The Court Square Blog has uncovered permits for the lot at 21-16 44th Drive that link to a developer named Alan Lapes who’s made a very profitable living operating homeless shelters for NYC. Though it’s only slated to be 29 units and 44th Drive has a bit of a gritty feel to it, I’m sure the 75 condo owners in The Industry across the street are [Read more…] about LIC TO GET HOMELESS SHELTER AND STARBUCKS?
GROWTH AT WHAT PRICE?
For more than a century, California has been the state where people flocked for a better life — 164,000 square miles of mountains, farmland and coastline, shimmering with ambition and dreams, money and beauty. It was the cutting-edge symbol of possibility: Hollywood, Silicon Valley, aerospace, agriculture and vineyards.
But now a punishing drought — and the unprecedented measures the state announced last week to compel people to reduce water consumption — is forcing a reconsideration of whether the aspiration of untrammeled growth that has for so long been this state’s driving engine has run against the limits of nature.
– The New York Times April 4, 2015
Recent travails with the 7-train and school-gate lead me to ask: should everyone be living here? In a reversal of the entropic forces that overcome an abandoned jungle city, have we instead built over every square inch and then gone, and continue to go, too far upwards? Most importantly, does densification diminish the quality of life for all?
Probably not if you’re taking the seaplane to your 20-acre spread in the Hamptons every weekend and living in a 5,000 square foot apartment or townhouse Monday to Friday. As for the rest of us, I will posit that the answer is ‘yes.’ Because as exciting as it is to live in a city that never sleeps, at some point the reality of [Read more…] about GROWTH AT WHAT PRICE?
AUGUST DOINGS IN LIC
Don’t let anyone tell you nothing happens in August. Not in LIC anyway. Free Music, Free Yoga, + when you have a park like ours along the waterfront, who needs the beach? Then after sunset head up to Astoria for some of the best food on the planet, or to LIC Flea or Smorgasburg in Court Square. Here’s a rundown for the rest of the summer: [Read more…] about AUGUST DOINGS IN LIC
TORN ASUNDER, BIEROCRACY, & HOT TIPS
As the streets of Vernon Boulevard are torn asunder this summer, we got a query from a reader about the development across from the 7-trains entrances on that street. LIC resident Andy G. asked:
“Nothing has happened on the site at 49-18 Vernon Boulevard for a couple months now. Meanwhile, it’s been a huge pain in the butt for pedestrians in the always-crowded Vernon/Jackson area. The initial green fence wasn’t bad as it didn’t impede the sidewalk, but then it was moved outward on both streets and we’ve had street blockage—and an eyesore–for months now with no progress whatsoever.”
Though I was clueless as to why, our friends at The Court Square Blog dug for the answer and shared with Andy that they received a “Stop-Work” order from the city on May 19, and it was just partially rescinded this week. Phew, it’s the weekend so let’s move on to the good stuff. [Read more…] about TORN ASUNDER, BIEROCRACY, & HOT TIPS
YOUNG MAN DIES AFTER FALLING FROM AVALON RIVERVIEW NORTH
A young male fell to his death Tuesday night around 10pm, after apparently [Read more…] about YOUNG MAN DIES AFTER FALLING FROM AVALON RIVERVIEW NORTH