It’s the day of reckoning for the CUNY dorm proposal. Tonight’s Community Board (CB2) meeting is sure to be a riveting wrestling match: community vs developers vs gov’t. You can be sure we’ll have ringside seats.

If you want to see the action yourself, the meeting is held at Sunnyside Senior Center, 43-31 39th St (2nd floor), Sunnyside, NY 11104. At 7pm.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 1st, in the same location at 7pm. Essentially CB2 meetings are held the first Thursday of every month.

If you would like to contact the CB2, they’re located at 43-22 50th St, 2nd floor, Woodside, NY 11377. The phone number is 718.533.8773, and email addresses listed are: qn02@cb.nyc.gov and commboard2@nyc.rr.com.

• Developers’ CUNY housing plan in Long Island City faces hurdle [Daily News]

The CUNY dorm proposal was passed last night by the Community Board, in a vote 21-10. The Queens Council on the Arts sweetened the deal, and they are very excited to move to LIC.

CUNY will have to meet certain conditions, and as far as we know so far, the building will be 13 stories. The details on this will be posted when the board releases their write -up .

liQcity spoke to QCA today, and essentially they help make sure art happens in Queens. And all kinds of art: visual and performing. They also give out micro-grants of $500-1500 to artists and organizations. Currenty located in Woodhaven, they are exited to inhabit a space so accessible and within a very alive artist’s community, though somewhat endangered.

Grad students and hipsters on the way. LIC further diversifies… that should be good news to some.

• Queens Council on the Arts Website

» UPDATE »

Alternate viewpoint on the CUNY dorm received via liQcity inbox:

“The vote was 10 against, 21 for which unfortunately was predictable. There was a rather slick misinformation campaign where many local politicians were told of QCA’s and CUNY’s outreach to the arts community. This hasn’t been supported by fact.

Their lawyer has one of those curious political backgrounds where one cannot quite tell what he really stands for and I suppose he likes it that way.”

• Sidney Davidoff

The planned Silvercup Studios $1B development project, Queensboro Br, LIC

Interesting article this morning about stalled development projects. The reasons vary - seems hard to just blame everything on the credit crunch, but it’s definitely more of a trend now compared to a few years ago. Here’s the news about LIC:

…it has also been confirmed that the practice’s 185,000m2 Silvercup Studio complex on the Long Island City Waterfront is on hold. The $1 billion (£500 million) mixed-use development, which won approval in mid-2006, has stalled due to issues over protracted land sales and the delayed removal of power plants from the site.”

Meanwhile CUNY’s going forward with the dorm:

“The development at 5-11 47th Ave. would have 400 total residential units, half of which would be for public rent and the other half will be divided between 188 graduate units and 12 faculty housing units at street level. It would also include a 6,000-square-foot office for the QCA and an open courtyard for art displays.

CB 2 Chairman Joe Conley said the board approved the plan with some stipulations. CUNY, for example, has agreed to never sell the property, he said. Conley said the board also asked for 20 percent of the non-student residential units to be offered as affordable housing, though he was not sure if the developer would agree.”

• Silvercup Studios development project on hold [Daily News]

• CB 2 OKs divisive plan to build 13-story tower [Times Ledger]

• ConEd has a $100 for western Queens blackout victims [Daily News]

• Flux Factory in Flux [Artnet]

• Crime Report for 114th Precinct - LIC [Times Ledger]

After the Blend bloodbath ensued, we contacted Joe Conley, the chairperson of the Community Board (CB2), in order to gain some clarification and address concerns about businesses and residents living amongst each other on Vernon Blvd. He’s agreed to hold a Q&A with concerned LIC’ers residents, and we will announce the date and location of the Public Hearing when it’s been coordinated. In the meantime, Chairman Conley did pass along a response he wrote to a liQcity commenter who sent him an email regarding the Blend liquor license denial:

Dear LIC Resident »

Well folks. The epic battle between the Vernon restaurant Blend and the Neighbors continues tomorrow at a public hearing being held at St. Mary’s Church at 7pm. St. Mary’s is the church at Vernon/Jackson. You can’t really miss it. Tomorrow is Thursday. We recommend you wear some protective gear, as this topic seems to provoke bloodbath.

• Vernon restaurant Blend facing staunch opposition to getting liquor license

• CB2 responds to LIC community concern about life and bizz on Vernon