LHaus
Jan 22 2010

Long Island City: land of opportunity and neglected construction sites

Abandoned construction site, LIC

Blogger Queens Crap posted this week about a rat-infested and dangerous construction site in Long Island City, at 45-64 Pearson St across from the storage place. A disrupted local resident wrote in to report:

“The DOH finally came and gave the stalled site on Pearson St a violation, but they did not bait the area – nor did the property owners clean anything up. Rats still patrol the street. If you look at the DOB site, the deadbeat developer didn’t even go to his 5 hearings. They are all in default for $17,000. [...] Now, the illegal fence has collapsed and the DOB has been notified. The illegal fence is obstructing the sidewalk and it is now partially in the street.”

Construction site gone to ruin on Pearson St, Long Island City – Photo

Quick update: since then, the same local resident actually sent in some photos today of the rather haphazard “improvement” made to the collapsing fence on the site.

There’s another lot off Jackson Ave on Purves St that’s been pretty much falling apart for awhile now – random cars parked in it, weeds getting overgrown, wooden construction fence falling to pieces. It’s right across the street from SculptureCenter, 4427 Purves Condo, and the pending Vere Condos. However, Queens Crap also did a recent update about a cleanup going on at this site yesterday, after some more pix were snapped of the dilapidation.

These aren’t the only abandoned sites in LIC, of course – other lots are sprinkled around the hood on 11th St, in Queens Plaza, and in the shadows of Queens West condos. There’s definitely a wide spectrum of maintenance though. In Hunters Point toward the waterfront, there are some well-maintained stalled construction sites – though the Vernon Blvd area has highly active and effective, though somewhat secret, community activist groups – so property owners don’t have much choice in keeping up with maintenance anyway. Aah well… unfortunately all of LIC can’t be so lucky.

Neighborhood

17 Comments

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Thanks for highlighting these posts. The DOB has in the past not issued violations on empty lots for inadequate construction fences because once the lot is empty and no more construction activity is happening, the fence is no longer necessary under their rules. It would seem to me that removing the fence would be better than leaving it up at these locations, although the one on Purves is below the grade of Thomson Avenue and no fence would therefore present another hazard.

#1 Queens Crapper / 2 years ago

Purves owners must be pissed! And Arris and Vere owners to a lesser extent.

That site was supposed to be, what, 30 or 40 stories tall?

#2 Anonymous / 2 years ago

I thought this was what was going there:

http://www.berkoassociates.com/propertydetails.asp?propTypeID=5&propLocID=1&propSubLocID=2&propCatID=1&propertyID=107

#3 Queens Crapper / 2 years ago

I *think* that that info is outdated and the financing fell through last spring, but I could be wrong.

Anyone know for sure?

#4 Anonymous / 2 years ago

IMO this has always been a bad location for Residential. The rats have been a problem for years now and has nothing to do with stalled construction. I remember when people first moved in Arris they would complain it it then. There is virtually no retail over there. They are closer to more subway lines, but this are has a long way to go before it catches up with the waterfront.

#5 Anonymous / 2 years ago

i think that area is growing faster then the waterfront, jackson ave is catching up with vernon and for me the subways are more important then being closer the water. its only a 10 minute commute if you can get to the subway in 2 minutes

#6 Anonymous / 2 years ago

No way is that area growing faster than the waterfront. It’s great that that area is growing, but those tiny condo projects are completely dwarfed by the towers on the water and the retail on Vernon. One burger joint and a specialty bar does not a retail hub make.

#7 Anonymous / 2 years ago

and don’t forget gotham center and its planned retail

#8 Anonymous / 2 years ago

There are empty retail spaces all along Queensboro Plaza. Why hasn’t anything opened in those spots if there’s such a demand in that area for retail?

#9 Anonymous / 2 years ago

would you rather move your store into a crap storefront or wait for a new building with probably the same rent

#10 Anonymous / 2 years ago

Also let’s not forget that Rockrose is building three gigantic residential towers right at Citibank. And the first one is already started. Ok yes it’s stalled, but they are supposed to get back to work on it this spring.

Also the Gotham Center will bring retail, but mostly oriented towards its own building constituents. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, unless they can’t rent it all out in this very soft commercial market.

Funny, it all seems somewhat doomed on one hand, and remarkably optimistic on the other.

#11 Anonymous / 2 years ago

The Star condo is also stalled.

#12 Anonymous / 2 years ago

i thought the rockrose building was another commercial one- 10 court square?

#13 Anonymous / 2 years ago

I don’t know. For my money the waterfront seems to be the safer bet.

#14 Anonymous / 2 years ago

construction fence fell on the corner of 47 ave and 5th st too

#15 Anonymous / 2 years ago

10 Court Square was supposed to be commercial, but due to the horrible commercial market, Rockrose decided to switch it to residential.

#16 Anonymous / 2 years ago

They planned to go residential all along. Don’t be so naive.

#17 Anonymous / 2 years ago

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