http://www.planNYC.org/ PlanNYC | New York City Planning Information Portal en-us ja3n@earthlink.net http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4761 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 businesses and create a "cultural, commercial and environmental destination, with the neighborhood’s light-industrial past carried on into the future." 2008-10-09 02:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4713 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 square foot development at a BSA hearing in August. While many fear that the recent boom in residential tower construction is turning Long Island City into a replica of Manhattan’s East Side, others have praised public, private and non-profit organizations working together to make the CUNY project happen. 2008-09-25 17:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4657 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 offered in new construction, but it is being targeted at low-income residents, leaving middle-income city workers with few housing options that they can afford. The City Planning Commission will vote on the project next month. 2008-09-17 07:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4663 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. Goia is concerned that the race to build is causing dangerous conditions for neighbors, especially after a wall collapsed on a new project site recently. 2008-09-17 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4631 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 organizer with the Queens Community House, called for 20% of the new housing be to be for $25,000 per year or less, 20% to be affordable for families earning $25,000 to $61,000 annually, and 10% for families with an income between $100,000 and $127,000 annually. 2008-09-14 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4387 Community Board 2 in Queens voted unanimously on Monday in support of plans for Hunters Point South with a condition that a “more inclusive and more comprehensive” plan for affordable housing be developed. Some of the Board’s requests include more affordable housing for seniors, the disabled and civil servants, a height restriction of 42 stories, and expanding public transportation alternatives and routes. 2008-06-26 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4388 Community Board 1 in Queens approved rezoning plans for Dutch Kills on Tuesday with some conditions. The rezoning would split the community in four sub-districts and each would vary on density and development that will be permitted. The Community Board wants the City to reconsider the residential components of two of the sub-districts and also include a light manufacturing zone in the area. Many in the community are disappointed in how slow the rezoning process has been and blame the city for the dozens of new hotels that have been built in the area recently. 2008-06-26 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4371 Community Board 2 votes on Monday on whether to recommend approval of the City’s plan to develop over 5,000 units of housing along the Long Island City waterfront in the Hunters Point South development project. Despite the promise that 60% of those units will be reserved for families of four making between $55,000 and $158,000, many affordable housing advocates and elected officials are worried that the development will not be affordable enough. They point to the median incomes of Queens and Long Island City, $48,000 and $44,000 respectively, as proof of the need for more affordable housing. 2008-06-22 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4352 Rockrose Development Corp. is proposing an office tower to be built in Long Island City. The building, which would be known as 10 Court Square, will be 800,000 square feet and is currently looking for an anchor tenant to secure the project. Rockrose believes that the short train ride from Manhattan in addition to the other projects going on in Long Island City make this area desirable for office space. In order to piece together the development site, Rockrose bought out 12 private property owners since 1988. Rockrose is already developing an apartment complex on the Long Island City waterfront. 2008-06-17 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4333 Council Member Eric Gioia is urging the Department of City Planning to halt building of any new hotels in Dutch Kills, Queens even though the City’s current rezoning plan allows hotel construction on Northern Blvd. The Dutch Kills Civic Association supports the current rezoning but it also not opposed to the changes Gioia is pushing for. 2008-06-12 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4325 The Department of City Planning certified a rezoning of the Dutch Kills area in Long Island City. The next step in the ULURP, public review process, is a vote by Community Board 1 on June 17th. The Community Board is expected to pass the rezoning as well, since the community has been pushing for a rezoning of the area for upwards of 3 years. A rezoning in the area will make sure that new development, especially a large increase in high-rise hotel and condo development, will happen in a contextual manner. 2008-06-11 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4265 Tishman Speyer's proposal to transform a City-owned parking garage in Long Island City to an office tower is undergoing negotiations with both the City and the Modell’s family, who currently has a long-standing lease on the Queens Plaza property. The plans identify the City’s Health Department as the primary tenant, occupying 650,000 square feet and leaving approximately 150,000 square feet for other purposes, which could include retail and additional commercial usage. Although no contract has been signed, sources anticipate that the various parties will come to an agreement within the next month. 2008-05-27 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4162 Many Dutch Kills residents are expressing concern that the construction taking place in the Queens neighborhood is abundant and out of scale. In a roughly eight-block area, 14 sites have sparked interest from developers to build hotels, many of which are over 9 stories tall. The Department of City Planning (DCP) initiated a rezoning of the area in 2005 that would significantly thwart commercial development. Since then, developers have raced to the area to build before a rezoning goes through. The City is still in the process of redeveloping the plan and is currently working on the environmental review, which is expected to be completed in the next month or so. The plan must still then go through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), a seven-month public review process. Many neighborhood residents think that the City has acted too slowly. 2008-04-27 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4146 The city’s redevelopment plan for Hunters Point South that will create 3000 new residential housing units for middle-income families can be financed by tax free bonds issued by a non-profit group, according to an official from the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC). By using this technique for financing, some housing advocates claim that the city is circumventing a federal requirement that true affordable housing be built, which would be required if the city applied for tax free bonds itself. The city says that by issuing tax free bonds through a non-profit organization the construction costs will be significantly reduced. 2008-04-24 00:00:00 http://www.plannyc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Issues&file=index&catid=1&issueid=60#4123 The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced that the Jackson Avenue beautification project could break ground in May. The beautification project will use artistic elements, new lighting, outdoor furniture and a landscaped median to divide and transform Jackson Avenue into Long Island City’s major thoroughfare. 2008-04-21 00:00:00