Developers and experts in Flushing and downtown Jamaica weighed in on how recent development projects have affected the two neighborhoods at a panel last week in Long Island City hosted by ULI New York, a nonprofit that provides leadership in land use policy.
The panel, moderated by Melva Miller, Queens deputy borough president, was held June 9 at SPACES at the Falchi Building, located at 31-00 47th Ave.
The panelists were David Brickman, vice president of Onex Real Estate Partners; Hope Knight, president and CEO of Greater Jamaica Development Corporation; and Michael Meyer, president of F&T Group.
“Queens is severely under-retailed and if you speak to your colleagues about development in Queens, as we develop housing we need to make sure that we have the infrastructure and the amenities, the commercial, to go along with that residential development,” Miller said.
Brickman, whose company is the developer for Sky View Parc, said that although it was challenging to complete a development on such a large, complex site in one economic cycle, big box retailers were scouring New York City because of the density and lack of retail and people were looking to move back into the city from the suburbs. Parking has also become a big concern.
Yes, bring us the big box stores. That's exactly what we need.
12 comments:
I mean there is some common sense here, like when they talk about infrastructure needed, but is that just talk or will we see action. Otherwise no much in the way of common sense.
Knight said there is proposal to create a hospitality hub for the AirTrain project, which connects John F. Kennedy Airport to the Jamaica LIRR station. The idea is to make the Sutphin Boulevard/AirTrain station a convenient destination for travelers to stay at a hotel close to the station.
And Ms. Knight, many of these smaller shittier hotels are being built in more isolated areas, are they going to end up as homeless shelters and instead of the area being a hospitality hub for travelers, the area will be dub as “Homeless Shelter Village”.
“To support this hotel growth, we are definitely looking to diversify retail,” she said. “Jamaica does have a vibrant retail corridor along Sutphin Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue.”
What exactly does “vibrant retail” mean, with the few exceptions like Premium House, Fino’s and Porta Bella, I think you are using code word for “low-class ghetto/third world crap” retail that litter Jamaica Ave and crappy Big Box stores are not the answer. Like I said, not much in the way of common sense.
We need a revamped mass transit system! To hell with more retail!!!
"Queens is severely under-retailed"???!!!
HUH? Don't we have a shitload of Malls? There's a couple on Queens Boulevard, one or two in Douglaston and that shitheap of a white elephant in Glendale (Just next to Forest Hill said the Radio advertisements!) Atlas Mall
WTF?!
Sky Parc has by far the FILTHIEST parking lot I have ever seen in this country! I was shocked that the stores hadn't hired additional cleaners. It has huge fetid puddles filled with garbage! Everything in Flooshing is disgusting!
The developers should be barred from putting up any more unmaintained SHIT! It's so incredibly unpleasant to shop there!!
Joe said: many of these smaller shittier hotels are being built in more isolated areas, are they going to end up as homeless shelters and instead of the area being a hospitality hub for travelers
If not homeless shelters, then places for hookers to ply their trade. Hub and rub.
More retail? Aren't most stores going out of business due to the Internet anyway? I can admit that we do need more quality supermarkets though but actual clothing of home goods stores make no sense when most are struggling to stay opened even.
Sky Parc isn't that bad, I've never parked on the overcrowded bottom levels, but the medium and top levels are OK.
Then again, now that they've started charging for parking under 3 hours, I won't be going there.
who has time to shop in retail stores?
Sets up the footprint for a tower building. thats all.
How about saving all of the mom and pop stores that are being forced to close due to run away rents?
How is Flushing under-retailed? Go around North America and find anything remotely like Flushing and its shops on top of shops on top of shops.
What this SCUM is really talking about is corporate retail. Land is a scarce resource in NYC. Big box stores can't compete because they don't "do" small. So now they will force the hand of government to alter the landscape in their favor.
That's all this is. Queens isn't "under-retailed". It just can't fit monster-marts. Yet...
Have any of these developers thought about how sustainable the big-box store model of retail is in an age of Amazon.com? Sports Authority dead, Circuit City dead, Barnes & Noble dead. All these big box retailers require a huge footprint, are headquartered out of state (or out of country) and run local mom & pops out of business. These out-of-state enterprises didn't want come to town when things were tough, back in the 70's and 80's. Let them stay out.
Queens does need more 20' wide storefronts in a FEW specific areas - but nothing wider. Wider store-fronts encourage the ugly development that you can find anywhere else in America. Why come to New York and go to the Olive Garden? It makes no sense.
I choose to live in Queens because I like the history, the people and the stores.
Please folks -
Let's Keep Queens Quirky
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