Solarium Condo penthouse, 5-43 48th Ave, Long Island City

As the Long Island City condo development pauses for station identification, a few lucky construction projects have successfully made it to the finish line. The Solarium, now open for sales, is marketing itself as the first green condo development in Hunters Point, and is bolting out of the gate with a starting average price point of roughly $700/SF. Studios start in the $400K’s, 2BRs at $700K, and 3BR are $1.1M and up »

The beginnings of a new hotel on Vernon Blvd & 9th St, Long Island City

Meet the newest addition to Long Island Hotel City: a ‘new 7 story transient hotel’ is apparently going up on Vernon Blvd in the huge lot at 44-29 9th St, near 44th Dr – girders are already starting to peek up above the blue construction fence. The lot is across the street from the Board of Education building and around the corner from the lovely old red brick building that once housed Next Level Floral Design.

Moving south on Vernon »

The light clock materializes: Murano Condo, Borden Ave, Long Island City

We’ve been hearing about the Murano – the ‘aurora borealis’ of Long Island City condos – for quite awhile now, but the mystical rainbow light show of the newest building on Borden Ave seems to have taken a giant step towards realization »

Inside the Hotel Indigo LLC lot, Dutch Kills, Long Island City

While the Long Island City focus has always been on the Queens West waterfront and Hunters Point, Dutch Kills – loosely defined as the area just north of Queens Plaza, heading up towards Astoria – has been quietly gentrifying itself into a frenzy. Not only have two new hotels gone up a block or two from each other on Crescent St (Country Inn & Suites and the Ramada), but lots are being ripped up, developments are starting and stopping and starting again, and towering buildings are settling into quiet blocks lined with family houses. Sigh.

Dutch Kills began its recent transformation after some crafty developers took advantage of the city dragging their feet (for, um, three years) when it came to rezoning the neighborhood to allow for medium-density residential development. Last time we ventured into this strange and rapidly developing land of churches, hotels, small houses, and construction lots, it was actually one of the hottest days of this past summer. Needless to say, we thought it was time for a wintry Dutch Kills update »

Hunters Point South, Long Island City

Last night Community Board 2 held a public hearing at St. Mary’s Church in Long Island City regarding the 49th Ave traffic changes and the Hunters Point South “Open Space” project. A liQcity reader emailed us some quick details from the hearing:

“CB2′s public hearing yesterday started with a discussion about 49th Ave between 5th St & Vernon Blvd. DOT [Dept of Transportation] briefly presented how 49th Ave’s size and location cause it to fit their “one-way” conversion model. And, they did some kind of a ‘speed study’ and the average speed they clocked means the street fits their mandate for a speed hump, but they will only do it if CB2 votes for it.

The longer presentation and discussion was about the Hunters Point South open space »

Long Island City Getty Gas Station to become bakery, 11th St @ 47th Rd

Woah. The Getty Gas station on 11th St between 47th Ave & Rd is going to be turned into an adaptive reuse bakery, according to this architect’s rendering. Interesting. The entire facade is covered with rolling pins. Even more interesting is that it appears that actual gas will still be sold alongside your freshly baked morning muffin. Yum.

Looks like everyone’s favorite local ferry, NY Water Taxi, is expanding their services by purchasing Circle Line Downtown Cruises. It’s nice to see river transport becoming more relevant and invested in. Especially considering the increased subway ridership and decreased MTA service (holding your breath for a bailout?).

In Long Island City real estate news »

10-17 Jackson Ave, Long Island City. Rendering courtesy of V Studios

The new development rising on the famous corner of Vernon Blvd & Jackson Ave is finally identified as 10-17 Jackson Ave, a 9-story condo development with ground floor retail:

“It will contain approximately 33 units and ground floor retail which is being built with the potential for a restaurant in mind. The exterior will be a combination of floor to ceiling ribbon glass, stainless steel shingles, and perforated aluminum screens. The architect says that he is going to pains to blend in with the community.”

In other Long Island City news »

The View at East Coast condos, advertising on Vernon Blvd, Long Island City

If you thought it would be a cold day in hell before condo developers in Long Island City gave money back guarantees on sales…. well that day might be today. Cold Indeed.

Rockrose Development Corp, the developers behind The View at East Coast condos, are offering their version of a Money Back Guarantee to the next crop of buyers »

Hunters Point South as it is today, Long Island City. — photo credit

“The City Council approved the Hunters Point South project today, which will turn a 30-acre waterfront site in Long Island City, Queens into a neighborhood filled with affordable housing, by a vote of 45 to 0. Hunters Point South will be the largest affordable housing development in the city since Starrett City opened in 1974. The project will include »

View from the Prestige Condos, Hunters Point, Long Island City

The Fall condo bloom in Long Island City is continued by the Prestige Condos, formerly known as Greenview. Low-rise building and open lofts with more than decent views. Virtual doorman, rooftop gym, built in apt speakers, storage, and standard luxury applicance offerings. You know.

Clocking in »

Aah, we spoke too soon. Or too late, depending on how you look at it »

Parade for Santo Amato, Vernon/Jackson, Long Island City

Fallout from the financial crisis keeps raining down on NYC. Now it’s news that the credit crunch is not just impacting buyers, but developers who depend on bank financing to get their developments completed. Obviously this is relevant to Long Island City, where predictions of a major slowdown in development thanks to the root problem of the financial crisis, the sub-prime mortgage meltdown, have been sounded out now for months. Though in a sense, where LIC is concerned, this is all relative information. There are still a ton of development projects going forward, as evidenced by the constant sound of hammering and drilling, aka the signature song of LIC.

