It’s been reported that Dutch Kills is headed for hotel-land, thanks to developers trying to beat out impending re-zoning. Though this site is a little remote, Queens Plaza in general is actually a decent spot for hotels… maybe not right now, since it has some serious cleaning up to do, but judging from the amount of slated development, and also the prime subway location, Dutch Kills is really just a neighborhood in waiting. It’s only a matter of time.

Astoria Grand Hotel, 39th Ave & 29th St, Dutch Kills, LIC

Here’s a hotel sprouting up on 39th Ave & 29th St (gotta learn those Queens streets) that we’ve been trying to identify for weeks. Eureka! It’s going to be the Astoria Grand Hotel. liQcity photographer, Jenni Snead reports:

“As I’m nearing the mystery construction of 39th ave & 29th st, I hear some little kids say, “Thats gonna be a nice hotel”. I asked a construction worker on a cigarette break, and sure enough, it’s going to be a hotel. Seems like an odd location for one, but whatever. It’s called the Astoria Grand Hotel and here’s the contact info: Jung T Lee, 917.733.3066. So that solves that mystery. The architect is Peter Casini.”

There's going to be lots of real estate activity in LIC this weekend. I can do a better job of predicting that than the weather people have been doing lately. And I'm not even using fancy technological modes of divination either—just the listing websites.

Drivers, just don't take my parking spot please. And if you're coming from Long Island, or some other land of driveways, take a few moments to teach yourself how to parallel park. I've been witnessing some seriously bad parking jobs, from drivers outright smashing into other cars, to people literally parking so badly they take up multiple precious spots. Sure, you'll have a garage when you move into your luxury condo, but in the meantime you know... show some respect to the LIC curbside.

Here's a round up of this weekend's Open Houses »

Queens Plaza, as it looks today

In the Starwood Capital pipeline, is an alofts Hotel at 29-43 41st Ave in Dutch Kills, aptly dubbed ‘By the Bridge’. That would be the Queensboro Bridge folks, and this building is right at the entrance juncture with Northern Blvd. It’s slated to be completed in 2010, which will probably be a development crazed time for QP, since so many projects are in the pipeline for that ‘little’ spot.

As I’ve said before, Queens Plaza and Dutch Kills are rife with potential. Not to mention that Queensboro Plaza has so much development planned within the next 5 years, that 10 years from now the area will be unrecognizable. Which is a good thing. It’s inarguably kind of a dump right now. alofts dwellers won’t really have to worry about that though - it’s right next to the Queens Plaza subway stop so they’ll be whisked away into Manhattan before they choke on car fumes.

• Starwood Hotels pipeline

We seem to have accidentally tripped a nerve yesterday with Arris Lofts dwellers who are concerned that our citing a rumor about hookers at Arris Lofts will give a bad impression of the neighborhood.

Let’s get a few things right on the table. liQcity is a blog. Curbed is a blog. Blogs deal in rumors and hearsay. None of the information on this or any other blog is pure fact. In fact (ha), most of it is just opinion. So treat it as such.

More relevantly, LIC is a transitioning industrial neighborhood in New York City. That much I’m sure we all can agree on. While Hunters Point is definitely safer than one might expect, there are still plenty of shady spots, and illicit activity absolutely transpires. To what degree? Well that’s the grey area. I’ve seen used condoms strewn about at Gantry Park - where they hookers or an overexcited couple who just put down 20% at the 5th St Lofts? Who knows.

And yes, I’ve seen hookers in LIC »

Not much has really changed since last weekend's open houses - same developments still on the market. Some of them seem to have sold a few. That's about it. Overall, we're looking at the same story, except the weekend weather is supposed to be sunny and in the high 40's. Have fun.

Powerhouse 50-09 2nd St, Hunters Point 19 still available Prudential Douglas Elliman Open House: By appointment only

Complete list of this weekend's open houses »

Who’s got the power?

1) Starbucks is coming to LIC. (deep sigh - c’mon we knew it was inevitable) One spot is the Eastcoast building, the other is an undisclosed location somewhere in Vernon/Jackson. We will keep you updated on that one fa sho.

2) The Zipper Building is not owned by Toll Brothers. We were misinformed. And strangely so, since the tipster was a Toll-er. Hmmm. Won’t be trusting that source again. Anyway, it’s a private owner (we could give you the property report page, but it’s boring) - the buzz is he’s holding for $20M. In the face of the July 2008 421-a expiration, we think that might be a long shot, but building owners in LIC (and NYC) can definitely be described as tenacious.

3) Trump’s son coming to Queens Plaza? Very random and vague tip about the progeny and a few partners from Long Island in contract on a conversion property on Jackson. Hmmm.

4) Stay tuned for some updates on the mystery dev located on Thompson & Purves, right near the Arris Lofts. Between Arris, the Purves siblings…there’s another condo building coming. Will they get the foundation poured by July 2008? Inquiring minds want to know.

5) The Powerhouse is looking nice, no?

The weather’s not looking so good for this weekend, but we know there’s a bunch of die-hard condo buyers out there. Same round-up as last week and the week before. Don’t know what’s going on at the Foundry LIC - last week they had 12 available and this week they have 14. If anyone takes any good pics, send them our way.

