{ { ■REAL ESTATE Construction for Hunters Point library on schedule, changes in design plan Representatives from the Queens Library and Department of Design and Construction (DDC) gathered at the New York Irish Center in Long Island City on Wednesday night to update residents on the construction of the new 22,000-square-foot library at Hunters Point. Located at Center Boulevard and 48th Avenue, right next to Gantry Plaza State Park, the library is set to be completed in winter 2017. Larry Lafargue, external affairs representative at the DDC, said the agency has been working “expeditiously” to complete the project and, barring any bad weather, DDC will adhere to its timeline.“We certainly feel very confident that we will be able to hit that target date,” Lafargue said. “However, we also have to keep in mind, too, that mother nature at times can bring us some things that we do not expect and so that certainly plays a role as well.” Tood Alexander, senior project manager, said that all the underground utility wiring has been installed and the first-floor walls will be erected in December. The $29,690,346 project will include 5 1/2 floors that will resemble individual terraces, a community room on the first floor that holds around 120 people, a computer floor and a cafe, as well as a small rooftop reading garden. Library patrons will also be able to take out and return books through a self-check-in and check-out system on the first floor. The most significant change in the plan is the exclusion of the reflecting pool at the courtyard near Gantry Plaza State Park. Instead, the space will be filled with small tables and chairs. The floor will be constructed from pieces of cobblestone and pavement with varying heights and shapes, according to Alexander. Mark Christie, president of Friends of Hunters Point Library, noted that it was important that the building have a skateboard deterrent. The cobblestone will make it impossible for skaters to use the area, Alexander said. “We see these big men jumping all over strange places,” Christie said. “They use public spaces as a ramp. We never know what they could use.” The original design also included side doors for the community to have access to the meeting room after-hours but that was scrapped from the plan. Larry Gallegos, community affairs manager for the Queens Library, said he will work with the community on a caseby case basis to keep the library open for meetings. Gallegos said other libraries have kept their doors open as late as 10 p.m. for certain meetings. Debra Miller, a LIC resident who lives on Center Boulevard, said she is excited for the opening of the library and noted the increasing demand for the space. The closest library is the Queens Library at Court Square at 25-01 Jackson Ave. “As a relatively new member of the community and having been involved with the Friends of Hunters Point Library this summer with the popup library, a lot of people in the community are ecstatic there is such a demand for it,” Miller said. “There were so many people coming to that popup library we had this summer on Saturdays for a few hours.” Photo by Angela Matua Mayor Bill de Blasio and other elected officials took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase of Hunters Point South construction in Long Island City. De Blasio joins Queens officials for groundbreaking at Hunters Point South Mayor Bill de Blasio and Queens elected officials celebrated the second phase of construction at Hunters Point South with a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday. Upon its completion, Hunters Point South will be the largest affordable housing unit built in New York City since the 1970s. The second phase will include 3,000 units split between four mixed-use housing parcels, 100,000 square feet of retail space, a new 11-acre waterfront park and a community facility space. Out of the 3,000 units, 60 percent will be deemed affordable to lowand middle-income families. In total, Hunters Point South will bring 5,000 new units to the Long Island City waterfront. “We’re building a new neighborhood from the ground up, from its streets to its parks to its transit,” De Blasio said. “This is going to be the biggest affordable housing project built in a generation, and it’s going to ensure that this corner of Queens – despite all the market pressures driving up rents – will remain a diverse place for working people.” As a part of the mayor’s Housing New York Plan, the project will cost $99 million and construction of the infrastructure, roadways and waterfront park is set to be completed in 2018. Housing construction will begin soon after. “Queens, as you know, is a borough of neighborhoods,” Queens Borough President Melinda Katz remarked. “We’re still the only borough that says, ‘I’m from Forest Hills, New York, I’m from Rego Park, New York, I’m from Hunters Point South, New York.’ We pride ourselves on that and to have a commitment and development like Hunters Point South, which is going to allow folks not only to come here, live here, raise their kids here but afford to be able to live in such an enormously great place like the borough of Queens, it’s truly a phenomenal moment.” Katz also pledged to with De Blasio to implement even more affordable housing in the months to come. The borough president, along with 11 other community boards in Queens, voted to oppose zoning regulations that would expand affordable housing in the city. Several community boards cited numerous issues with the amendments including lack of parking and language in the regulations that favored developers over communities. Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer noted that along with affordable housing, more infrastructure, services and programs such as schools will also be required to ensure that every community member is served. “A lot of families have put their heart blood and soul into making this place so amazing so now that many others want to come to live here, which is a great blessing,” Van Bramer said. “My job as your local elected official is to make sure that the city does everything first and foremost with every single one of you in mind.”
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