Development at the Pulaski Bridge & Jackson Ave, Long Island City

The mystery building that we’ve been wondering about for a while (the far greenish construction in the photo), is indeed a condo building called The L Haus, named after it’s, well… L-shape. Rumors: The offering plan is about to hit the street; Apple Bank is the investor; Eliman is the marketer; price/sf starts in the $6/700′s; only 5000ish sf of retail (perhaps Apple Bank?). Limited parking spots. Oh and it’s going to be green. Not as in sustainable development, but as in the color.

Folks who buy in The L Haus »

Proposed map of Hunters Point South Development (4.4MB)

Yesterday, we took a look at the proposed future of Jackson Ave and Queens Plaza, today we have a peek at the promised promise-land of Hunters Point South. Again, brought to us by the NYC Economic Development Corporation:

“The purpose of the proposed action is the implementation of a large-scale, mixed-use development plan, Hunter’s Point South, that provides a substantial amount of affordable housing on publicly owned land and allows for the residential redevelopment of a privately owned adjacent site, Site B. The development of the Hunter’s Point South site would be an integral part of the City’s plan for the provision of affordable housing over the next 10 years. In addition to housing, the Hunter’s Point South site would also include retail uses, community/cultural facility space, a public school, public parkland and other public and private open spaces, and accessory parking. Redevelopment of the privately owned site would include public waterfront access.”

This map is not really news, nor is the development – but in the coming weeks we’ll be taking a closer look at the major development plans in the works for LIC, and there’s so much info to this one, we could do a whole blog on it. But don’t worry, we won’t.

• Hunters Point South

Lady Pink aka Pinksmith on 5pointz, Court Sq, Long Island City

I was walking around 5pointz this weekend, and saw some incredible work. The piece in the photo by Lady Pink is a smaller part of the whole.

It’s nice and chill over there on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Since it’s getting warm out, we can only assume they’ll be more to come.

If you don’t know what 5pointz is, let’s remedy that right away. It’s the gigantic yellow building covered in graffiti at the corner of 23rd St & Jackson Ave, that you’ve probably seen on the elevated 7 train. It’s very hard to miss. It’s one of the few places (the only?) in NYC where graffiti is a legal expression of creativity, instead of a punishable crime against material property. So it produces an infinitely rotating supply of art pieces created by some of the most celebrated graffiti and street artists in the world.

If you’re into it, here’s more »

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]

The Market at Long Island City, 5th St & 47th Rd, Queenswest, LIC

The Queenswest grocery store that’s been teasing us for over a year now is finally blossoming. Only it’s called The Market at Long Island City instead of the Amish Market – though operated by the same owners. I dunno, something about the Amish Market rolls off the tongue nicely… I feel like we’ll all still be calling it that anyway. Old habits die hard and you can’t teach old dogs new tricks. Right?

Also manifesting right next door is the Duane Reade. Need some proof?

Here you go »

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 houses alongside the Casa Vizcaya development site, 10-40 46th Rd, LIC

The new development Casa Vizcaya is feeling some heat right now, thanks to alleged damage caused to the adjacent property, a townhouse owned by Kenny Greenberg and Diane Hendry. The Daily News reports:

“The Buildings Department recently slapped the project with a stop-work order “for failure to protect adjacent property” according to the agency’s Web site.”

“We’re defending our house,” said Greenberg, who has lived in the two-story house for nearly 20 years and owns a nearby neon company. “This has emotionally beaten us down for two years.”

“The couple’s complaints against the development include bulging walls, broken windows, water damage and cracks. They now have to replace the east wall of their home, which will force them to relocate temporarily.”

Living in Long Island City these days, it’s not an uncommon story. I’m sure many of us can relate to the headache of living near a building in construction – myself I am surrounded by almost ten within a 1 block radius, and about 4 within a baseball’s throw of my house. LIC certainly has it’s charms, and as has been noted before, Sunday is one of them. The day the construction stops. Unless of course, they have a permit, or are pretending like they do.

Anyway, lots of these old townhouses can’t take the repeated impact of the construction vibration. It really should be incumbent upon developers to take care when sandwiching a new condo building between semi-fragile townhouses where longtime LIC community residents live. Hopefully, they will. (Don’t worry, no one’s holding their breath over here.)

Incidentally, the couple who owns the townhouse was featured in this video short about the LIC community.

• Couple claims condo construction caused damage to their home [Daily News]

Purves St, Court Sq, LIC

So the word on the street is 44-15 Purves St (or Purvis St, whatever suits your fancy) is going to break ground this spring, like everything else. It’s brought to us by the Lions Group, who also produced the top ten hits Vantage Purves and 10-50 Jackson Ave.

So far, the deets are: 57 units, condos, to be listed by Corcoran.

Purves really has some mojo going on. Not to mention this development site might produce a behemoth sibling as well.

• Photos of Purves St (Purvis) [liQcity Flickr]