AN article in The New York Times this week rehashing the proposed development of Sunnyside Yards pulled the editorial staff here out of their late-summer stupor. I could spill lots of ink rebutting the rationale put forth by the proponents of this pipe dream, but I’m on the beach and the waves are so soothing. Plus I’ve already done so in the past, so I’ll boil it down to the two main arguments:
1. There is already a surfeit of growth proposed for Western Queens, for those with their heads in the sand or residing in Manhattan or Brooklyn – Long Island City is the fastest growing neighborhood in America.
Worse, NYC as a whole is bursting at the seems and those in charge prefer new growth to fixing the current problems – which very may well be intractable and almost definitely will be made worse by densification. At what point do the decision makers make the connection between the future cost of all this growth and the quality of life for the average New Yorker?
2. We could not have been more correct with our back-of-the-envelope projection of the greatly understated cost of the BQX Connector when it was initially proposed. Thus I will use that shred of financial credibility to reiterate my belief that the Sunnyside Yards project has the potential to be NYC’s version of the Big Dig. The financial projections put forth by the city or any consultants it remunerates for affirming them are meaningless. For evidence of this look at the Hunters Point library.
Most irksome in a project of this cost, scope, and horizon, is that there will be zero accountability for those who promote it. They’ll be long gone if the two grave problems I envision come to fruition.
//FEDEX will be opening a retail store on 21st Street near Murray Park next to Dunkin Donuts
//THE Arc in Dutch Kills has announced they have fully leased their 428 units in ten months just as The Alta, a 43-story tower about two blocks away, starts leasing out its units.
Is A Railyard in Queens The Site of NYC’s Next Big Development? – fwiw, Alicia Glen, the main advocate for its development, is a lifelong resident of the UWS
Hunters Point Man Dies Trying to Jump to His Balcony – this past Saturday
Outdoor Space is the Key to Luxury Says Architect of big Luxury LIC Condo Project –MG: What area do you think is the next hub for luxury properties? EC: There are a few. Long Island City is one of them.
Construction Firm Turned Developer Launches Project in LIC – Dutch Kills to be exact, 50k add’l sq ft
MoMA PS1 Warm Up Design Collection Is of Your Dreams – like Borats one-piece?
250,000 Pieces of Tiffany Glass in an LIC Warehouse – local video brought to you by the people of Oman
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