Plaxall

THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET OF HUNTERS POINT

January 10, 2018 by editor 5 Comments

Despite the delays and cost overruns at the Hunters Point Library, I personally like it. I know that not everyone in the neighborhood shares my sentiment, some thinking it an overpriced folly and others questioning the need for any new libraries in the 21st century. But grand projects that may come across as impractical or wasteful at onset, can sometimes transcend their original purpose, as well as transform a neighborhood if the conceptualization of it is on target. Though we won’t really know for another year about the final outcome, I’m optimistic that the decision to build it will be proven correct.

Yet underlying the creation of the Hunters Point Library, is a dirty little secret: [Read more…] about THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET OF HUNTERS POINT

LIC JUST SAY NO TO THE COMPANY HOLIDAY PARTY & DO THIS

December 14, 2017 by editor 1 Comment

Company holiday parties are fraught with danger. Making a drunken fool of oneself in front of people you see Mon-Fri from 9-5 for the next 365, telling your superior what you really think of her, not to mention the possibility of infidelity, rejection, and in 2017 sexual harassment. Handicapping the company holiday party as a prospective investment, which in some ways it is, there is no upside, other than free drinks and food, and massive downside. So as your adviser ((spiritual, not financial)), I recommend [Read more…] about LIC JUST SAY NO TO THE COMPANY HOLIDAY PARTY & DO THIS

PLAXALL’S GRAND(E) PLAN FOR ANABLE BASIN & REC CENTER

November 14, 2017 by editor 2 Comments

Last night I met with several of the Plaxall family members where they shared their just released plans to develop Anable Basin. These plans entail a major rezoning of the area, whose central theme is “bringing LIC to Anable Basin” by opening up the shoreline surrounding it to the public and making it easily accessible via newly created pedestrian lanes that would slice through their current plots. The initial blueprint would be a mix of residential, retail, and a doubling of their current industrial space, in the hope of making the area one that’s 24/7 instead of the stark division currently in LIC where an area is utilized by business during the day or inhabitants at night, but not both. Also a new school would be built away from the site on a nearby Plaxall holding on 11th Street.

To help put it all together the family recently hired Jonathan Drescher, previously the Director of Major Projects for the Durst Organization, who expects the zoning process to take most of 2018 with the hope that the initial phase begins in 2019. As one would expect with his arrival, the plan also contains the considerable upsizing of the amount of buildable square footage that would be allowed, leading to the possibility of a 70-story waterfront tower and 5,000 new residential units. It would also incorporate many of the development buzzwords coursing through City Hall these days: [Read more…] about PLAXALL’S GRAND(E) PLAN FOR ANABLE BASIN & REC CENTER

THE NUDGER FROM QUEENSBRIDGE

July 25, 2016 by editor 2 Comments

‘We’re on one side of the river and the millionaires are on the other, but we have the better view.’ Elizabeth McQueen, Queensbridge

Stories about Queensbridge are infrequent here on LICtalk, and positive stories about it are practically nil. This weekend though, The New York Times wrote a very inspirational profile on Elizabeth McQueen, a former resident of the houses who spent many years nudging politicians and parks employees to refurbish and re-buttress the long-closed esplanade in Queensbridge Park. Though she passed away in February at the age of 83, she was able to witness her accomplishment with the re-opening of the esplanade in 2014. In light of all that she did to make it happen, this week it was officially declared “Elizabeth McQueen Way” by the city.

Now I can’t say that you’ll have anything named after you, but [Read more…] about THE NUDGER FROM QUEENSBRIDGE