Another grocery store for LIC: MetFoods to manifest on 51st Ave
Mainco building on 51st Ave to host MetFoods, Vernon/Jackson, LIC
Yes, the rumors about MetFoods coming to the old Mainco elevator building on 51st Ave between Vernon & 5th St are true. The building is in the process of demolition, and the mid-block site will deliver a MetFoods on the ground floor, and a long-term parking garage (something fancy & Euro) on the upper floors. Perhaps also something commercial on the rooftop. That’s all the buzz on that for now.
This will probably take about a year +1/2 to deliver.
Yuck. A parking garage?? How distressing.
Is the developer of this project the same person who brought us the infamous “Goat House,” also on 51st Avenue?
Great location for a parking garage. Feel sorry fors the residents on that block.
what a shitty spot for a grocery store too. what an asshole that developer is. i would not want to live on that block next year. Who puts a grocery store in the middle of a residential block?
Stop being haters. This is a great spot for a MetFood given the area, and a parking garage will be very much needed over there. This is great news for the area.
Find me a grocery store in Manhattan that is not in a residential block. The Ctown here is in a residential block along with other store fronts with apts above them. For that matter, Food Cellar and Duane Reade are in a residential block.
Love this!
I believe this same developer was continually cited by the Buildings Dept for violations associated with the demo of the neighboring 3-story residential building and garage. One problem in boomtown LIC is that away from the glare of the big glitzy developments are these crappy new buildings going up with no sense of design or any other standards.
No. 6, the difference is that we’re in Queens, CTown is on a main commercial drag, and Food Cellar/Duane Reade are in high-density high rises. 51st Avenue is a mostly low-rise residential street.
Ctown is in a mixed use residential/commercial area. In Manhaattan, super markets are usually on ground floors of buildings that house residential apartments above them. There have been commercial buildings mixed in with the residences on 51st Ave. for years. I think a super market will better serve the residents on that block more than an elevator company did.
11, it’s the garage I find odious, not the supermarket. Though I think low-rise housing on the street would have been a better fit. Also, this developer is responsible for perhaps the neighborhood’s ugliest building.
Yeah, what’s with all the elevator repair companies around here. That and car repair shops that cater to corporate livery cars and none to individuals.
Speaking of elevator companies, I would love to see the old Flynn Hill elevator building on the corner of 51st and Vernon go away. That space would be perfect for an expanded McReilly’s or another restaurant.
“Yeah, what’s with all the elevator repair companies around here. That and car repair shops that cater to corporate livery cars and none to individuals.”
Uh, because this is Long Island City, where industries have historically serviced that island across the river, where there are lots of elevators and taxis/livery cars?
You’re genius Brandon, how Michigan must miss you.
How high can be built mid-block, there?
The building going up next to it is max height – aprox 5 floors.
If the high rises on the waterfront had sufficient parking for their tenants and if people moving to LIC didn’t own so many cars, maybe we wouldn’t see proposals for parking garages on upland neighborhood streets.
I’m happy to see all the industry in LIC. I hope LIC stays as industrial as it is right now- industry means jobs and real, fundamental services. When the elevator gets stuck on the 19th floor- and you’re in it- do you want a gelato place or an elevator repair person?
can i have both?
20, Mainco has been out of business for some time — and good riddance. There’s no love lost for that place. Horrible neighbor.
#20 usually when an elevator gets stuck the first aid to come is the fire department. They will get you out and then the elevator repairman comes in and fixes the problem. So having an elevtor shop one block or one mile away does not make difference.
I would like the fire dept to get me out, gelato waiting for me when the doors open, then the elevator guys to come fix it.
The garages for the new buildings aren’t even full any day of the week, so that’s not the problem. Commuters are the problem near any subway that’s close to Manhattan. Ask around in Astoria if they have this problem? Yup, they do.
The elevator repair people have to be somewhere. Here in LIC is ok with me. Businesses are good for the area – keep the area busy during the week but quiet on the weekends.
26, as long as you don’t have to live near the place, of course.
