Real Estate BY ANGELA MATUA Decades-old factory in LIC will now house tech and media companies A Long Island City envelope factory that has been underutilized for years is in the process of becoming a “green” office and retail complex. The former Apple Tag & Label building, located at 30-30 Northern Blvd., is an eight-story, 213,00-square-foot building that bares a large neon apple sign. Alma Realty, which purchased the site, redeveloped the structure and is planning to lease the space to top-tier tech, media and other creative companies, according to the company’s statement. “We are investing in this community because Queens is our home and we believe strongly in the neighborhood,” said Peter Kosteas, commercial property manager of Queens-based Alma Realty. “In a matter of months, the building will become home to what we envision as a world-class group of tenants who will enliven and enrich the community as well as provide further economic development to positively impact the whole area.” Re-named The Apple Building, developers are planning to refurbish the iconic apple sign, which will become an illuminated building topper. Floor plates range from 26,000 to 30,000 square feet and the ceilings are 12 to 15 feet high. A spokesperson for Alma Realty said no leases have been signed yet but they are confident they will be ready to open this fall. The 7,200 square feet of ground-floor retail space will “reinvigorate” the block and connect it to an area that has seen an influx of commercial and residential development, the press release said. According to the Daily News, the building was also home to a topless dance club at one point in its long history. The building is expected to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and will also include a full-service fitness center that will be free to tenants, LED motion sensor lighting and office terraces on the sixth and seventh floors. Bicycle racks will also be installed to encourage employees to bike to work. A park-like roof deck will feature feature benches, plantings, landscaping and views of the Manhattan skyline. The $60 million project is expected to be completed this fall. Alma Realty will keep the apple sign as a throwback to the area’s industrial past where companies such as Pepsi-Cola, Lockheed, Breyers, Eveready Flashlights, Swingline Staples, Packard and Pierce- Arrow Automobiles, Sunshine Biscuits and Dentyne Chicklets called Long Island City home. “The once great and glorified heritage of the Queens Plaza corridor and greater Long Island City as a home to top tier businesses is being restored and Alma Realty is proud to play a role in that effort,” Kosteas said. After a plan change, the future tallest building in Queens will be considered ‘supertall’ The future tallest building in Queens will now be considered “supertall” after developers altered its plans. The City View Tower, which developers are planning to erect near the Citigroup building, will now span 984 feet instead of the proposed 963 feet, YIMBY first reported. The bulkhead and mechanical equipment will extend that height to a total of 1,000 feet. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a building is considered “supertall” when it exceeds 984 feet. As of June 2015, there were 91 fully completed and occupied supertall buildings in the world. Flushing-based developer Chris Jiashu Xu in February filed plans for the 79-story tower located at 23-15 44th Dr. The 778,000-square-foot tower will contain 774 apartments with 19,721 square feet allotted for retail on the ground floor, plans show. There will also be 225 parking spaces. The City View Tower will be the first supertall tower in Queens and will top the Citigroup tower, previously the tallest building in Queens at 658 feet. Goldstein, Hill & West Architects will be responsible for design. The project is expected to break ground in 2017 and be completed by 2019. Courtesy of Alma Realty Courtesy of United Construction Development
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