Worklife in LIC evaluated. Court Square commercial development continues.
Dark skies over Court Square? April 2008, Long Island City
Interesting article this morning about the downsides of working in Court Square which included: lack of basic stores like pharmacies, grocery, dry cleaning etc, for errands during the day; the challenging commute from Jersey; the industrial ‘ghetto’-like vibe; few options for lunch. Upsides were: commuting from Brooklyn via the G train, quiet & low-key. Some felt that LIC offers a nice relief from congestion, others felt that Queens is beneath them. On this blog, we’ve heard a lot from the LIC resident point of view, but not so much from the working population.
Here’s a taste:
“Coming here from Manhattan is a real culture shock,” said one employee puffing away in front of the newest Citigroup building with three other forty-something, heavyset men on Monday morning. “There, you walk from store to store. You have so much variety. Here, forget it, man. The cafeteria’s too pricey so we usually eat Chinese food. There’s also a Spanish place, and a lot of ethnic stuff.
“It’s interesting, but, after a while, interesting gets old.”
“The hardest part is that there are not as many pretty girls passing by,” a man from the Bronx wearing a baseball cap offered, prompting wistful sighs of agreement from his three smoking buddies.
“Parking is also too expensive,” offered another employee who has been commuting from New Jersey by car for about seven years. He pays $7 daily to park, but refused to divulge the name and location of the lot. “It’s a secret. Most people pay like $10 a day, Manhattan prices.”
“But if you like peace and quiet, this place is perfect.”
Citicorp Tower, Court Square, LIC
The article cited a throwback article from 2006 about commercial development in Court Square, which is remarkably relevant to the current climate in LIC. Commercial developers even 2 years ago were not sure of LIC’s viability, yet some have taken the plunge:
1) Tishman Speyer, is finally expected to break ground on a scaled-down Gotham Center in Queens Plaza(pdf)–originally the developer giant planned to build 3 million square feet, but the most recent description of the project on the EDC Web site is for a 1.5 million-square-foot complex with the option of 1.5 million additional square feet in a second building phase.
2) E.J. Minskoff Equities’ $300 million mixed-use development North 30 is scheduled to be finished in late 2009, according to theEDC, but judging by the language it doesn’t sound like the commercial portion has really taken off. The site says there is “opportunity to create as much as 650,000 SF of mixed-use space at 30-30 Northern Boulevard between 40th Avenue and 40th Road.”
3) “The opportunity to create more than 580,000 sf of mixed-use space at (24-02 43rd Avenue) in Court Square,” is also available in Rockrose’s planned development, according to the EDC, leaving the potential for many more office workers to make Long Island City their professional home.
4) And let’s not forget about Rockrose’s 10 Court Square.
The local: Worklife in Long Island City [Observer]
A Long Island City awakening [NY Times]
Behold the behemoth 10 Court Square [liQcity]
Isn’t a Starbucks coming? That should hold them for awhile.
But I understand- I was offered a spot in our office by Citibank or our office in Manhattan…for just common sense, I picked Manhattan. I can run errands during the day…go to stuff I don’t have in LIC (yet).
Where in Manhattan can you park for $10/day. Now THAT’s a secret!
exactly…who are these people?
C’mon, 1 and 4. Sorry, even LIC-philes know that most people with boring office jobs in horrible companies like Citicorp would much rather be in Manhattan than Court Square. A fast-food lunch and an errand to Duane Reade to buy Q-tips are the only things keeping them from slitting their wrists.
I hope CitiCorp goes the way of the dodo. Horrible company to work for.
Court Square is probably getting the highest population explosion of anywhere in LIC. If you count all the activity on Purves too. There is absolutely nothing here. At least at Vernon/Jackson there are a few amenities. Hope all those towers bring in some good stores. But the big tenants are still skeptical of LIC. There isn’t enough population density yet, and the market is so unstable, especially new development… it might be a chicken and egg type thing. Let’s see what happens. I own in Court Square… sometimes at night I regret it, but overall it seems like the investment will pan out someday.
that’s great #5!
I think this is Citi group’s own fault. They have created these building to be so self sufficient that people don’t have to leave their building for lunch so very little retail could prosper in the area because the foot traffic is kept within the buildings. Citi Group should reduce their cafeteria and insensitive small businesses to open in the surrounding area so that a more pedestrian friendly street escape is created.
don’t forget about the jackson ave beautification project!
that is so true #5. hahaha
“there’s not much to do” in LIC. ” - typical assclown who doesn’t realize that hes there to work
I wonder if these companies incentivize their employees by raising their salaries when they move to LIC from Manhattan. It would only be fair because they are saving a lot of money per sq. ft. by having them move here. I am sure if that were the case all these people would not be bitching so much.
it is kind of a bleak place to work compared to manhattan. midtown is not very exciting, but at least there are hundreds of restaurant options, and many stores. On my lunch break here I just sit and wish there was somewhere else to eat besides LA gourmet.
14, sneak out on a longer lunch break. There are plenty of places on Vernon to grab a great lunch. Mario’s beats anything in midtown.
The guys and some of the ladies should try the lunch specials from the local strip clubs. I would take that any day over all these lame delis and fast food chains here in Midtown. :)
Like which strip clubs #16? Scandals, Cityscapes? Do they deliver?
There is a Duane Reade being built closer to the waterfront. Don’t know when it opens yet, but I know it’s there because I run by it every day. As for the lack of Starbucks, I find it refreshing knowing that I have a handful of coffee shops to choose from, including Brasil Coffee House on Vernon and a newer/smaller shop, which is called Sweat Leaf on Jackson. I’d buy coffee from them over Starbucks any day.
Uh, there C-Town, LICity Pharmacy, and a few cleaners are all within 1 block of Citicorp. Idiots.
WOW! People really know how to complain about anything that isn’t perfect. Life is really hard for some people and these peope that were interviewed have really got in rough.