Burger Garage and former Subway, part of a block undergoing significant change (Photo: QueensPost)
May 27, 2019 By Laura Hanrahan
A prominent area wedged between 44th Drive and Thomson Avenue on Jackson Avenue continues to undergo change as development continues to progress.
In the past month, Dog Island City, located at 27-18 44th Dr., announced it was moving from its current spot to 43rd Avenue. The announcement came around the same time that Subway, located at 25-34 Jackson Ave., closed.
The two businesses—along with a parking area—are on an oddly-shaped, 11,600 square foot parcel owned by Werwaiss Realty. Werwaiss also owns the adjacent property at 25-36 Jackson Ave., a 1,500 square foot property currently occupied by Burger Garage.
Dog Island City is moving from 27-18 44th Dr. to 22-15 43rd Ave. (Photo: QueensPost)
Lidia Lozovsky, owner of Dog Island City, said she is moving to her new locale at 22-15 43rd Ave. by the end of June. While Lozovsky said her new spot is larger, she did note in an interview that her lease was ending next year. Meanwhile, the previous Subway site is currently being listed by Werwaiss for rent on a “pop up” or “short term” basis.
The sites are likely to be demolished and replaced by residential towers. Adam Pileski, owner of the Burger Garage, told AM New York in February that his lease ends next year and that the property owner has told him that the intention is to demolish the site and build a tower.
Werwaiss has not filed building plans or sought demolition permits for the sites and could not be reached for comment.
That small area around these property has undergone rapid change in the past three years.
The area in purple is a large parcel that incorporates the now-shuttered Subway, Dog Island City, Eternal Fleur and a small parking area on Thomson Avenue. The area in black is Burger Garage (Source: City Planning)
In 2016, developer Tom Wu of Great Neck bulldozed 5 Court Square, located on the corner of Jackson and Thomson Avenues, which forced the closure of ENC Market, Domino’s Pizza and a Montessori school, among other businesses. Wu, who bought the site in 2014 for $15.75 million, is in the midst of developing an 11-story, 58-unit building there.
Meanwhile, Manny’s Auto Electric, which had been located at 27-19 Thomson Ave. for decades, closed last year and the auto shop has been demolished. It closed after Tom Wu bought the site for $6.85 million last summer and announced plans to build a 10-story mixed use development on the site.
Manny’s Auto Electric, where 44th Drive and Thomson Avenue meet (Photo: September 2018 QueensPost)
5 Court Square where Jackson Avenue and Thomson Avenue meet (Google Maps 2014)
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21 Comments
LIC is a shithole. Some charm exists in certain areas, but mostly everything is being torn down and replaced by vapid soulless buildings. There’s nothing to do at night and the subway is horribly overcrowded. Wait until the Tishman Speyer building is fully occupied. They had a chance to make it a real neighborhood but developers and local politicians ruined it.
thank you very nice article
Wake up people . Stop voting the same Progressive Loser Democrats into office,as they are in league with developers and real estate people who troll this site with dislikes. If you want change vote for change or LIC and Astoria And Sunnyside and beyond will all look like Manhattan. What do the Real Estate People tell prospective Condo buyers? Stores will pop up soon. Yet they are closing them down with development and high rents. Burger Garage Next Year, Dominos, Subway, BIA Restaurant just closed on Jackson right across from the 7 train station. Do they tell the prospective buyers they are near Transit.? What they don’t tell you is that you have to wait 3 trains before you can get on one. Terribe people these Real Estate people and Developers. What LIC does not need is more Luxury Housing. How about some GREEN SPACE?
So wait.. you’re concerned that Democrats are “in league with developers” but you literally voted for a developer for president?!
You did then a huge favor, now Trump gave them MASSIVE tax breaks. Wow you’re really gullible.
It’s enough already, even in Sunnyside. U are ruining our neighborhoods, by putting small businesses out. U have no shame & we r losing amenities we need. We no longer have a single bagel place in Sunnyside.
Did you build your house in Sunnyside, curlicue? Didn’t think so.
This site features a vacant building (used to be a subway), a dog grooming place (useless for the vast majority of people), and a autobody shop (most people in the city don’t drive cars.
It’s good that this lot will be redeveloped.
The reason Subway Domino’s the dog place relocated to 43,Rd Ave the auto body shop there for decades and soon burger garage left was the development genius.We need more businesses not less genius. This is terrible news.
but to your point, developers like Trump are the reason Burger Garage had to happen. Thanks for helping him!
As I said Trump does not control all real estate in NYC now or before. Blame King Bloomberg and the loser LIAR Mayor DumBlasio who ran on a anti Bloomberg platform and kept many of his TAX BREAK Policies for Developers. He must have realized how much King Bloomy was raking in while doing the same thing !!!!!!!!! Remember when Tax Break laws expired much construction stopped. Who renewed them? Answer Gov. Corruption Cuomo.
Will all of this Have to stop Somewhere!? What’ Next, tear down the new buildings to build even more ‘newer’ buildings?! ( Hey, this could catch on….)
Do the people who believe more businesses are coming to LIC believe me now that they are listening to Developer /Real Estate BS Propaganda? The rents are too high for businesses to open and they are taking away businesses from the neighborhood. Not many are being added. Subway, Domino’s ENC , . Give Developers an inch and their GREED will take Over. Where is JVB and other Pols that say this is to be a great neighborhood. Without businesses there will only be residents with hardly anywhere to shop. Many will MOVE.
Mr. JVB has alot of money in his pockets from all of the real estate developers from day one and that is a fact don’t forget it.
Actually commercial rent on Jackson is between $50-$70 per foot. Quite cheap even for queens. Bell Blvd in Bayside is more money. Strip Malls in queens are more money. Businesses don’t exist here because there is very little daytime foot traffic. As more offices move in, so will the businesses. Amazon would have sprouted major commerce but that’s down the drain now.
I tend to agree with this line of thinking. The major buildings that we all associate with LIC have only started to really wrap up and come online within the last year, give or take. It’s going to take a little bit longer for the amenities that people keep talking about to pop up. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to wait until late-2020 or sometime in 2021 before we start making judgments on what LIC has become. Until then, I view it as a work in progress.
I don’t understand what’s happening. I thought no more development when Amazon was stopped!! JVB, AOC, Gianaris promised… I guess Amazon didn’t grease their palms while all these new developers did. Now all we have is more residential towers with no more local jobs or schools or police or FDNY or libraries or on and an and on….
Did the article mention AOC? Or you’re just anxious to give her free publicity and think about her a lot?
No one can stop it because the Queens County Democrats welcome, condone, and allow it. Cue Van Bramer, Giannaris, et. al.
How did JVB make Wu build a building?
money talks in his pockets.
Could it be Wu got a waiver from the city Ok’d by JVB and or Giannaris to build higher for this zone? That is how. I believe the place on Jackson Ave that traded air rights to build taller in exchange for some air rights under the over passes to Koch Bridge , for green space qualifies for a trade-off also with JVB and or Giannaris. That is how things get done in Politics with money exchanged of course under the table.