Tishman Speyer has started construction of the first phase of Gotham Center, a 3.5 million s/f mixed-use development project in Long Island City. The first phase of Gotham Center includes a 21-story tower, occupied by the city’s Health Department, and 9,400 s/f of retail space. Relocation of the Health Department to Gotham Center is expected to be completed in 2011.

This week, the City Council will vote on Hunters Point South, a 30-acre middle-income housing development on the East River in Queens. Only families earning between $55,000 and $158,000 are eligible for units. Opponents of the plan say most residents do not earn enough to qualify for the housing and the plan would subsidize families that can afford market rents. The development is part of Mayor Bloomberg’s...

Five convention centers are planned for various neighborhoods in Queens. Jack Friedman, Executive Vice President of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, says such space does not exist in Queens, forcing prospective trade shows and conferences to be held in other boroughs. Friedman says there is a demand for an inexpensive alternative to Manhattan’s expensive Jacob Javits Center. The largest planned...

Developer Lincoln Equities has signed a contract to buy five parcels of land in Hallets Cove on the East River. Lincoln plans to tear down the warehouses that are currently there and build five residential buildings to be known as Hallets Point Development. The development will be a mix of condos and rentals, 20% of the 2,400 planned apartments will be affordable housing and one of the new constructs...

The city has signed a deal with developer Tishman Speyer to build a 21-story, $316 million building in Long Island City for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Mayor Bloomberg’s administration is attempting to create an office district in Long Island City as an alternative to higher-priced office space in Manhattan and hopes that private companies will follow government offices to the area....

Some business owners in Long Island City (L.I.C.) are worried that the historically light-industrial neighborhood could be developed like many other New York City neighborhoods, bringing an influx of national chains with rezoning. L.I.C. lighting store Krypton Neon owner Kenny Greenburg is pushing for the city to turn a portion of the neighborhood into an artisan district in order to preserve small...

On Tuesday the city Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) approved seven zoning variances in Long Island City, Queens which will waive building height restrictions for a 12-story residential complex, a six-story residence building for graduate City University of New York (CUNY) students and office space for the Queens Council on the Arts. Area residents voiced opposition to the size of the 67,000...

Although Hunters Point South in Long Island City is designed to be affordable for middle-income families, community groups feel that the income limits for Hunters Point South are too high and do not take into account Queens residents’ median income. A family of four with an annual salary between $55,000 and $158,000 would qualify for a three-bedroom apartment. There is some affordable housing being...

As the City Council debates the rezoning of the Dutch Kills area in Queens, developers are racing to start new projects often at the expense of safe working conditions, according to the Council Member Eric Goia (D-Sunnyside). Goia is urging the city to more aggressively fine for construction violations, although the city says that in December of 2007 it already stepped up enforcement in the area....

100 Queens for Affordable Housing (QFAH) coalition members and Queens residents rallied in front of Hunters Point in Long Island City where the City Planning Commission (CPC) will make recommendations for a new housing project on September 24th. Community members are calling for a revision to the housing project plans so that lower and middle income families can afford homes. Hannah Weinstock, a community...