Aug. 25, 2016 By Hannah Wulkan
Developers poured the ceremonial final bucket of cement yesterday to complete the concrete structure for the first new high-rise mixed-use residential and retail building in east Long Island City.
The building, located at 37-14 36th Street, was developed specifically for Silver Star Motors, a company that sells Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Spanning 10 stories and 135,000 square feet, the building will house Silver Star on the lower two levels, and contain 85 luxury rental apartments in the upper floors.
When Silver Star first set out to build, it only was looking to create a pre-owned showroom and extra parking for their enterprise, which already is located at 36-11 Northern Boulevard.
However, during the early design process, the designer Richard J. DeMarco from architectural firm of Montroy Andersen DeMarco (MADGI) suggested looking in to expanding and including a residential section to the building as well.
“Based on our experience in optimizing buildings’ size and revenue, while working within the complex New York City zoning regulations, we thought it best to maximize value for the owner and perform a test fit that would provide the highest return on investment,” DeMarco said in a statement.
Once completed, the building will have 30 studio apartments, 27 one-bedroom units, 28 two-bedroom units, and two three-bedroom units, and will be marketed mostly to young professionals, though pricing on the units has not yet been finalized.
“The building will cater to the needs of young professionals, especially those working in the technology sector, both in Manhattan and Long Island City. The property will offer extensive tenant amenities, great views, and a very convenient and brief commute to Manhattan,” said MNS Realty CEO Andrew Barrocas, whose firm will be marketing the apartments.
The residential section will include a gym, a 1,600-square foot outdoor barbeque area with a Zen yoga space, and an outdoor trellis seating area. There will also be a 1,300-square foot public space with a fireplace and seating area on the tenth floor facing the skyline. The lobby will have elevators, a reception desk, package room, mail room, and a banquette sitting area.
The dealership part of the building will take up two floors with an open layout and ramps between floors to move cars between showrooms. The first floor will also have a mezzanine area for executive offices.
Silver Star held a ceremony yesterday to celebrate the completion of the frame of the building. “This magnificent project has presented several technical and logistical challenges to our construction crew,” said Roni Benjamini, president of 1 Oak Contracting, the contracting company used on the project. “Today’s ceremony and the fact that the building’s development is proceeding on schedule is a testimony to the great skill of our site personnel and New York City construction laborers.”
The challenges he referred to were numerous throughout the project.
Progress
“The site had several geological challenges, one being the water table was two feet above the basement slab. As a result, we encountered significant amounts of water flowing into the excavation,” Benjamini said. “We had to take extraordinary measures to maintain the schedule of the project, including 24/7 de-watering with pumps and overtime work to recover the time lost due to the water condition.”
In addition to issues with the water table, there was a ban on performing any work or making deliveries on Northern Boulevard, meaning everything had to be done from the 36th Street entrance. Getting the two ramps to function properly within the space was also challenging.
“One of the more unusual logistical solutions is where we located the construction hoist, for both personnel and material,” explained 1 Oak Assistant Project Manager Rebecca Eaker. “Under normal circumstances, the hoists are installed on the exterior of the building. But, due to limited site access, we installed it inside the structure. Otherwise it would be in the way of deliveries and crane operation.”
Getting the two ramps to function properly within the space was also challenging due to space constraints.
Despite the setbacks, the project is slated to finish on time, with the dealership opening and rentals beginning in summer of 2017.
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29 Comments
I’m confused….isn’t this supposed to be the Kaufman Arts District, not Dutch Kills?
Nice enough building but could have been a little more creative than just a big grey box.
Harry Simmons still posts under MRLIC despite his (Harry Simmons) MRLIC posts.
I am glad Harry Simmons put the MRLIC handle in parenthesis. I am not Harry Simmons but I am the original MRLIC. Mr. Simmons is always posting about strip clubs and bowling alleys lately. The real MRLIC which I am will continue to post under just the MRLIC handle.
I am troubled by the lack of developer involvement placing adult entertainers in retail space below these new high rise buildings. I have petitioned for a bowling alley and Scandels II and nobody is taking me serious. We in the LIC community need to band together and push government officials to support these projects. Adult entertainers need a place to practice their art and I need a place to practice my bowling. The Mrs. and I am counting on all of you to support referendum 5396AC this October, if it passes, we can rest knowing that lap dances will be in great supply.
Continued. My true MRLIC posts were on Aug 25 @ 7:17 and Aug, 26, 2:24 am ones. Besides this and the Aug 28, 1:38 am post.
Are you coming back to Scandals next Friday?
I hope Harry Simmons the FAKE MRLIC puts his future posts under BowlingBitch and leaves me the Original MRLIC to speak for myself. MNS Realty Andrew Barrocas you are not speaking to me the Original MRLIC. This guy has been masquerading as me for some time now.
I continue to seek out and expose the FAKE MRLIC. I spent my entire evening waiting for others to join me last night at Scandels and nobody was brave enough to show up. I made friends with a transvestite pirate that goes by the stage name, Ginger. We shared drinks and private moments and we are applying to take an apartment together in a remote community in LIC in the shadow of the bridge.
I don’t know this person.
Baby, honey…. it’s me Harry Simmons
This is not the real Ginger the Pirate, I am the real swashbuckler.
