22 The Queens Courier • juLY 2, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Uno Pizzeria and 5-25 46th Ave. Grill in Forest Hills closes BY ALINA SURIEL [email protected]/@alinangelica Forest Hills residents will have to go somewhere Photo courtesy Scott Bintner/PropertyShark Barneys takes space in Long Island City building BY LIAM LA GUERE [email protected]/@LiamLaGuerre Luxury chain store Barneys New York has moved part of its visual department into Long Island City. The department store took a 10,000-square-foot space out of 5-25 46th Ave., a three-story building owned by plastic packaging company Plaxall, The Real Deal reported. The building is also home to the popular LIC Flea & Food. Space in the 46,000-square-foot building costs about $35 per square foot. Barneys’ move to LIC reflects the growing interest for office space in the neighborhood, which is mostly known for its massive residential boom. Many older industrial buildings in LIC have been turned into office space recently, reflecting the interest in the area, which has cheaper rents than Brooklyn and Manhattan but offers transportation to those boroughs. Today various recognizable office buildings exists throughout the neighborhood, including One Court Square, the Standard Motors Products Building, the Falchi building and The Factory. else for their deep dish pizza fix. The Uno Pizzeria and Grill on 107-16 70th Rd. has closed. Wednesday, June 24, was the last time that Chicago-style deep dish pizza lovers were able to dine at the eatery, which had been at the location for over 25 years. “We’re very sad and very surprised,” said Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce President Leslie Brown, who added that the chamber got notice of the restaurant’s closing on its last day of operation. “We held our monthly chamber meetings there, so it’s a double whammy for us.” According to multiple online reports, parent company Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation filed for bankruptcy in 2010 with a debt of $176.3 million after a failed menu redesign which aimed to move the company toward more varied and health-conscious food options. In February 2015, the Boston Globe reported that the company has largely pulled itself out of debt and remodeled many of its franchises, even changing its name from Uno Chicago Grill to Uno Pizzeria and Grill, and reemphasized their signature deep dish pizza menu options. CM Van Bramer: More schools coming soon to LIC BY LIAM LA GUERE [email protected] @LiamLaGuerre With more than 22,500 new residential units planned for or already under construction in Long Island City, many questions about infrastructure are up in the air. The lack of seats in schools in particular poses a great concern as current residents want to make sure that the institutions aren’t overloaded with children when thousands of new residents move in. But Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer tried to clear up doubt about lack of school spaces during a Q&A at the second annual LIC Summit event on Tuesday at the Museum of the Moving Image. While answering a question about more schools from a frustrated parent, Van Bramer said he has been working with the School Construction Authority (SCA) to find sites for new schools in LIC. The politician and the SCA will have some “good news in terms of future school sites announced relatively quickly,” Van Bramer told The Courier following the panel. The councilman couldn’t yet reveal details about the future schools in the area, such as where, how many seats or when they would be ready. But Van Bramer said he understands the concerns from parents and is hoping to get good news to the community soon. “We need more schools,” he said. “I think that’s absolutely essential that we build more schools for the future of Long Island City. I feel the urgency on the part of some of the parents.” THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, right, at a press conference in April for a new building. “WE’RE VERY SAD AND VERY SURPRISED” Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce President Leslie Brown
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