Western Beef will not become hotel

From the Queens Gazette:

The developer of a massive hotel at the site of a former Western Beef Supermarket in Long Island City has scrapped plans for the project.

The site at the northwest corner of Northern Boulevard and Steinway Street includes the former supermarket property and four adjacent parcels formerly controlled by the food retailer. JMH Development leased the Western Beef supermarket and the four parcels from Western Beef in 2014 for $19.6 million.

Plans for the hotel included 119,722-sauare-feet of commercial space, a bar and a breakfast room on the ground floor of the 60-foot-tall building, along woth14 hotel rooms in the cellar level of the hotel, 28 rooms on the ground floor, 67 room on the second floor, 66 rooms on each of the third and fourth floors, and 49 rooms on the fifth floor, for a total of. 289 rooms.

Plans for the new development feature a six-story rental building with 140 residential units, 40,000-square-feet of retail and an undetermined number of indoor parking spaces.

The developers “re-thought” plans for the hotel and decided to scrap the project due to an overabundance on similar hotels located in Manhattan and Long Island City, according to a spokesperson for JMH Development.

Steinway Street hotels will be quite large

From DNA Info:

Construction will start later this year on a 289-room hotel planned for the corner of Steinway Street and Northern Boulevard, on the site of the now-shuttered Western Beef supermarket, according to the developer.

JMH Development and Mettle Property Group will build the five-story project at 36-20 Steinway St., in what will be a "dual branded" hotel featuring a Homewood Suites on one side and a Hampton Inn on the other, according to a press release.

And you can bet that they'll both end up with homeless in them!

Too expensive a typo to fix?

"This ridiculously misspelled sign at Steinway Street and 31st Avenue has embarrassingly been there for years!" - anonymous

Supermarket site to become giant hotel

From Queens Gazette:

Developers last week released plans for development of a parcel at the northwest corner of Northern Boulevard and Steinway Street, where a six-story, 272-unit hotel will rise on a site formerly occupied by a Western Beef Supermarket.

Initial plans indicate that the development will include 18,200-square-feet of retail space on the ground floor, with a potential to expand the retail space to 30,000-square-feet.

Plans show that a car wash, spa and restaurant located next to the property on Northern Boulevard will be demolished to make way for the hotel and retail space.

Plans for the development include parking spaces for approximately 60 vehicles.

And how long will this remain a hotel before its inevitable conversion into you-know-what?

Trib visits NYPD Mounted Unit

From the Queens Tribune:

The NYPD Mounted Unit, or police officers who ride on horses, could be called the NYPD’s secret weapon. As is the case with the canine unit, the animals enhance the officer’s ability to do their job. They help them see further down the block. (The officers call themselves “the ten-foot-cops.”) They prevent them from getting snuck up on. They allow them to get a job done faster.

But ‘weapon’ wouldn’t really be the right word. Because the peaceful giants that the officers ride inspire the opposite reaction from a “weapon.” Mostly, the faces of children and adults alike light up with wonder and excitement when they see the mounted unit clomping down their street. And that ability is more potent and beneficial than the horses’ keen senses and size could ever be. So call them the department’s secret “strategy.”

Citywide, there are about 50 officers that are part of the mounted unit. Eight of those officers belong to Troop F, based in Cunningham Park. Depending on where they’re needed, these officers will patrol Forest Park, Steinway Street in Astoria and Citifield, as well as in the Bronx, Manhattan and Coney Island.

Astoria club is a pain in the ass

From the Queens Chronicle:

With summer right around the corner, some Astoria residents worry that one area night club, whose loud music has allegedly pestered those living in the surrounding neighborhood for months, will get louder as time goes on.

At this month’s 114th Precinct Community Council meeting, held last week in Astoria, a group of residents came forward with concerns over the disturbances from a sixth-floor rooftop lounge located at 32-72 Steinway St.

The establishment’s ownership changed eight weeks ago and the name went from Sunset Restaurant and Lounge to Escape Penthouse.

The residents asserted that the club was often so noisy it kept them up at night and that no amount of calls to 311 or 911 have had effect for more than a year.

Resident Chris Vega said the club’s glassed-in lounge seems to lack insulation.

“I can hear the whole song and I live a block away,” Vega said.

Capt. Dennis Mullaney, executive officer of the 114th Precinct, who led the meeting, said they are continuing to monitor the situation.

Former Astoria theater sells for $32M

From the Queens Courier:

A corner retail building near the heart of Astoria’s Steinway Street commercial strip has been sold for $32 million.

Realty service Massey Knakal, which handled the transaction, announced the sale Friday of 2856-2860 Steinway St., which occupies the entire block front of 30th Avenue between Steinway and 38th streets in the burgeoning neighborhood.


The building houses a trio of long-term leases for New York Sports Club, JP Morgan Chase Bank and Duane Reade in more than 37,000 square feet. The sale breaks down to $627 per square foot.

The transaction indicates that investors are coming over from Manhattan and looking for new opportunities elsewhere, according to Massey Knakal chair Bob Knakal.

Hey, remember when that was actually a theater?

How's this for a contextual building?

This lovely specimen is located at 32-56 Steinway Street in Astoria and is basically one huge ad.

Why? Because they can.

Steinway Street eyesore

Hey Crappy,

Spotted this gem on Steinway Street on a Sunday afternoon stroll.

Love it! The vinyl covers the entire facade outside of the storefront, and just for good measure, they put perforated / one-way window ads in too... in case we couldn't see the rest.

Anywho, thought you'd appreciate it more than most. At least it's not John Ciafone!

And P.S.: 311 definitely got a phone call... the complaint is already logged.

Keep up the muckraking!

Best,
-somethingstructural

Just embarrassing...

"Nice job of recreating the original tiles!" - Johnny