I’m 26- if I live in Manhattan, I’m near a million businesses with a ton of employees. If I live in Queens, less so. I’m okay with that.
It’s amazing what people will put up with when they live in Manhattan but they come out to Queens (or another borough) and then they want it to be like the country.
Wrong train people.
26/28, you patronizing git. Suffice it to say that NO ONE on 51st Avenue has ever had any illusions they are living in the country. Like I said, good riddance to Mainco. It (as was its earlier incarnation, Curtis Elevator) was nothing but a loud, rude, intrusive, and shitty neighbor.
We need residential parking permits. That would solve a lot of the parking problems.
30, that and a new commuter tax for non-NYC residents who drive to the city to work. But as long as that ass Sheldon Silver is on the scene, you’ll never see any progressive transit or traffic ideas get implemented.
During my visits to your neighborhood, I, too, have noticed a number of elevator shops, and I find it remarkable that they operate out of buildings with only one or two floors. In any case, Long Island City has hosted and nurtured industry for well over a century, and may claim to have supported the manufacture of certain well-known marques. While this now seems unimpressive to some, it is nonetheless a historic fact which seems entitled to a certain respect, and perhaps some will allow for a process of compromise. I admit it is problematic, indeed, I was quite discouraged when I visited your “Chocolate Factory,” only to discover that no chocolate is made there. Are there limits upon which we might all agree, or do you not find this deceptive? I don’t believe one could find a neighborhood in the whole of Belgium (my own country) in which such a thing would be permitted.
32,we may respect the famous makers in LIC, but we don’t have to love living next to them. Surprise, heavy industry and housing don’t mix. Many of the factories or other intrusive commercial uses in LIC were plunked right smack in the middle of among mostly residential streets and were rarely good neighbors. Now that the area is gentrifying, I’m glad to see some of the more obnoxious businesses go away or at least confined to areas more appropriate for them, like New Jersey.
Guess you’ve never been stuck in an elevator. The fire dept is only helpful if they can reach you. If they can’t reach you, they have to call in the elevator guys to fix the thing so that they can reach you. Honestly, your best bet is to have both options nearby and have someone on board with gelato.
Met Foods is welcome in LIC if it receives the approval of Citylights. Foodcellar did not ask us whether they could come here and now they are paying the price – no one will go there. They learned the tough way Citylights rules LIC and we will ruin them.
Citylights I’m afraid your kingdom has been usurped. You were the first, but now there are many… all Metfoods needs to do is hit the mark. It’s a moderately priced grocery store. It’s what we need. Definitely a good thing.
Mon cher “anonymous” (#33), do forgive my attempt at drollery. Perhaps you read it hastily. I wished only to offer relief in a discussion so resonant with complaint, although I suppose your disapprobation is no worse than other responses I have inspired. Indeed, perhaps I should be grateful to you for your help in discovering the distinction between what might be subtle and what may be overly so.
37, Sir, because you’re Belgian, you probably weren’t aware that there is no such thing as subtlety or (god forbid) drollery on liqcity. So you’d be advised to take your effete, impudent act to some snooty Euro discussion board instead!
I would take a gelato place hands down. In my 32 years I’ve never been stuck in an elevator, so I don’t think I have much use for an elevator repair shop. I’ve enjoyed gelato hundreded of times more than I’ve required the service of a elevator repair shop.
Way to go 38. Show a guest in our country how xenophobic Americans can be.
If “Anonymous” (#38) accurately characterizes this entire site, that is truly unfortunate. I hope others will disagree, and, if not, I do hope no such humorlessness will manifest in the neighborhood itself.
I am sorry if one or two people in your neighborhood are unhappy. I myself will always remember Long Island City differently.
