in writing from the Department of Education that we’re building at least two new schools. And we need a park. There’s potentially a very exciting park plan out there that could involve MoMA PS1 and create a High Line-type of public park. It’s the vision of the museum to deck over a portion of its courtyard and have a cascading staircase. That would be the entrance to the park that comes down the front of the museum.
Would you like to become speaker of the council?
You can’t be in leadership or the majority leader without having an interest in the speaker’s role. I look forward to hopefully being re-elected to the City Council for another four years in 2017, and then we’ll see what happens.
Notice how he mentions "transit improvements" but then doesn't say what those will be. More trains on the 7 and E lines is not even possible.
30 comments:
Did this library alum even discuss this with the residents?
It seems the machine has a high handed approach to western Queens.
They pretty much do as they wish, still keep in the public eye with empty public relations events dressed by a handful of vacant looking locals ... and stonewall something they don't want discouraging public involvement - which at some level is probably illegal if not de jure certainly de facto.
I see lots or skyscrapers in the future.
And of course Van Bramer Park...
What a jerk. How about he build up Sunnyside?
he is totally useless for sure -- pray he does not get elected again and I hope someone better runs against him -- tooooo much shaky business business with him and also under the table tacticts with this man -
and don't forget he loves being photo-op always -
Wait, what - it's not already upzoned? I would've guessed from the gentrification porn over at newyorkyimby.com that LIC and the Astoria waterfront were already upzoned, what with 40+ story towers going up around Court Square and Queens Plaza already and new developments up in Ravenswood and Astoria Cove.
I suspect they're just formalizing what's already going on. At least we might get another High Line-style park out of it, so the serfs can marvel at the new luxury housing!
It was quite clear that when Jimmy Van Wimp took $10,500 from the Wolkoff family , in campaign contributions , to approve a variance for the former 5 Pointz site, he sold out to mega development of LIC. Will there be a "master plan"? Certainly. It will benefit developers more than residents. Councilman Jimmy has a hunger to be speaker of the council....perhaps even mayor some day. As far as a "master plan". Yawn.... Just another piece of masturbation. Jimmy Van Liar will do nothing that does not advance his personal agenda. Then again, what politician would not do the same? Councilman Jimmy is in the pocket of REBNY, for sure. He is their kept man.
Meet our next mayor. Not by my choice, mind you.
Absolutely no mention of additional first responders. That's disgusting. Fire trucks form astoria and brooklyn routinely answer calls around here since the only two trucks in the area are often busy.
Notice how he mentions "transit improvements" but then doesn't say what those will be. More trains on the 7 and E lines is not even possible.
Why should he? He doesn't have to cram on to the trains or watch three trains go by before 3 people can squeeze on each car. These politicians are living in ivory towers. And what does he mean by "affordable housing"? And for who? Certainly no one earning less than $100k. That leaves out a hefty portion of the Queens population.
We ought to make a law forbidding politicians to use a car, taxi, or chauffered limo during working hours of 9:00AM to 6:00PM.
Make them use the trains or buses and give them a taste of how it is to freeze or roast on the crowded platforms waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the trains or buses to come.
And let's see how perfectly coiffed he would be after becoming a transit rider.
If politicians were forced to travel like the average Joe I guarantee we would have a 90 percent better travel time to and from work.
He hasn't done shit to fix the service on the 7 line. Why should he get my vote for speaker. Typical progressive privilege !!
Isn't he term limited already?
The good thing to remember is, for various reasons mostly because of our own stupid clumsiness, or our penchant for cutting someone's throat to make a politician happy (I guess some of us never got out of 2nd grade and used to tattle on people to curry favor with teacher) these clumsy a-holes that treat us like sh*t in Queens do not play well elsewhere.
The closest you get to what a Queens admin would be like is a bottom feeder like DeBlazio with his obsessiveness towards developers and immigrants.
