King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0
May 25, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
Long Island City had the most apartments built in 2017 out of all neighborhoods across the five boroughs—with plenty more along the line—according to the city.
The Department of City Planning, in its recent “Housing Production Snapshot,” says the area saw 2,800 completed units last year, putting it at the forefront of housing production on a neighborhood scale. About 25,800 units total were completed citywide last year.
The sheer number of new apartments in the neighborhood follows a trend observed for years—since 2010, Long Island City has added the most new units out of any neighborhood in the city, with 9,150 completed, the agency said.
While the Queens neighborhood leads the way, the borough is third behind Manhattan and Brooklyn in units completed from 2010 to 2017. Of 140,800 new units built in this time, 20 percent of them came from Queens.
NYC Planning
In addition, Long Island City’s development pipeline shows no signs of slowing down. NYC Planning says a total of 5,900 units are in the works for the neighborhood, based on Department of Building permits. The figure is part of the over 79,000 housing units representing the “housing pipeline” citywide. Williamsburg, with 3,200 units planned, is second behind Long Island City, followed by Bushwick South and Greenpoint.
The neighborhood, in addition to being the fastest-growing neighborhood in the city, has also been dubbed as the fastest-growing neighborhood in the country. Apart from residential units, Long Island City also has 32 hotels with more than 3,200 rooms, according to the LIC Partnership. Over 4,600 hotel rooms are also in planning or under construction within 33 hotels.
In addition, Long Island City is currently home to 170,000 residents as of April 2018, according to the LIC Partnership. The neighborhood also has 6,600 businesses with 115,000 employees.
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42 Comments
These new developments and high rise buildings are not creating a neighborhood. Despite all the new construction it’s still a faceless area.
Correct, it’s the people who live there, who shop in the neighborhood, and who hang out there on the weekend that makes it a neighborhood. Without all the apartments that have been created in all of the developments and high rise buildings, there would not be any people. If you had visited this area before all the developments and high rise buildings were built, you would have found an area that was deserted, with no people, just abandoned buildings. Go visit Gantry Park- it’s almost always filled with locals enjoying the outdoors. The restaurants and bars are also full of people.
Not true, there were plenty of people who lived in the neighborhood prior to the high rises. I have lived in LIC for 23 years and know many people who were born and raised here. It was a small and wonderful community then. And to be honest I miss those days. As for Gantry park, in the summer it is way too crowded to really be enjoyed. Too many people for such a small area..
I remember when parts of Vernon Blvd was deserted and abandoned. No access to the waterfront, rats the size of cats; it was a ghost town. For an area right next to Manhattan, it was vastly underpopulated and underutilized. I appreciate that you have your opinion but I’ve been living around here longer than 23 years and I love how much nicer LIC is and I think Gantry Park is a real gem.
To say the area was a ghost town is incorrect. Maybe you’re talking about the area all the way by the water, which could be true, but there was an entire community that lived in the Court Square area before any of this development. Like OAR said, many people were born and raised there. (I miss those days too) Also, those shops and small buildings you see on Vernon Boulevard today, were there many years ago. I’ve lived in LIC longer than 23 years. I’ll give you Gantry Park, it’s beautiful. Too crowded to enjoy on the weekends though.
I remember biking along Vernon Blvd in 1987 at 8 PM and it was deserted, no pedestrians, just an occasional car, and many shops were shuttered. I hopping the fence near 50th Ave and climbing the gantries. I took photos of area and remember thinking how if I had fallen I probably would have died before someone heard me calling for help.
Do you remember when that pub opened by 47th Ave? – I think it was called 4747. Late 80s or early 90s? The guy who lived next door was forever calling the cops on them because he hated the fact that he could hear their customers from his windows (which overlooked their backyard seating area.) That pub, for me, was a sign that the neighborhood was changing.
Yes, Gantry Park is popular and as crowded as one would expect, especially considering how lovely it is. I’ve never had difficulty enjoying it. Are there other parks in NYC that are less crowded on the weekends and easier for you to enjoy?
I have been living in Astoria 20 years and I think the developments in LIC are amazing. Sure it’s expensive and the architecture is boring but the area was a NO MAN’s LAND for decades. When I first moved to Queens it was a haven for prostitution and drugs. Now it’s interesting, restaurants and bars are gradually opening, and the park on the East River is gorgeous!
Bring it on! Build over the rail yards! People who are resistant to changes in LIC need to get a grip because it’s way too close to Manhattan to be a quiet little brownstone neighborhood.
