The city plans to certify two Queens projects into the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) this Monday: Willets Point and Hunters Point South. The Willets Point redevelopment project has faced fierce scrutiny over the use of eminent domain and the displacement of local businesses. Hunters Point South has been a less controversial plan, but has still faced opposition over the lack of low-income...

Community Board 2 approved a plan by the City University of New York (CUNY) to build a housing complex for university housing and market rate units. A variance is needed for the construction as it exceeds the allowable height and building density in the area. Although the Board voted to approve the plans, some residents are concerned by the size and scope of the project and the externalities it...

Areas of Long Island City (LIC) not located on the waterfront, including Queens Plaza, Court Square and Dutch Kills are seeing new growth and development. While the area lacks some basic amenities such as grocery stores, some residents are moving to the area in hope of new things to come. The city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is planning on completing two projects in LIC – streetscape...

Long Island City (LIC) is known to host a large artist population and some are concerned that rising housing prices may force these artists out of their homes and studios. Alyson Baker, who serves at the President of the Long Island City Cultural Alliance and also runs the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, has suggested the city undertake an affordable housing initiative for artists. Several cultural...

The developers of a new CUNY dorm will attempt to gain support from the local community board in Long Island City Thursday night. The developers have already presented plans seeking a zoning variance to construct a 13-story housing development for CUNY doctoral students and faculty to the community board; the plans were poorly received. The developers will use Thursday's meeting to present a slightly...

Plans were unveiled to the community for development of a site in Long Island City that will include market rate housing, CUNY graduate and faculty housing, open space, community space and a host of other amenities. Some in the community were concerned about the lack of affordable housing in the plan and were fearful of allowing a zoning variance for the construction, which would be greater than...

A developer, OCA LIC, plans to reintroduce a proposal to build a 13-story mixed use building that would house doctoral students in Long Island City. This time around the developer plans to dedicate space to the Queens Council of the Arts to help garner public approval. The initial plan was rejected by the Land Use Committee of Community Board 2 in November. Some residents are upset with the proposal,...

Efforts are underway to begin the second phase of cleanup at the former PepsiCo bottling plant in Long Island City. The bottling plant was demolished in 2003 to make way for development but remediation work was needed on the site to clean up damages most likely caused between 1850 -1936 when the site was used as an oil refinery. Development plans for the site include four buildings for residential...

At a Dutch Kills Civic Association meeting last Thursday, residents attacked the city for taking too long to rezone their neighborhood to prevent as-of-right commercial buildings that they believe have overtaken their neighborhood. Efforts to rezone Dutch Kills began in May 2005 and according to the city, have been delayed because of a thorough environmental impact review. Since then, 11 new hotels...

Eleven new hotels are currently being developed in Dutch Kills, an area with large numbers of residents in Long Island City. City Councilmember Eric Gioia is submitting a proposal to the city mandating that developers acquire special permits to build hotels in the city. Goia believes that hotels severely impact neighborhoods by impeding on the available parking and changing the overall character....