As for the critique of my “act,” I humbly remind those it may concern that “impudent” means “characterized by a shameless boldness, assurance or effrontery,” which I hardly think applies to my post, although others might agree with my critic. Nevertheless, without, I hope, shamelessness or excess effrontery, I might refer “Anonymous” (#38) to the definition of “effete,” i.e., “1. that has lost its vigor or energy; exhausted; worn out. 2. unable to produce.” That adjective seems unnecessarily caustic. I wonder how “Anonymous” (#38) is able to render it with such boldness and assurance. Candor has its merits, but I have no wish to thus offend another, although I might say, if I may be permitted to venture an opinion, that perhaps a gentleman or a lady does not advise and denounce at the same time.
A parking garage on top of the grocery store (presumably mostly for customers) may not be ideal, but look at it this way: in 99% of this country there would instead be a massive surface parking lot taking up thousands of square feet of ground space BESIDE the grocery store. I’ll take the parking above the store where at least it isn’t wasting acreage.
And the comments about the “advantages” of living near and elevator repair shop are ridiculous. In my 34 years I haven’t once been stuck in an elevator. And I live and work in buildings with elevators.
This is 38. Jeez, I was just joking, 40 and 41. I guess I was right — there is no such thing as subtlety on liqcity. I love Belgians, and I love chocolate even more.
(By the way, the “effete, impudent” reference is to a famous remark made by Spiro Agnew about antiwar protesters.)
Don’t encourage this R. Belhinge. C’mon read post # 32. It’s a nonsense post. Why would he find it remarkable that elevator shops work out of one or two story buildings.? Then he takes you down a road of mental meandering. It’s his/her idea of humor.
After all, it’s LIC’s wondrous scenic backdrops, affording this historic interpretation of the old Marquee producing shops. Just like the “chocolate factory” which was actually meant to enlighten, and to not eschew disdainful discourse, but neither to be discouraging, mon ami.
Charlie.
All the elevator companies and other industrial businesses were here because that’s historically where they needed to be. LIC, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, The Brooklyn Navy Yard, Gowanus and Bush Terminal all had one thing in common. That was a combination of waterfront, railroad, and streets with easily accessible shipping and receiving. It was also a convenient place to dump some liquid waste products.
I would imagine (but I may be wrong) that the parking lot over the new Met Food store would be for customers only. I’m sure that in the opinion of the owners, it is a way to attract customers from ouside of a few blocks distance, who want or need to purchase more than a couple of bags with each trip.
Having a Met Foods store in the area should (hopefully) provide more variety of product, provided they don’t try to copy what Food Cellar, C-Town and E & I has, and to offer possibly lower priced Cheerios and T-Bone steak (for examples).
Charlie.
They said the parking would be for long term use.
Oops, thanks # 46.
Charlie.
“…An effete corps of impudent snobs who characterize themselves as intellectuals.”
–Spiro T. Agnew, describing his political opponents. Although this locution suffered in translation, I had not forgotten how amusing the 1970’s were. One’s amusement is only enhanced when one is surrounded by those who keep History so firmly in their grasp. My compliments.
(Note: “marques,” NOT “Marquees”)
48, no, allow me to compliment you, sir — liqcity’s very own Wilde-eyed observer.
Was the infamous Doctor aka R.Belhinge an opponent of Spiro T. Agnew? Please don’t compare the very astute and caustic wit of Oscar Wilde with this charlatan (troll).
It is “marquees”, in the manner which I implied; without consideration to the context of the content of your craftings.
As you stated in your post #48, things like the 70’s and people on this board amuse you. Well I say that in this case, your amusement via the responses to your deliberate ramblings, is disrespectful of the people on this board.
Charlie.
“Disrespectful?”
Mon cher Charlie, how you serve an irony! It is not the xenophobia or the anti-intellectualism that injures me, so much as the absence of support from other more enlightened readers. Having composed a modest essay in a harmless effort to amuse, I have been treated to some of the rudest and most bewildering behavior I ever have encountered. I have meant to make it clear that I am a friend to your country and to your neighborhood and that I am sympathetic to the aims of the community as a whole and to its progress toward what might be termed a new paradigm, but I now wonder what sort of neighborhood you envision if this is the manner in which you interpret my “ramblings.” You and your colleagues have misunderstood me at every turn, and congratulated one another for misidentifying me, and for continuing to do so after I legitimately protested and requested any substantiation. Au contraire, rather than respond to my requests for clarification or correction, you have returned to attack me with more attention. As I have said, it has been many years since my last visit to Long Island City, which was a very pleasant time, and I even remember the old Met Food store several streets along Vernon Boulevard from the metro station. Such a store is, after all, the topic of discussion here, not how summarily you are able to label and marginalize a stranger who expresses himself differently.