It is people like you who make this as others have said “NOT A NEIGHBORHOOD”. It is faceless with upper crusters who want nothing to do with lower class or most of their own peers. The upper crusters have their own little circle of upper crusters they hang out with, and their kids have “PLAY DATES with”. You are wrong when you say this was a neighborhood of “Prostitution & Drugs”. Most of what you say was relegated to the Queens Plaza area at night. I grew up here and stayed out quite late growing up. Never a problem with crimeor anyone or any thing. It was a relatively safe neighborhood. Most neighborhoods have some crime anyway but LIC’s was minimal. You still have DRUGS here anyway. The recent Center Blvd. drug raid and the Power House drug riad down by that gorgeous park you mention. That park has become Dogs–t park from what people say on this site. There is a bathroom shortage also. Too much building without planning is never a good thing. Where will these people you want to come here fit on already packed trains? Has that ever crossed your mind? The architecture to you may be boring but there are landmarks here. I believe the LIC Courthouse and PS1 are landmarks and have very old but nice architecture. The new Boring Glass Towers all look the same. “BORING”. Restaurants and bars opening down on Vernon Blvd , yes. Many close and some new ones open up. How about STORES and SHOPPING.? Commercial Rents are too high besides APT & Condo rates only the upper crusters can afford. Your Upper Crust UTOPIA is not going to happen. More Homeless Hotels will be here before you know it.
You call this a neighborhood?
Still waiting to hear more about the improved transit to get all those people around. The trains are packed by the time they get to stations in LIC. Adding more people without a transit plan is a crisis in the making.
To be fair, the 7 was ALWAYS PACKED when it reached the last stations in Queens before it got to Grand Central. If you lived here in the 80s and 90s, before all of the new residences were created, you will not remember empty trains in LIC.
The train was never always packed. You are incorrect, again. (NY native here)
It sure was; think of it- a train traveling through Queens during rush will inevitably be filled w/ passengers as it approaches Manhattan. Very few people use the 7 to get around Queens; its primary function is to transport huge numbers of passengers into Manhattan. In 1986, I used the 52nd/Lincoln Avenue station and clearly remember the Redbirds being packed with passengers who were all sweaty due to faulty a/c/. Back then, everyone was extremely frustrated with the 7 train and the whole subway system, same as today.
If you think it matters, I was born in Queens way back during Mayor Wagner’s 1st term. My Mom is also a native of Queens.
Due to falling rents caused by huge supply of new apartments, TFC is now fully into short term rentals! Who would have guessed. They don’t list most vacant units on StreetEasy anymore. We see hordes of tourists brought in almost daily. Many properties (incl pictures of HP park facilities) are also listed under NYC tour packages. Great commercial future awaits LIC.
You must be dreaming about LIC’s future nles you have 600 thousand dollars for a studio for the Decker on 44th drive around corner from Key Food on 21st. Commercial rents are way too high and just like Manhattan especially Broadway where there are 188 store fronts empty. The landlords will wait for a high rent tenant rather than lowering their prices. I think a vacancy tax is needed. GREED IS ALIVE AND WELL IN NYC.
I live in the Decker and this building has no studio apartments. Smallest units are 1 bedroom.
My mistake no studios. Still seems a bit small from the pictures I saw on their site. Way too high to be affordable to most. There will be nostores here with the rents. 7 train close they say. Did they say it will be PACKED and you may have to wait a few trains to get to work. Signal Problems, stalled trains etc…… Not much shopping in LIC. I believe you were sold a bill of goods. Good Luck.
You know, they’re smaller than I would like but they’re bigger than similar places we were looking at in Williamsburg. Which that place isn’t really my scene. I do wish LIC had a little more to do, but I really enjoy going to the waterfront and taking in the sites. There’s also a calm energy here that I felt was missing when I lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Also, I work in LIC. It makes living here incredibly convenient. Sure, I have to go to Manhattan to buy a shirt, but I do most of my shopping online anyway.
Reading this site, I had no idea people were so deeply dissatisfied with the changes in the area. I’m curious what meaningful changes can be made that will help to alleviate the concerns for the community? I mean this in a genuine way, as I’m here for the long term as an owner.
darthguacamole, Are you aware the building they’re going to build right next door will become a homeless shelter? (Not the building currently under construction, but the empty lot right next to your building) They’re calling it a hotel, but the owners of that lot own “hotels” all over the city.
Meaningful change right now is less building hotels and residential, we’re already overdeveloped. The fact that you say you have to go into Manhattan to buy a shirt shows we’re seriously lacking as a neighborhood. Not everyone likes or wants to shop online. You work in LIC so you don’t understand how difficult it is to commute into Manhattan during rush hour.
No one takes the needs of the community into consideration. If you read through a lot of the comments on the other posts, most people (minus the real estate developer commenters) want green space, more retail, better transportation, etc., but all we’re getting is more buildings for people to live in with no real benefit to everyone else.
Hi Anon, I am familiar with the project next to my building. The past connections between Amsterdam Hospitality and homeless shelters concerns me a little. But it’s not a slam dunk that it’s an actual homeless shelter, since they do manage actual hotels. Even if it were a certainty, I’m not sure I’d know what to do about it. What would you suggest?
My partner takes the E to work. At least once a week it’s a nightmare.
I agree we need more retail space. I feel like Rockrose has done a good job subsidizing leases for BookCulture, Toby’s Estate, and a few other places. It’s probably going to take more efforts like that to make the area successful.
