LIC losing light industry; paving the way for Greenroofs & the EPA
LIC Greenmarket, Saturdays 8am-4pm, 48th Ave & Vernon Blvd, LIC
LIC linkage galore! First up is an audio/photo slideshow about the rising disappearance of light industrial real estate, and the impact it’s having on the city as well as the businesses themselves. LIC is one of the main neighborhoods profiled.
In more local news, our notorious power providers Con Ed, are working to reduce their own electric bills by creating a greenroof which is said to cut energy consumption by 30%. Interesting related statistic:
“Just in Long Island City, there are 667 acres of empty, flat roofs suitable for vegetation, according to Balmori Associates, an urban design company. That is the equivalent of 80 percent of Central Park.” According to the article, Silvercup Studios were the first (in NYC) to create an energy saving greenroof.
And speaking of uh, green, the EPA has finally decided to acknowledge the world’s largest oil spill in Newton Creek:
“the federal Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to “develop a sampling plan” that could lead to Newtown Creek’s being named a federal Superfund site, a designation that could accelerate long-stalled cleanup efforts in the polluted, oil-slicked 3.5-mile estuary between Queens and Brooklyn.”
In other news, “LIC’s First Luxury High-rise” Star Tower, has gotten a face lift before it’s even been born; Queensbridge Theatre in Ravenswood aiming to open this October; Thirteen hotels are in the pipeline for Dutch Kills, will they all get built?; Miss Heather has been prowling around LIC.
Audio/Photo Slideshow about post-Industrial NYC (aka Right Now) [Daily News]
City industries feel squeeze with rezoning attracting developers [Daily News]
EPA will review pollution at Newtown Creek [NY Times]
LIC’s Star Tower gets Re-rendered [Curbed]
Long Island City supper club aims to rock amid the rolls – Queensbridge Theater [Daily News]
Hoteliers struggle in LIC- Dutch Kills [The Real Deal]
Long Island City Photos du Jour – 1 [NY Shitty]
Long Island City Photos du Jour – Angry at the MTA [NY Shitty]
They are trying to grow this greenmarket into one like in Union Square. So those parking spots aren’t coming back anytime soon.
LOL re: that audio slideshow calling LIC a “hipster enclave.” Um, and them calling the South Bronx one for that matter.
The sacrifice of light industrial districts for short-term real estate profit-chasing is going to hurt us in the long run as fuel prices continue to rise and local industry becomes more important again, though.
Don’t kid yourself. Fuel prices could increase 20 times over and local industry would still not be viable. Everthing is made in China and Mexico where you can hire 20 people for the price of 1 US worker.
It’s a little late to be ruing the loss of industrial jobs in LIC/New York. That train left the station decades ago. Instead of trying to fight a lost cause, the city should do what it can to lure bio-tech and green energy jobs.
I remember when all of the audio/electronics companies took flight in the 70′s. Some of those companies were Marantz, Sherwood, Harmon-Kardon, Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Superscope, Akai, Teac, Sansui, etc. Recoton (maker of mostly accessories) was the last holdout, until they flew the coop in the early 90′s.
At the time, NYC was on the verge of bankruptcy, so industry decided to abandon ship. They set up shop in calmer waters, like NJ and CT, which gave huge tax breaks that the city couldn’t afford to give .
Charlie.
Local light industry IS viable, though. This is not Detroit– most all these buildings are full of active bakeries, repair shops, and other types of small businesses employing New Yorkers and providing services or products primarily within the region. They are not abandonded. The City has made a conscious choice to replace them with residential towers via rezoning.
The City has not made a decision to replace them with residential towers. In a capitalist society market forces determine the highest and best use of land. If it is profitable to stay industrial it would. But if other uses are valued higher by society they will be pushed out.
Why did the city extend the grassy median down to Vernon? Looking at this picture reminded me of that. I wish they would do it. It doesn’t seem that it would cost much and it would really mak 48th much nicer.
8, the city rezoned LIC to enable upper-income residential use, spelling the end of most industrial uses and the jobs they provided to working people. It was a conscious, programmed act of — dare I say — state planning, with lots of taxpayer-subsidized goodies thrown in. It didn’t happen by some pure, natural force. There were/are other options to giving up the store to wealthy residential real estate developers and owners. It’s just that no one has the courage or imagination in this city anymore to do anything but chase a quick buck.
#9 It would also make it safer during the greenmarket.
Agree with 9 & 11. Is there anyway that we can get this to happen? Looks aside it seems logical and would also increase safety considering that there is a playgroud and school nearby. I see too many kids trying to cross the 4 lanes mid block who are not paying attention to what they are doing.
“The City has not made a decision to replace them with residential towers. In a capitalist society market forces determine the highest and best use of land.”
Uh, hi, market forces do not determine land use, local government has since the early 20th century. It’s called zoning and is an implementation of the “police power” to protect public health, safety, morals, and general welfare. Thanks for playing. Fantasies of free market capitalism rarely apply in reality; said markets are highly regulated and/or incentived by government policy.
the sky in this picture is nice.
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How long before we get rid of the greenmarket? The selection this year has been bad, there are fewer vendors than ever, and no one seems to go. I’d rather have the parking on the weekends.