NY Observer > Long Island City

The Local: Work Life In Long Island City

Lysandra Ohrstrom — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:12:30 -0400

It’s not every day that you hear New Yorkers complaining about the absence of a Starbucks or a Duane Reade, but the chains that are so often maligned in Manhattan lately are just the type of convenience that people working in Long Island City miss the most.

When Deborah, a Citigroup employee, learned that she was being transferred from Manhattan to Long Island City 10 years ago, she was less than enthusiastic about the move.

“When I first heard I thought, 'Ugh, Long Island City,' because I’d never heard about it,” said during a mid-Monday morning smoke break outside the neighborhood’s first high-rise, high-profile office building, Court Square One. read more »

How Government Action Changed Long Island City

Tom Acitelli — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:05:36 -0400

The Financial Times' Jeremy Lemer parachutes into Long Island City and relays the massive changes in the neighborhood back to the folks in Europe.

Interestingly, he weaves how government actions, particularly zoning changes, helped spur LIC's rapid development:

In 1981 it was zoned as a mixed use district. Then, as now, Romanesque Revival terraced houses stood cheek-by-jowl with factories - home to builders' yards, elevator repair companies and printing shops. ...

Zoning changes have, belatedly, had rapid and far reaching effects. Inland, a 2004 rezoning has transformed the Hunters Point mixed-use area by allowing industrial sites to be converted to residential uses. "The rezoning made a lot of millionaires," says [property broker Andrew] Fine.

I wrote in last week's Observer about how a large rezoning in Williamsburg and Greenpoint spurred not only rapid residential development, but also recent home-price jumps (see chart above).

Long Island Rock City!

Chris Shott — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:59:00 -0400

Robert Prichard hopes to illuminate Long Island City with some emphatic Times Square-style signage.

“I’d like it to be visible from the 59th Street Bridge,” he said. “First, it flashes ‘Queens,’ then ‘Bridge,’ then ‘Theater,’ and then ‘Queensbridge Theater.’ And then maybe an arrow that lights up and points down to our loading dock.”

Mr. Prichard, 52, has long had a flair for the dramatic. This is the same guy, after all, who nearly a decade ago led a conga line up Avenue A in protest of the city’s antiquated cabaret laws. read more »

A Long Island City Business Gets Jamaica's Tax Breaks

Matthew Schuerman — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:01:01 -0500

In an unusual arrangement, the City Council on Thursday voted to let a Long Island City business take advantage of tax breaks that usually go along with the Empire Zone in Jamaica.

The concept of these "regionally significant projects" is a little controversial, since Empire Zones are set up to benefit a particular neighborhood or region. read more »

Hell’s Kitchen Is Too Pretty For Reality TV

Chris Shott — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Hollywood screenwriter Bobby Moresco spoke in Dickensian terms about growing up Irish in Hell’ read more »

Related's Ross: Big Announcement Coming!

Observer Staff — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 09:48:39 -0400

The Related Companies' chairman, Stephen Ross, said last week that the city will make an announcement "in the next 60 days" about a new housing program for middle-income New Yorkers, Crain's reports. Details of the announcement remain sketchy, but it likely has something to do with the construction of Queens West in Long Island City.

Mr. Ross is also chairman of the Real Estate Board of New York.

- Tom Acitelli

Rangel's Cake

Observer Staff — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 08:12:24 -0400

Charlie Rangel, who said he doesn't want to see the debate about Medicaid spending turn into a "food fight," seemed ready for one on Saturday in Long Island City, where he was awarded the the Kung Hwa Medal by the Korean government.

[Photo credit: Grace Meng.] -- Azi Paybarah

The Afternoon Wrap: Friday

Observer Staff — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:45:25 -0500

Seven reasons for Queens' impending triumph: Long Island City; more bang-for-buck; it's not Jersey; the "tipping point"; Trader Joe's; community blogs; and, most importantly, Ugly Betty. [OuterB]
Why should NYC ban traffic on Williamsburg's main stretch? Because hipsters deserve their own esplanade, and because "preserving the small town quality of Williamsburg and allowing for a more vital street life" sounds like a dandy idea. [Carefree Bedford, via Curbed]
It's about 18 months too late to notice that "the cobblestone streets, the deep history, the architecture, and the harbor views" have made Wall Street a hip place to live. But if you like Armani-branded condos, this weekend is full of thrilling financial district open houses. [NY Mag/D.I.]
Map of the Day: Where do NYU kids go after freshman year? Invariably, from Washington Square to Alphabet City, from "East" Williamsburg to Yorkville, from the West Village to Westchester. [L Mag]

Max Abelson

Umbrella Deal Means Changes for Office Buildings

Observer Staff — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 06:00:00 -0500

The cute red umbrella in the Citigroup logo is no more, says Crain's. The bank cut a deal to sell the branding rights to St. Paul Travelers.

Citigroup will need to draft up a new logo now. File this under slightly irrelevant, but what's this mean for real estate? Well, when they create the new logo it will mean a new top for three distinguished city properties: 666 Fifth Avenue; Court Square Two in Long Island City; and the top of the new Mets stadium in Queens.

- John Koblin