■REAL ESTATE BY LIAM LA GUERRE [email protected] I @LiamLaGuerre Photos courtesy of Doughnut Plant First Queens Doughnut Plant ready for business in LIC Plans for tallest Queens building move forward in LIC The MTA board voted March 25 to transfer unused development rights from a Queens site it owns for $56 million to a firm that plans to construct the largest building in the borough, according to published reports. Developer Property Markets Group filed to construct a 70-story, 930-apartment building at 29-37 41st Ave. on March 11. But current zoning at the site wouldn’t allow for such a large project. However, the MTA will transfer 478,000 square feet from a lot at Northern Boulevard and 40th Road to the developer, which will allow the firm to build up to 77 stories on the lot, according to DNAInfo. The sale is expected to be completed soon. Property Markets Group also purchased the Long Island City clock tower building adjoining the development site for $30 million last year. Construction plans have yet to be released for the clock tower, but the city is considering landmarking the building. Queens doughnut lovers can now experience a whole new menu of the classic treat from a popular city-based store without having to leave the borough. Manhattan-based Doughnut Plant opened its first Queens location in Long Island City on March 17, complete with doughnut-shaped stools. The store, which signed a 10-year lease for a 8,500-squarefoot space in the Falchi Building at 31-00 47th Ave. last year, will be the second production home for the company, which also has a 4,000-square-foot space in the Lower East Side. Doughnut Plant is holding off on a grand opening ceremony for the location as the bakery isn’t fully completed, but during its soft opening, patrons can try the full range of menu options at the store, including doughnuts, coffee, tea, milk and juices. The store will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Established in 1994 by Mark Isreal, Doughnut Plant products are now sold at various retailers throughout the city, including at some Shake Shack and Dean and DeLuca locations. The firm also opened a location in Japan in 2004, and has since expanded to nine spots in the “Land of the Rising Sun,” and one in Seoul, Korea. Photo courtesy of Google Maps 29-37 41st Ave. RESIDENTIAL AND MANUFACTURING BALANCE IN NEW LIC RESIDENTIAL BUILDING Old industrial buildings in Long Island City are often converted into residential exclusive projects as the housing boom continues in the burgeoning neighborhood. But due to an old mixed-use industrial zoning, a new residential building that will replace an old warehouse on Crescent Street was designed with a manufacturing space. Architects for 37-10 Crescent St. recently revealed the new building’s renderings. The first floor of the building will be reserved for manufacturing, which will be used by a contractor, New York YIMBY reported. Ranger Properties, which purchased the 18,000-square-foot one-story building for $6.5 million last year, is developing it. The project will be a six-story building with 55 residential units in the remaining five floors. It is set to open in 2016. There will also be parking spaces in the basement level, which are mandated by the old zoning code. The façade of the building is “clad in a lightweight cement board rain screen,” according to the architect. Demolition permits were filed last month for the one-story warehouse currently at the site. 37-10 Crescent St. Rendering courtesy of Fogarty Finger
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