In other news »

Elliman brokers take in the Manhattan skyline at dusk, Powerhouse Condos

Yes, it’s a well known fact that LIC is a real estate haven these days, what with all the condo development… Suits and brokers have been a fixture around here for years now, and despite the troubled and confusing times of the NYC real estate market, LIC hasn’t even felt a hiccup, if this weekend’s broker extravaganga is any evidence.

On Thursday night »

It’s a little chilly in LIC this weekend, but we should see the sun. It’s the usual suspects, plus a sale at Purves Vantage. Have fun condo seekers.

Vantage Purves 44-27 Purves St, Courthouse Sq. 1 available Nestseekers Open House: Sun, 1:15-3PM

5th floor terrace at the 5th Street Lofts

Did you know that 5SL is actually not one building but two? The building on 48th Ave is larger, and hosts the majority of the amenities including two roof decks. There’s a smaller adjacent (via the backside) building on 47th Ave that is ‘a little more boutique and cozy’ according to the sales agent. The smaller building does not feature a doorman, and the layouts are a little more ‘unique’ so beware of that boutique buyers.

5SL in general is all sold out of 1BR’s, so get a roommate or get married, or you know… start a business from your home office with a closet and maybe even a nice view. Views from the 5th floor terrace at the 47th Rd building weren’t half bad actually. Though they do look straight at the mystery development where we suspect a dorm might be going up.

A collaged view of Fusion LIC, 4251 Hunter St, Courthouse Sq, LIC

It’s hard to get a unobstructed shot of the well-known condo development Fusion LIC, so liQcity photographer Jenni Snead fused (pun intended) one together. There’s an Open House this weekend for the 6 listings still on the market, all listed by Halstead.

Star Building at 42-26 28th St

We’re running into some more unidentified conversions going on in LIC. How surprising. The latest one is the old Star building, which is located near the Fusion LIC site in Courthouse Square. It seems work has just recently begun. Anyone have any knowledge of what’s happening to the Star Building?

From Forgotten-NY: “Long Island Star building, 28th Street and 42nd Road, was home to the Long Island City Daily Star, founded in 1865 by Thomas Todd, memorialized in a plaque on the building’s exterior. The paper merged with Flushing’s North Shore Journal in the 1930s and soldiered on until 1968 as the Long Island Star-Journal. Developers have it in their gunsights.”

A photo of the building pre-scaffolding »

I saw some work being done on 51st Ave this weekend to an empty lot. Well it wasn’t an empty lot before Dec 07… there was a small house and a small one story industrial building standing there. I went away for two weeks and came back to discover the buildings razed.

The word on the street (gossipy neighbors who are remarkably accurate at times), is that 3 small townhouses are going up, similar to the adjacent renovated townhouse, with Fedders and Gargoyles. Incidentally, the lot(s) in question and the gargoyle building are owned by the same owner. If it’s a few small townhouses being built here, likely these will be rental units, adding some volume to the low-rise offerings in LIC.

A better view of the lot »

The weekends are usually a chill time in LIC. The area is still pretty commercial, especially if you count the buildings in progress as sites of commercial activity, which I do. So from 7am to about 4pm on weekdays the neighborhood is packed to the gills with people, and then at night and on the weekends it thins out and quiets down.

Not anymore.

This weekend the hood was PACKED with people filing into the sales offices for the Foundry LIC, Powerhouse, 5SL… everything! Usually on nights and weekends, one can park with ease – FORGET about trying to park in LIC during business hours. All spots are usually taken by 6am. It’s worse than the Upper West Side. On nights and weekends, the commercial people aren’t around so much, so it’s much easier. But this Sunday, I thought twice about taking my car out for a spin after eyeing several Long Island-y types driving around stalker style.

At least all the new developments come with parking spots. That should help a bit. But in the meantime, we’re losing our weekend parking. It’ll be a nice day when those little blocks off of Vernon get resident parking. Who knows if that will happen, but those of us who don’t live in the high-rises with parking need to be protected. Right?

Don’t worry. I’m not holding my breath.

All references to this multi-named building are 26-26 Jackson Ave, 44-01 Purves, or Corner of Purves. (DOB even has it as Purvis) Let’s go with Corner of Purves.

Corner of Purves & Jackson

The building went up very quickly, and then there was work stoppage for a good while. Seems like things have picked back up, because DOB (Dept of Buildings) has a complaint filed today against the building for unsafe working conditions. Interestingly enough, the Certificate of Occupancy is for a garage and factory.

Upon doing some digging, it’s been uncovered that the building is going to be 43 units, mixed residential and commercial, and designed by controversial architect Richard Scarano. He’s controversial for many reasons… here’s one, and here’s another, and if you want more….

Onward »

Since I’m doing a blog about LIC now, I decided to poke back through my photo archives and dig up shots from the spring of 2006, when I was not working that much and spent days biking around LIC taking photos.

Left– shot of the Gantry, on the corner of 49th & 5th St, from April 2006 while in construction:

After the jump, a shot of the Gantry today. »

Right behind (or in front of, depending on your perspective) the Rockrose fortress, I found a corner lot being broken down at 46th & 5th. I asked the guys across the street what was going up…they said a building.

Anyone know what this is?

Here’s another shot, including skull and crossbones. »

So this building on Borden Ave, One Hunters Point. Let’s just say I live near the construction site. According to the website and the hype etc, the condos seem like they’ll be the standard lux coming through LIC—perhaps even decently constructed. The developers had an extra obstacle to deal with while erecting the building: the Mid-town tunnel runs underneath part of the lot. They couldn’t build directly on the tunnel (someone’s thinking), but close enough that plans were scrutinized, and one can only hope this means intelligent engineers were actually hired. Of course, that has nothing to do with the interior finishings on the apartments.

I know they went around the block trying to buy everyone’s air rights…they definitely managed to get some since the building is 12/13 stories… and they got them at a steal if the $100/sf rumor is true.

So here’s something no one else will probably tell you »