No, Jimmy might displace an entire community, but one or two floods will put an end to a development effort that is doomed to failure. Imagine a ghetto in its worst days. Now think of a ghetto made of 50 instead of 5 story buildings and you get what is in store for us from these little twits like No Brainer, a prissy little pain in the butt totally in over his head.
It's too bad that the system is rigged and there is no way a viable candidate to be found to challenge him for the seat in 2017
This is what he says in his Crain's article: "People are terrified that we would see 50-story mega-towers dwarfing these low-rise communities. I agree with them on that. I need to have reassurance we’ll never have 40- or 50-story towers anywhere near the Astoria and Sunnyside portions of the yards. It’s also hard to imagine Western Queens’ taking in the number of additional units that would be needed to make the Sunnyside Yards financially feasible. I have doubts about the endeavor."
How about he keep that out of LIC as well?!? Why is one thing good for one place but not the other? Typical political hypocrite.
It's too bad that the system is rigged and there is no way a viable candidate to be found to challenge him for the seat in 2017
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He will be the last of his kind because after Jimmy the community board and its representatives will come from the Tower People. The machine will see the handwriting on the all and force Nolan and her ilk into retirement. The machine eats its own.
Sunnyside is next on the chopping block after Dutch Kills and Astoria.
"He hasn't done shit to fix the service on the 7 line. Why should he get my vote for speaker. Typical progressive privilege !!"
YOU don't vote for the speaker!
Thousands of new housing units? It's not just about the schools and transit. It also has to be about fire, ambulance, police, roads, water mains , sewers, storm drains, gas capacity, electric capacity and traffic control. Doesn't anyone notice how bad the traffic has become. I know we shouldn't give a shit about automobile drivers, but you still Ned to get products and services in by truck and you need to get police, fire and abulances to people quickly. HAS ANYONE NOTICED HOW FUCKING LONG AN AMBULANCE SITS IN TRAFFIC THESE DAYS? DOES ANYONE REALIZE HOW BAD THE AIR QUALITY IS FOR YOUR CHILDREN WHEN CARS AND TRUCKS SIT IN GRIDLOCKED TRAFFIC FOR 12 HOURS A DAY IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD?
Preach it to the community board. I believe there's a meeting tomorrow.
You are all a bunch of homophobes.
Why are you hating on the gay person???
Does "Honest Graft" apply here?
"You are all a bunch of homophobes.
Why are you hating on the gay person???"
Being gay in a truly free society does not insulate you from criticism for ineptitude and corruption, get over it...
I need to have reassurance we’ll never have 40- or 50-story towers anywhere near the Astoria and Sunnyside portions of the yards. It’s also hard to imagine Western Queens’ taking in the number of additional units that would be needed to make the Sunnyside Yards financially feasible.
This man is full of shit. Typical Queens Library alum.
"Thousands of new housing units? It's not just about the schools and transit. It also has to be about fire, ambulance, police, roads, water mains , sewers, storm drains, gas capacity, electric capacity and traffic control. Doesn't anyone notice how bad the traffic has become. I know we shouldn't give a shit about automobile drivers, but you still Ned to get products and services in by truck and you need to get police, fire and abulances to people quickly. HAS ANYONE NOTICED HOW FUCKING LONG AN AMBULANCE SITS IN TRAFFIC THESE DAYS? DOES ANYONE REALIZE HOW BAD THE AIR QUALITY IS FOR YOUR CHILDREN WHEN CARS AND TRUCKS SIT IN GRIDLOCKED TRAFFIC FOR 12 HOURS A DAY IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD? "
100% agree. People have noticed, but not enough - we have to voice this as loudly as possible. I live in LIC. I never - NEVER - see any ambulances available to respond to calls. They all come from Astoria or Sunnyside. I routinely see FDNY trucks either stuck in traffic or forced to drive in the wrong lanes on Jackson. Often those trucks are from Brooklyn or Astoria - BECAUSE WE HAVE EXACTLY ONE FIREHOUSE IN LIC. Bloomberg closed engine 261, and even that would be on the wrong side of the virtual traffic wall that is queens plaza.
