The changing landscape of Hunters Point, Long Island City

Well the end to a slow week brings not very much news about LIC, but a couple of commuting notes, and a report on pricechopping at the new development on 46th Rd known as Casa Vizcaya. What does that mean? Who knows. Every weekend I still see tons of brokers with their trench coats and clipboards…

It was nice to see some community chatter about development in the hood. WHAT DO WE WANT?! An Indie Theatre. A pool. A community center. WHEN DO WE WANT IT?! Uh, whenever…before 2020 would be nice.

• Water Taxi increasing ferry service this season [Water Taxi Blog]

• Pricechopper mucho cuts at Casa Vizcaya [Curbed]

• 50% increased service on the G-train [SaveTheG]

• Green Shores Invites Queens Parks Users To Speak Up [Asian Journal]

• Music Events this weekend in LIC [LICpop]

10-50 Jackson Ave getting shiny, Long Island City

So LIC’s approved for the Residential Parking Plan. One can only assume that this along with other key decisions about the logistical infrastructure of LIC lay in the hands of the Community Board.

Speaking of the somewhat elusive CB2, the CUNY building appeal will be addressed at the board meeting on Thursday, April 3rd at 7pm. An older post offers some information about the board.

While the Queenswest Library clean up continues, the Queens Library system is renovating its branch in LIC as well. So we’re getting a double dose of information, brainiacs be alerted.

An interesting statistic: ” In Long Island City, average apartment sales prices increased 44 percent compared to the same period last year [Jan 07-08]; Woodside saw a 32 percent rise and Elmhurst prices went up 15 percent.” -Queens Chronicle

• Long Island City approved for Residential Permit Parking plan [Times Ledger]

• Cleanup continues at Queenswest library site [Queens Chronicle]

• Queens Library in LIC system funded $400K for renovations [Queens Courier]

• Irish Center going strong in LIC [Queens Courier]

• Community service from Fresh Direct? [Earth Times]

• New York City Food Film festival at Water Taxi Beach this summer [NY Sun]

The smallest house in Long Island City - Courthouse Sq, Hunters Point

Good Monday morning liQcity readers. Some interesting tidbits in recent LIC news…did you know the Noguchi Museum is sinking? Well, apparently so. In other topographical news, the Newtown Creek, site of the potentially (ahem) largest oil spill in the world, is finally getting some money thrown at it for cleanup. We haven’t even touched the topic of toxicity in Long Island City, and you can bet that’s coming.

• Sinking Noguchi Museum gets $8M [Daily News]

• State Targets Brooklyn’s Ultra-Polluted Newtown Creek With $625G Grant [Brooklyn Eagle]

• Signs of Spring: Putting the ‘Beach’ into Water Taxi Beach [Eater]

• The end nears for Kosciuszko Bridge [Daily News]

• Artisan bakery mixes tradition with social activism [AM NY]

• CurbedWire: Fifth Street Lofts Price Madness [Curbed]

Hunters Point South, photo by Nathan Kensinger

Hunters Point South is on the table today:

“The city intends to certify the Willets Point and Hunters Point South plans into the land-use process [today], setting the stage for a seven-month battle as the projects are scrutinized by the communities, the City Planning Commission and the City Council.” -Crains

In other news, the Queensbridge Houses are going to start using energy efficient fluorescent bulbs from now on. It’s kind of funny that this is news, but it’s featured in two distinct articles, so we thought we’d follow suit as well. You can sleep in peace now. Seriously though, what is interesting about the Queensbridge Houses in general, is that it’s the largest public city housing development in NYC and the country. That’s a whole lotta light bulbs.

• Hunters Point South Rezoning Decided Today [Crains]

• Queensbridge gets new lightbulbs [Newsday]

• Queensbridge gets new lightbulbs (2) [Metro]

• Water Taxi Beach highlighted [Gridskipper]

• Sister Powerhouse Conversion in RI [Providence Journal]

• G-train hearings bypass Queens [Queens Tribune]

Long Island City Community Garden, 49th Ave, LIC

More buzzing about Hunters Point South going on. In a latest series of meetings, participants continued the debate around the ‘affordability’ of housing that will be allegedly created by the project. Some also voiced concern about traffic implications, lack of safety amenities included in the planning, such as fire stations and hospitals, and seemingly general myopia regarding basic infrastructure.

In other LIC news »

• Can middle class afford Hunters Point South [Queens Gazette]

• Bright Future for New York’s waterways [NY Sun]

• Displacement at Greenbelt, Williamsburg [Brooklyn Rail]

• Finnish art headed for LIC. To PS1 of course.

• New Act would expand study of Newtown Creek [Z wire]