“To destroy is easier than to create, and that is why so many people are ready to demonstrate against what they reject. But what would they say if one asked them what they wanted instead?”
Ivan Klima – Love and Garbage
A little over a year ago I gave my opinion on the Amazon HQ2 deal struck by the Mayor and Governor. My conclusion was that while the two leaders were not very good poker-players and could have offered less, the overall deal as struck was worth taking a chance on.1 I even-handedly acknowledged that not everyone in LIC would be a winner from the deal, and some of the biggest winners would be those already well-entrenched (and well-heeled). Most importantly, the physical presence of Amazon being located in LIC would be transformational for us and the rest of Western Queens. Heretofore a backwater of NYC, hence the cradle of growth.
Alas those that were the major naysayers of the deal were also not very good poker players, and when Amazon called their bluff they got caught with their pants down and had to quickly assemble a rationale as to why the deal’s defeat was positive for Long Island City. Missing in their revisionist press-releases were any concrete proposals for replacing the jobs and infrastructure that Amazon would have brought here. A year later we’re still waiting…
*AOC ain’t part of LIC, you own it
Reject AOC’s Amazon I-Told-You-So – “In Long Island City, Amazon would have created 25,000 to 40,000 jobs and included an Amazon-sponsored employment center and workforce development program focused on technology training and local recruitment, including for those living in the Queensbridge public housing project. Amazon’s Hudson Yards office will house just 1,500 employees and include no local engagement.”
Big Tech Is Thriving In Manhattan, But What About The Other Boroughs? – Tech giants like Amazon are expanding office space in Manhattan, leaving the other boroughs behind
Cuomo Calls Amazon’s Hudson Yards Lease ‘Crumbs From the Table’
The Guy Who Ate That $120k Banana Was an LIC Artist – yum
Officials Looking to Rename LIC Park, Asking For Local Suggestions – fka Bridge & Tunnel Park, soon dba ‘LICtalk Park, ‘ now how about a renovation?
Pop-up ‘Daily Spoon’ to Open at 25-34 Jackson Ave – modern Asian food in Ct Square
Queens Plaza Park Tower Passes Halfway Mark – 700+ feet eventually
- No matter what either side says, like any investment you don’t know until later if it will be a good one. [↩]
Local LIC Resident says
December 11, 2019 at 9:37 amThis article is very needed. We need Gianaris & JVB gone from the picture because they’ve based their careers on this decision and are too proud to reverse course. They have not highlighted one benefit of having the 25-40k jobs (over time) come to Long Island City, which is part of the problem. There is no olive branch to consider negotiating with Amazon and they’ve polarized the issue so badly.
The voters need to decide what they want from their own communities and the elections need to focus a ton on that. We have a real opportunity to make something of this neighborhood and we could use a real partner who shares our vision for success to anchor in here for the long term.
It can still be done correctly by building a good relationship with open communication and dialogue between parties. It cannot be done correctly if it includes poor decision makers like JVB and Gianaris. They are too blind to know what is good for their communities.