The Foundry LIC 2-40 51st Ave, Hunters Point 14 still available Prudential Douglas Elliman Open House Sun, By appointment only

Complete list of this weekend’s open houses »

Filming of Gossip Girl on Vernon Blvd, Long Island City

Is your legally parked car missing? Notice the film shoots in the hood? If you haven’t read the pink signs: it’s Gossip Girl. And they’re also looking to shoot scenes inside a LIC townhouse apartment. I received notice on my door this weekend. How cute.

The destruction of What Should Have Been Landmarked continues with the leveling of the Star Building. And here’s what’s to come in its place.

The NY Post article about inland LIC is a must read. It’s a decent chronicle of what’s going on around the Queensboro Bridge, though funny at times. It’s interesting who is considered (and considers themselves) pioneers of a neighborhood.

• Star building bites the dust [Queenscrap]

• LONG SHOT - Long Island City sprawls beyond the waterfront [NY Post]

• Sex in Long Island City

Development in Dutch Kills, LIC

Aah, the rezoning of Dutch Kills. A quieter saga, but of epic proportions nonetheless. It seems that finally when the rezoning is set for May, to help curb the hotelification of DK, a group of commercial property owners called The Purple People are standing up against it, claiming that it will destroy the growth of business in the community.

“Inhabiting the purple and blue shaded area of the rezoning map, the group says rezoning, as is, will cause a loss of 826,000 square feet of industrial space, 2,066 jobs and millions of dollars in annual tax revenues to the city.

The Dutch Kills rezoning has been on the drawing board for years. When the Department of City Planning (DCP) introduced a final plan in May 2006, it looked like a reality. Joy Chen, DCP liaison to Community Board 1, said the plan should be certified and ready for review by the board in late May. It would rezone a 40-block area that is now mostly zoned manufacturing into more mixed-use residential zones.”

• The down-zoning of Dutch Kills [Queens Gazette]

LIC Neighborhood Map by NYCEDC, liQcity additions in red.

Check out this map of Long Island City, put out by the NYC Economic Development Corporation. What’s interesting is how they designated the many sub-neighborhoods of LIC. For instance, I was always under the impression that Hunters Point (no apostrophe) was the whole region of LIC located south of the Queensboro Bridge (outlined in red).

Right at the bridge is the hub of Queens Plaza (also called Queensboro Plaza it seems), which slightly overlaps Dutch Kills, which continues on northward bleeding into a very fuzzy boundary with Astoria. Then west of 21St st and still north of the bridge is the Queensbridge Houses, which also is considered Ravenwood until it also merges with Astoria.

In Hunters Point »

The future of Queens Plaza, Long Island City

The last in our series of posts on the neighborhood development plans by the NYCDEC is a new vision for Queens Plaza. This park project, which also has been threatening to break ground for a while now, has new wind in its sails starting this summer.

Here’s the plan »

View 59 and the Ciampa rental building, Dutch Kills, LIC

Well the quiet saga of development in Dutch Kills marches on. The Ciampa rental building, which has been in the works for quite some time, is bringing View 59 some new neighbors. Info on this rental building is hard to find, but we expect to see some listings soon. If anyone comes across them, feel free to send them our way.

Most of the press lately about Dutch Kills »

Long Island City view of the Sewage Treatment plant at Newton Creek

1) Catching up on some linkage this morning. It seems they’re turning the orbs of the sewage treatment plant at Newton Creek into an art installation. That’s new. A nearby resident of the plant remarked that it ‘smells suspiciously like spoiled Chinese food’. Hmmm… .

2) In more local news »

This news has been widely circulated on the web today, but in case you missed the news of random violence at Queens Plaza, it seems wise to just be aware. A woman was stabbed in front of her daughter by a stranger riding a bicycle at the corner of Queens Plaza North and 22nd St in Dutch Kills.

Latest news was that she was in critical condition.

• Random stabbing at Queens Plaza [Gothamist]

Silvercup condo development site, 44th Drive, Court Square, Long Island City

The Silvercup East project at the LIC waterfront might be taking longer then expected, but the Studios are moving forward on another development project near Court Square at 21-45 44th Drive. Located right next door to the Information Technology High School.

A one story warehouse on this 164 x 100 lot has been paved away for a 7-story, 70-unit new construction condo project. Some possible ground floor retail. It will be interesting to see how this turns out, as this is Silvercup’s first attempt at a purely residential project. —Contributed by Eric Benaim

Meanwhile, the latest word on Silvercup’s stalled waterfront project »

Development in Dutch Kills, LIC

Dutch Kills rearing it’s head in the news again. Thanks to the ongoing struggle between the residents and the city, over the neighborhood’s residentially inclined rezoning proposal (aka Lochness Monster). Although, the city is yet again threatening to fulfill its promise very very soon. Who knows, maybe it’ll actually happen someday?

In a small subsection of Dutch Kills, known now as ‘Sub Area C’ to the city gov’t, and ‘Home’ to its residents, is being rezoned in the wrong direction, according to Chris Lundgren, who is organizing a neighborhood fight against the city’s rezoning proposal:

*“The city is destroying us »