I remember how bleak and depressing this area was back in the 80s & 90s and I’m quite pleased with how it is today. I live the waterfront park and the fact that the area is filled with people who are making it their home. Sure, there are issues and people who only focus on the potentially bad things but they will never be satisfied and I basically ignore them. (Oh no! A homeless shelter!)
darthguacamole, not entirely sure how to fight that one. Seems like people write to their elected officials and complain to the Mayor’s office (not that it does any good). Maybe also add the Court Square Civic Group so it’s on their radar. They might have some suggestions.
As far as the subway, it’s not just about having a problem with the subway itself. It’s the overcrowding on the platform. I’ve seen more than one fight between people trying to get off the train and navigating through the crowds. There’s just not enough room. Of course, if your partner leaves at 6am, this may not be the case. When the L train shuts down, the situation will be 100 x’s worse. I’ve had to let trains pass because they’re too full and/or I refuse to push my way through crowds of people. It’s too dangerous. They won’t address this until someone gets hurt. (Hopefully that never happens)
SuperUnWittySmitty- you know these shelters are just a bandaid for what the real issue is, right? Also, if you look up the history on the owners of this “hotel” their “hotels” are plagued with crime, unsanitary conditions, etc., etc. There’s a long list of negatives.
Not sure why you would find something like this acceptable, unless you’re the owner.
Also @darthguacamole, it pays more for them to operate as a homeless shelter than a hotel. I wouldn’t put it past them to turn it into a real shelter if they aren’t profiting as a hotel.
To be clear, I don’t have an issue with the homeless. I have an issue with the “solutions” this city comes up with to fix this problem. I also do have an issue with companies who use homeless shelters as cash cows and do not care about providing safe, sanitary living conditions
Thanks for all your thoughtful input, Anon. I agree that the current solution dealing with the homeless population in the city is a short term measure. I’m hoping LIC comes out of this process as a thriving community where even the disenfranchised can receive effective support.
Slightly unrelated–this website might need a more robust commenting system. It wont let me comment on your other posts in this thread.
I’m excited to meet all these new neighbors.
I was walking over RFK bridge the other day and was struck by how LIC is now a real city. The skyline is impressive. Larger than a Charlotte or a Hartford and growing fast with companies like Citigroup, JetBlue and Bloomingdale’s and the University of New York Law School. There are obvious growing pains but there always are when cities grow.
You just outdid yourself with this gomer comment. Many of us want to live in a real NY neighborhood, not another Midtown — or, god forbid, Hartford!
You can’t be serious !!!! Are you delusional? LIC has nothing much here. It is way OVERPRICED and boring.
That right make more affordable housing more welfare hotels n Astoria long island city be the next getto
Who would want to live here? The only thing that is good is it’s proximity to the city. Other than that you are surrounded with homeless shelters which by the way are the hotels going up. No stores, no pharmacies, bodegas, Chinese market food places and no place to bring a child to an outdoor park! I only work here and I hate it! Sure as hell wouldn’t live here!
Lala, you are so right.I have been saying this to people on this site for a while now. LIC is more of a way station for people for a year or 2 and then they get out. The developers LIE to the new buyers and tell them that stores are coming and it is a vibrant neighborhood. That could not be farther from the truth. Rents are too high for apartments and stores. Developers build over just about every green space they can find.Example: lot on Crescent street between large developments could have been made into a playground for kids will now be a new Luxury Development. Be thankful that you don’t live here and for telling the truth about LIC, not the developers line.
That’s right make more afford housing more welfare hotels let all the rif RAF in ppl in these neighborhood will see the next getting
Why not house the homeless in these new apartments much less than housing them at $350 per nite in a crappy hotel. Oh I forgot the apartments don’t come with in house drug additction counselors, yoga instructors, the nutritionist and 24/7 security guards and I almost forgot the 96 cameras and barbed wire fencing installed around the walls surrounding the hotels. The Mayor should be ashamed of himself, he and Jimmy Van Bramer don’t care about the homeless all they want to do is enrich their friends (hotel owners and Not-for Profit Operators) who have these multi-million dollar contracts to operate these shelters who in turn contribute to JVB’s and the Mayor slush funds and campaigns. A politician’s job is to raise money to get reelected.
Why not house the homeless in these new apartments much less than housing them at $350 per nite in a crappy hotel. Oh I forgot the apartments don’t come with in house drug additction counselors, yoga instructors, the nutritionist and 24/7 security guards and I almost forgot the 96 cameras and barbed wire fencing installed around the walls surrounding the hotels. The Mayor should be ashamed of himself, he and Jimmy Van Bramer don’t care about the homeless all they want to do is enrich their friends (hotel owners and Not-for Profit Operators) who have these multi-million dollar contracts to operate these shelters who in turn contribute to JVB’s and the Mayor slush funds and campaigns. A politician’s job is to raise money to get reelected.
I love it. Bring in more!
Taxes were always low
In REAL ESTATE !!!! ??
You are out of your mind !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We need less people and less construction. Enough already.
and many of these hotels are “Homeless Shelters”
We’ll all be in homeless shelters soon with these rental rates!
Can they stop now? This is ridiculous.