Source: EDC
Feb. 25, 2016 By Jackie Strawbridge
A City redevelopment plan will bring up to 1,000 new apartments to Long Island City.
Two sites totaling more than 4.5 acres on the Long Island City waterfront, just north of Anable Basin, have been targeted by the City for mixed-use development that prioritizes commercial uses but will also include up to 1,000 residences and a new school.
The Economic Development Corporation released a Request for Proposals to developers Thursday that outlines their plans for a “thriving mixed-use development” with an emphasis on creating at least 300,000 square feet of commercial office space and light production (such as digital fabrication or art and décor design).
The two City-owned properties are located on either side of 44th Drive.
“This catalytic waterfront development will build on the residential growth we’ve seen in recent years, bringing much needed office space and amenities to the community,” NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer said in a statement. “Our goal is to continue investing in Long Island City as a true live-work-play community, one where a parent living in an affordable apartment can walk their child to school and then continue on to work at a good-paying job. At the same time, we’re responding to the tremendous demand we’re seeing for new and flexible commercial space in neighborhoods outside of Manhattan.”
The two properties are also close to the future Cornell Tech campus and Long Island City’s Industrial Business Zone, which the EDC states will help foster the type of innovative companies it is hoping to draw.
According to EDC spokesperson Ian Fried, up to 1,000 residences will also be created. The EDC states in its RFP that developers should incorporate affordable housing into the residential component.
In addition, the RFP states that developers should include a plan for public access to the waterfront with more than an acre of open space, as well as a retail/community facility.
The RFP also states that the development “must accommodate a 80,000 square-foot school… to serve approximately 600 students.”
Fried confirmed that a school will necessarily be built as part of this project.
“With the release of this RFP, the SCA will be well positioned to move forward as quickly as possible to bring additional seats to Long Island City families. We are excited that a new school for School District 30 residents will be included in this RFP,” Lorraine Grillo, President and CEO of the New York City School Construction Authority, said.
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer said in a statement Thursday that including a school was a priority of his.
“I’m especially proud of the work I did in conjunction with the EDC to ensure that this Long Island City development includes space for a school for nearly 600 students in our community,” he said.
“As more people come to realize that Western Queens is a fantastic place to live, it’s important to ensure that not only do we provide significant affordable housing so that our community is accessible to all, but to also make sure that increased housing comes with more jobs, parks, schools, and transportation.”
The two sites are currently zoned for manufacturing.
However, the EDC anticipates that they would need to be rezoned in order to develop the project as the agency envisions it.
Update: This story has been updated to include statements and additional information that were released by the EDC Thursday afternoon.
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25 Comments
Funny how the sheep blindly follow each other!! 1st Bloomberg invests $100 million to Cornell. 2nd- a 5 star hotel is under construction at 43rd and Vernon. 3rd- RFP goes out, when the DoE is beginning reconstruction after Sandy, on the same property. 4th- A FOOT BRIDGE to Roosevelt Island from 44th Drive???? All for a diverse city, HMMM?? Wake up New York!! Politicians are NOT your friends!! Condemned properties? Buy outs at ground floor prices? Property sales just topped 268% increase this month!! Smells like 110 Livingston Street!!
Funny how the sheep blindly follow each other!! 1st Bloomberg invests $100 million to Cornell. 2nd- a 5 star hotel is under construction at 43rd and Vernon. 3rd- RFP goes out, when the DoE is beginning reconstruction after Sandy, on the same property. 4th- A FOOT BRIDGE to Roosevelt Island from 44th Drive???? All for a diverse city, HMMM?? Wake up New York!! Politicians are NOT your friends!! Condemned properties? Buy outs at ground floor prices? Property sales just topped 268% increase this month!! Smells like 110 Livingston Street!!
Look at the mosquito swamp next to the Department of Education supply department building. For ten years, the venal owners of that site have attempted to flood out that City building! This used to be a tennis club, very pleasant. The holes for building were dug, the site “abandoned,” i.e, left to attack the municipal property, and our health, by the owners. Who are they? Councilmen and women, and our Queens elected officials…why no action?
I see groups of young adults slipping between the gates pretty often. They always appear to be going somewhere. I think it has become a place to party on summer nights.
Skinny dipping perhaps? 😉
Looks like the real estate developers are posting here. Hilarious.
Infrastructure and transportation in LIC cannot handle anymore people. BIG problems ahead.
So I read the RFP and the school is supposed to be a primary school? Not including pre-K or K grades? Anyone with any insight to this care to chime in with a better understanding after looking at the RFP?
You may have looked at it wrong. The details are in the Appendix 12 section. It seems to cover Pre-K through grade 5. This is the breakdown according to the RFP:
Pre-K: 4 classrooms
Kindergarten: 3 classrooms
Grades 1-2: 6 classrooms
Grade 3: 3 classrooms
Grades 4-5: 6 classrooms
Special Education: 2 classrooms
Looks like LIC middle school students are out of luck.
It’s a start, so give it time and stay…positive!
Hopefully MTA ferry service will be in place by the time this is completed. Ferry transportation is such a great alternative to subway but the city must make a serious commitment to investing and developing it.
when pigs fly
“more jobs, parks, schools, and transportation.” Where exactly is the transportation part in this RFP?? What, the ‘light rail’ system that will connect Brooklyn and Queens? Let’s face it, most of these 1000 residents will need to commute to Manhattan. How are they going to get there? The other day at court square I saw two professional women get into a fist fight trying to get off the E train. That is the state of transportation as it currently stands in lic. I fear for my life when the number of residents increases exponentially with all this new development.
One option will be the expanded ferry options with 1 new terminal there. Eventually, the light rail. It would be nice if they could add elevators up to the 59th street bridge from Vernon Blvd. An old timer told me that there used to be one to Randalls Island from the 59th street bridge.
This is great!! I am siding with the city on this one. I hope more is come. We need more options.
Can we get a few more 7 trains, my god.
Nope- according to the MTA it is impossible to add more 7 subway service. Read their Wikipedia page.
joe that’s wrong they can add plenty of service just not during rush hours..
they could easily make trains run every 5 minutes past 10 pm if people would diBOZIO would help create jobs by giving companies mass tax incentives to do so…
so much for auto correct……if dibozio offered tax credits based on the number of jobs created 2nd 3rd shift weekends and holiday….the need would be there to increase the number of trains…
no body should get any tax credits.. none if all your employees work 9-5 M-F….none!
why the dislike ?? its called prime time pricing you really think a DJ will give you a cut rate in June? but in January sure will!!
With Enhanced City-State Rent Subsidies a lot of people will be very happy living here. What a view!
hahahaha! Thank you Mayor De Blasio! He is someone that cares about the working class, the poor, the homeless and minorities! So happy with this mayor trying to diversify our neighborhoods.
yes
That map appears to include the Water’s Edge restaurant. That land is City-owned?