A sad memorial was held Saturday afternoon on Borden Avenue at the location where 53-year old bicyclist Robert Spencer was killed Thursday morning. According to the Queens Daily Eagle, many of his family members and friends were in attendance, as were a few local pols and bicycle advocates. While the article below hints at some finger-pointing in terms of responsibility, Continue reading
Friedrich? What part of Ireland are you from?
A five-acre waterfront plot at 44-02 Vernon Boulevard has chosen a developer in a sign that the long vacant site might be stirring according to the trade magazine Commercial Observer. Occasionally referred to as ‘Lake Vernon’ by locals due to it frequently having water pooled in a pit created by reclamation efforts, abuts the northern border of the DOE Building and Waters Edge Restaurant on 44th Drive. This primo piece of land is currently zoned to allow one million square feet of residential, which by my reckoning is way over 1,000 new units. More significantly, the managing partner Bruce Teitelbaum, had pitched a plan in 2015 that would include a pedestrian bridge to Roosevelt Island in return for allowing even more buildable feet.
This plan was hatched prior to: Continue reading
Accident scene
3pm: See update and links below
A reader has shared the horrible news that a bicyclist was killed in Hunters Point this morning. It apparently occurred around 9am on 2nd Street and Borden Avenue when the rider was hit by a car. Per the photo above it looks like a silver Chrysler sedan remained in the cordoned-off accident site. One witness said Continue reading
St. Patrick’s of Long Island City
It was seven years ago today
LICtalk was begun for play
They’ve been going in and out of style
But they’re guaranteed to raise a smile
It’s been an annus mirabilis as the 7-year itch struck LICtalk. First off The Editor let the staff go and offshored the content, only to hire them back three months later as the cost efficiency of Sanjay, Viktor and Flordeliza couldn’t compete with the huggability of Moe, Larry & Curly (the copy was a wash). Then, Continue reading
Enter at your own risk
IF ever there was an elected political position ripe for the taking, New York State’s 12th District Senator seat would be it. Occupied by Mike Gianaris since 2010, this seemingly innocuous legislative role was thrust into the limelight by Amazon HQ2. Given Gianaris’ staunch opposition and the subsequent reversal by Amazon on LIC, …and Queens, backlash in the form of a challenger was all but inevitable. Now a potential candidate has emerged according to Crain’s New York. Continue reading
Hershey Farms?
Must all news in Long Island City continue to be framed by Amazon? Sadly yes, at least for the next few months. Life goes on, though somewhat drearily (and cold), as does building. The Court Square Blog updates us on two super-large towers coming to Court Square and Queens Plaza respectively. Like the flowers weeks away, they are starting to spring from the earth. One will be Continue reading
It’s a dog’s life
So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell: ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take this anymore!’
I was really close to running a post entitled “Slim Pickings in Long Island City Post-Amazon” when news filtered out about a last gasp at bringing back Amazon. Yesterday came the report from QNS.com about Josh Bowen the founder of JB Smokehouse personally trekking out to Seattle to try to get Amazon to reconsider, an effort I viewed in the manner of Don Quixote. BUT, the media loves a good story and it slowly trickled out of LIC. THEN, The New York Times reported late today that Mario Cuomo has also been begging appealing to Amazon to reconsider, including garnering a phone conversation with Pontiff Bezos. PLUS a letter signed by multiple NYC cognoscenti, including the pontiff of NYC, David Solomon – and many other recognizable cardinals with pull, will be published in tomorrow’s Times, ALL of which lead to the headline above, and what effectively counts as LICtalk’s first ever double-issue. WHOA, that’s serious, time for all of us to go to the window…
Cuomo Speaks With Bezos, Furiously Trying to Win Back Amazon – yes, Bezos!
NY Leaders Urge Amazon to Reconsider – NY Times letter
QueensBridge Grapples with Amazon HQ2 Fallout – yo Mike n Jimmy “Aramark, a food and retail service provider, was looking to hire 300-500 workers on the spot for Citi Field in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, at pay rates of $15.25 to $16.70 an hour, and hired a couple dozen workers from the nearby Astoria Houses, according to Urban Upbound workers.”
—————– Part II aka ‘Slim Pickings’ ————————–
What’s next for Anable Basin? Oh wait, that was last week’s topic, and possibly next week’s too. Or maybe we can discuss apartment prices pre/post/past Amazon? I am truly curious to what extent buyers in the middle go through with their impulsive purchases. Continue reading
Will there be people in Citi LIC come 2020?
New York City is looking at reviving prior development plans for the HQ2 site according to James Padgett the President of the Economic Development Corp (EDC) in Continue reading
Mina’s and MoMA’s and Mu’s – still plenty of M”s
Spring training started this week, yet the gloom of winter still casts its pall on Long Island City with nary a bulb peeping and local news in deep hibernation. Sure, I could do a post-mortem on HQ2, but why? It’s time to move on and with that we’re happy (sad) to share that M. Wells Dinette will be leaving MoMA PS1 at month’s end and Continue reading
Amazon has canceled its plans to build HQ2 in Long Island City.
Why? From the press release: Continue reading