Real Estate BY ANGELA MATUA Stretch it out Two fitness powerhouses in Astoria and expanding BY Candace Higgins Leading a healthier lifestyle seems to be the trend of the summer, and an Astoria business is confident that it will last. Simply Fit Astoria has enjoyed almost six years of success and Simply Cycle Astoria has been up and running for three. Now the studios under the same owner will be merging and expanding into full 4,000-square-foot, brand-new studio. The specific date of the grand opening has not been finalized yet, but it is expected to be around mid-September. The new and improved studio will be located at 37-20 Astoria Boulevard South, right next to the current location of Simply Fit Astoria. The facility will house separate rooms for fitness and cycling, private rooms for group and personal training, as well as lockers, showers and more. In addition, Simply Fit will be expanding its class schedule and updating its packages. The team will be adding more morning classes to accommodate those who are looking to work out before their day begins. The new packages will offer combo packs to provide an array of both fitness and cycling classes. Pricing for these will be revealed closer to the opening. Once the opening date has been decided, there will be a grand opening party to celebrate the new studio. The party will offer free sample classes that will be open to the public. There will also be giveaways and live music, and guests can meet all of the Simply Fit instructors and staff. Simply Fit Astoria was established in 2010 by owner Lisa Eskenazi. Beginning in a small, 1,200-square-foot studio, the team moved after a year due to consistently packed and soldout classes. Simply Fit moved to its current 1,800-square-foot studio in 2011 to accommodate the growing demand and influx of new members. In 2013, Simply Cycle opened. Massive 1.1M-square-foot LIC office development will begin construction next year Two new office towers will add to the growing skyline in Long Island City. Tishman Speyer and Qatari Diar have purchased two lots on Jackson Avenue from Queens Boulevard to 42nd Road and will turn them into 27-story office spaces. Construction will begin next year and the towers are slated for completion in 2019. According to the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), which sold its space for the towers, the project will create 1,500 new construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs. More than 80,000 square feet of the space has already been pre-leased including 250,000 square feet to co-working company WeWork. The towers will be connected by a four-story podium, which will feature retail space, a food hall, a restaurant and a parking garage for employees. NYCEDC and Tishman Speyer previously collaborated on Two Gotham Center, an office building on the corner of Queens Plaza and 28th Street, which is occupied by the Department of Health. The additional two towers will be known as One Gotham Center and Three Gotham Center. “Long Island City continues to emerge as a vibrant hub of jobs and economic activity,” said NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer. “These new towers will bring 2,000 permanent jobs to western Queens, and represent a major step forward in solidifying Long Island City as a premier business district.” An NYCEDC analysis found that the city will need up to 60 million square feet in new commercial space by 2025. According to the commercial Observer, this project is estimated to cost $706.7 million. Tishman Speyer will receive $65 million in tax breaks from the New York City Industrial Development Agency and New York City Department of Finance. Tishman Speyer is also working on a threetower $875 million residential project at 28-10 Jackson Ave., 28-30 Jackson Ave. and 30-02 Queens Blvd. Earlier last month, four non-union steamfitters walked off the job citing issues with low wages and unsafe working conditions.
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