TF Cornerstone expands
on plans for LIC sites
BY ANGELA MATUA
AMATUA@QNS.COM
Earlier this month, Long Island City
residents rallied against a proposal to
develop two city-owned lots along the
waterfront. But developers are arguing
that their plan was made with the community
in mind.
Last July, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced
that TF Cornerstone was
chosen to develop two sites that sit on
44th Drive. The plan includes 1,000
units of housing, an elementary school,
manufacturing and commercial space,
a performance space and waterfront
access.
Almost immediately after the plan
was announced, residents began to
express their disappointment at Community
Board 2 meetings, through a
petition and a rally held on March 3.
Since the land is publicly owned,
residents feel that they should have
been consulted before the city finalized
any plans. According to the LIC Coalition,
the group that created the petition,
residents want a portion of the land to
be turned into a wetland park. Since
the sites sit in a flood zone, they argue
that constructing large buildings would
make the land vulnerable.
Residents also want to see a community
recreation center, “school seats,
artist and light manufacturing space, a
cultural center, a climate change educational
center, job training, space for
NGOs and other community benefits,”
the petition said.
Meanwhile, TF Cornerstone, which
was responsible for most of the Queens
West development, is looking to fulfill
16 APRIL 2018 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
the city’s wishes by maximizing nonresidential
uses, according to Jon Mc-
Millian, the director of planning for the
company.
“It’s a unique development because of
what the city is trying to do here,” he said.
“They’re essentially trying to maximize
the non-residential stuff and minimize
the residential stuff so that makes it a
very special project. I think once the
community starts to understand what’s
really being planned here, they’re going
to get much more comfortable with it.”
TF Cornerstone is working with partners
C4Q to bring workforce training
to local residents and the Greenpoint
Manufacturing and Design Center
(GMDC) to construct 100,000 square
feet of affordable manufacturing space.
C4Q, a local nonprofit, aims to train
Queens residents with all work backgrounds
in coding and connect them to
higher paying jobs.
“We think that there’s a lot of opportunity
in reaching out to the housing
authority at Queensbridge Towers,” Mc-
Millian said. “They are going to be a great
beneficiary of the workforce training that
we have on this site. Hopefully we’ll be
able to work with C4Q to bring those
folks in, train them and then place them
in the companies that will be starting up
in this facility.”
GMDC, a nonprofit developer dedicated
to building affordable manufacturing
space, will own and operate at least half
of the 100,000 square feet dedicated
to companies that need manufacturing
space.
Clients will include artists, furniture
design and fabrication, jewelry makers
and other light industrial uses.
Real Estate
Rendering courtesy of TF Cornerstone
link
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