The Only real MRLIC post on this subject is this one and the August 25, 7:17 pm one. If Harry Simmons thinks he is MRLIC it figures he would want to go to Scandals. If I changed my handle to MRLICA he would probably copy that too.
Oui Oui!!!
As a long time residents of this community we congradulate Silver Star and the developers of this property. We urge them to work with us in ridding our neighborhood of the danerous Aces Stip Club that is just down the block from your future tenants.
Oh great another hipster trying to ruin my livelihood. You want to run out the mom-and-pop locally-owned strip clubs to replace them with your soulless McCondos and erase our neighborhood’s long cultural history of exotic dancing and back-alley BJs. MRLIC is one of my best clients (he makes me dress up like “The Jesus” from The Big Lebowski) and he is a long-time resident, not some brand new 1%er looking for luxury condos without all the “riff raff” as I assume you think of them.
Joe D. has made some very good points, I couldn’t make sense out of what he was saying with all the misspelling but a good attempt anyway. Keep on the great work Joe D., hooked-on-phonics will work for you too. The August 25, 2016 4:44 pm and 7:17 pm posts are by the JOKER MRLIC. This isn’t the type of housing we need more of when there is already so much new development.
Typical, you want a local business to get shut out by faceless mega-corporations and developers. I’d rather toss a bunch of dollar bills on a woman named Mercedes than an actual Mercedes.
Imposters. They’re both imposters!! I am the real MRLIC!
I just want to say to this so called “MRLIC” character that the needs of young professionals, especially those working in the technology sector, come before blowhards like you. As the CEO of MNS Realty I’m leading the future while you’re still in the past. I was going to put a bowling alley in this new building until I started reading your posts, then I decided not to out of spite. I’ll meet you at Scandals tomorrow and PERSONALLY “offer you extensive tenant amenities” if you get my drift!
I wish they would have installed a lowrider dealership instead of Mercedes. I remember when MRLIC was just a kid and I would take him around in my jacked up lime green Monte Carlo. Back then we didn’t have internet in our tenement so we had to drive down to the cafe whenever we wanted to post comments on the internet.
My name is Harry Simmons, many of you don’t know me. You would be more familiar with my handle MRLIC. I am proposing a LIC gathering at my favorite LIC bar, Scandels. This Friday from 7 to 9 let’s meet and talk about our differences.
The August 21, 2016 2:12 pm post is by the JOKER MRLIC. This is my last post as MRLIC, I no longer care to expose the FAKE MRLIC. Going forward I will be known as BowlingBitch. I would appreciate you fakes don’t copy me.
The August 25, 2016 4:44 pm and 7:17 pm posts are by the JOKER MRLIC. This isn’t the type of housing we need more of when there is already so much new development.
The august 25, 2016 post is by the FAKE MRLIC. My comment on this site is that brief commute to Manhattan they talk about is getting longer and longer due to trains packed to capacity.
MRLIC, 1%ers don’t rent studios or 2-bedroom apartments. Based on the article, the building is designed to serve professionals working in LIC or Manhattan. It’s probably true that many of them were smart enough to chose a profession that is in demand and pays well. If they are good at what they do, they probably can afford a car in addition to their bikes, too.
Not sure what your problem is – would you prefer a factory or a strip club there? Or that others get paid less for their work, intellect, and wise career planning?
The building looks great and is being developed by a long time LIC business. This project is a good, positive news for everyone.
Yes, of course I would prefer more Scandals or a bowling alley instead of another empty condo building to cater to these trust fund babies. Why do you hate poor people ?
-PNYC You’re confused with your naive quote “t’s probably true that many of them were smart enough to chose a profession that is in demand and pays well”. All the careers listed below are in demand. It should probably read a little more like t’s probably true that many of them were lucky enough to chose a position that is in demand and pays well and has not “yet” been deliberately targeted for offshoring for cheaper labor costs by corporations who have hijacked and conspired with the American Government to achieve this. Keep drinking the cool aide you gullible fool..
Job Outsourcing Statistics Data
Total number of U.S. jobs outsourced in 2015 2,382,000
Number of jobs outsourced to China since 2001 3,200,000
Number of California jobs lost to outsourcing since 2001 560,000
Percent of CFO’s surveyed who said their firm was currently offshore outsourcing 38 %
Percent of CFO’s who favored India for outsourcing 26 %
Percent of CFO’s who favored China for outsourcing 18 %
Top Careers at Risk for Outsourcing Jobs Lost in 2015 Wages Lost
Computer programmers / software engineers 211,700 $14,400,000,000
Accountants / auditors 160,000 $8,500,000,000
Lawyers 40,400 $4,300,000,000
Insurance sales agents 11,000 $591,000,000
Real estate brokers / agents 6,700 $332,000,000
Chemists / physicists 3,700 $230,000,000
Horrible location to serve anyone. Northern Blvd has an average of 35,000 cars traveling on it in the span of 24 hours.
If you knew anything about LIC you’d know this location is mediocre at best.
Great, at least the 1%ers trying to turn LIC into Silicon Valley won’t have to go far to buy their Mercedes! Meanwhile my rent has gone up so high I can barely afford to fix my Schwinn.