I've filed numerous 311 complains re: badly paved roads in LIC. They finally repaved exactly one of them (43rd ave).
Water mains? I've seen none added. Power lines? They are only added ad-hoc, as needed, usually after a street is filling with buildings and is already a mess with construction - never before.
Police? The 108 is chronically understaffed. They're lucky if they get 2 or 3 cars out at any given time. See every new high rise going up? That's thousands more people to police and protect. The ratio of cops vs. population in LIC is literally dropping by the day.
Storm drains? The whole area used to be marsh. We're at sea level in many spots. Portions of Vernon and Center blvds were under water during hurricane sandy. And one of our two fire trucks was sent to Rockaway despite all the steaming vaults ready to blow...
Lock saved LIC from major fires that night. LUCK.
But hey let's not talk about this. Let's cram in as many people as we can, get as much money out of them as we can, and shrug when the next disaster takes place.
You shouldn't have any sympathy for him just because he is openly gay. People are judging him for what he has or has not actually done (his record). He is manifesting his love for power just like any politician who starts at the bottom. He was bit by the bug.
Another political doofus who feels that he can automatically go from the Council to the Council presidency to the Mayor's office "just because".
He doesn't have to do anything, have any vision, mission or aptitude. Just show up for enough photo-ops with that dumb-ass portable podium and say some shit.
Homophobes? I doubt it! When we speak of "back door Jimmy" we mean his politics.
This is the twenty first century, fella. Gay has nothing to do with corruption. Jimmy is as crooked as a winding country road.
I do not give a damn about his sexual preferences. I give a great damn about him being a phony who has sold everyone out but his REBNY pals.
LOL! Yes, by all means, Van Bramer Park.And a second "Vaseline Alley" like in Jackson Heights, the haunt of that other councilman.
"100% agree. People have noticed, but not enough - we have to voice this as loudly as possible. I live in LIC. I never - NEVER - see any ambulances available to respond to calls. They all come from Astoria or Sunnyside. I routinely see FDNY trucks either stuck in traffic or forced to drive in the wrong lanes on Jackson. Often those trucks are from Brooklyn or Astoria - BECAUSE WE HAVE EXACTLY ONE FIREHOUSE IN LIC. Bloomberg closed engine 261, and even that would be on the wrong side of the virtual traffic wall that is queens plaza.
I've filed numerous 311 complains re: badly paved roads in LIC. They finally repaved exactly one of them (43rd ave).
Water mains? I've seen none added. Power lines? They are only added ad-hoc, as needed, usually after a street is filling with buildings and is already a mess with construction - never before.
Police? The 108 is chronically understaffed. They're lucky if they get 2 or 3 cars out at any given time. See every new high rise going up? That's thousands more people to police and protect. The ratio of cops vs. population in LIC is literally dropping by the day.
Storm drains? The whole area used to be marsh. We're at sea level in many spots. Portions of Vernon and Center blvds were under water during hurricane sandy. And one of our two fire trucks was sent to Rockaway despite all the steaming vaults ready to blow...
Lock saved LIC from major fires that night. LUCK.
But hey let's not talk about this. Let's cram in as many people as we can, get as much money out of them as we can, and shrug when the next disaster takes place. "
YES to everything you have said. I have lived in LIC for a very long time. Years back when we had a blackout, LIC was up and running in no time. If that were to happen again today, with all of these people and less resources, I don't forsee LIC recovering as quickly. If anything major were to happen again and there are consequences due to the severe lack of resources, I'm suing everybody! Note to the community board, JVB crook, DeBlasio- EVERYONE- Consider your community! You are in these positions to help the constituents, not the real estate developers.
JVB sold out sunnyside, woodside and long island city and now more homeless shelters are coming too -- all the big real estate people are paying him off big time --
About all the gay stuff:
Are you all that stupid that you don't even recognize sarcasm when it's in the frigging poster's name?
The answer seems to be that yes, you are.
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