Then you should have written in conversational english; after all this is a discussion board. Your writings sound like someone who imagines they are superior to others, hoping to impress or to mislead with your use of the language. You were writing mostly nonsense, disguised by your overuse of words rarely used in conversation, and by the tone of the writing. You did the same exact thing in your other incarnation as “Dr. Sigmond Amondier, MD” . Take this excerpt from the previous post (#52): “but I now wonder what sort of neighborhood you envision if this is the manner in which you interpret my “ramblings.” It’s a nonsense statement. What does the manner in which I interpret your ramblings, have to do with what sort of neighborhood I envision? It’s pure nonsense.
There’s no fear of foreigners here, and no one is out to strike at those who are intelligent. Maybe it’s just paranoia on your part. You’re just jerking everyone around; so stop the bull, and get on with your life by doing something constructive, instead of trying to pawn your nonsense off on those who read this board. Do us all a favor and go find something else to amuse yourself with.
Hey if you feel misunderstood and abused, it’s your fault. you created this. You should have spoken as I suggested, like everyone else. I’t’s one thing to attempt in one’s writings, to use the english language in a correct manner, but it’s yet another, to try to use the language in a seemingly correct manner; to disguise one’s intentions of misleading and trying to fool others, and to be smug about it, to boot.
If you truly are a foriegner (and I believe you’re not) whose native language is not English, Then you insult those in this country, by using it in the manner which you do. So cut the crap, and if you want to post any further comments, then do it in everyday english, and stop with the “au contraire” and “mon cher”.
Charlie.
stfu charlie. you sound as mentally unstable as anyone here. *read what you write.* you repeat that like a mental patient.
Okay # 54, you’re entitled to your opinion. You sound suspiciouly defensive though, and angry too (speaking of unstable). Why? Are you R. Belhinge? Why else would you come out of the blue as an anonymous poster, tell me to shut the f*** up, and call me a mental patient? Sheesh, try an anger management course, and keep that dictionary nearby.
With anonymous posting, anyone can be anyone else.
Charlie.
As a purely outside observer, Charlie seems to post more often and on average with more words than anyone here. So it is indeed strange that he is going after R. Belhinge. As I type I realize perhaps he is jealous that someone else is grabbing his air time.
I think R. Belhinge is a riot. Who cares how off-topic and rambling his posts are?
Wrong observation, and a strange one too. There is no such thing as “air time” on discussion boards. You’re baiting.
Like I said, with anonymous posting, anyone can be anyone else.
Charlie.
Charlie, I am sorry for you illiteracy and I am sure that I am not the only one who applauds your willingness to admit to it. Insisting, however, that I, and, it is to be presumed, everyone else, must lower themselves to your, Charlie’s, level of discourse, seems somewhat un-American, given that yours is a country where tolerance overwhelms intolerance and where the willingness to advance intellectually accounts for many of your liberties and privileges.
Finally, once again, I am not this “Doctor” with whom you continue to confuse me.
P. S. Here is the missing letter (r). One of the nurses found it on the floor.
“I am sorry for you illiteracy and I am sure that I am not the only one who applauds your willingness to admit to it.” So, you’re sorry that I cannot read or write, and you applaud my willingness to admit it? Jeez, more nonsense.
Go to the other thread and read my response.
Charlie.
#16, show yourself. You know you want to.
WOW, you all need to get a life.
Hey Charlie, lulu 63 sounds a lot like that Belhinge guy.
Yea, and the person constantly defending him, who’s pretending to be more than one, are all the same.
Charlie.
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timing?