44 The QUEE NS Courier • WELCOME TO • JULY 16, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com welcome to flushing s LIVING IN FLUSHING By Alina Suriel Few would deny that Flushing is increasingly becoming a destination of choice in Queens for its cultural and commercial offerings. According to the Flushing Business Improvement District, the thriving outer-borough center has transit hubs which host nearly 100,000 daily commuters, and increasing downtown development ensures that Flushing is sure to get even busier as its housing, retail and entertainment market increases. Flushing saw drastic demographic changes in the 1970s and ‘80s as white, middle class residents largely left for the suburbs of Long Island and increasing immigration from China and Korea created a community of entrepreneurs with international roots. This year, the Department of City Planning reported that some areas of Flushing have an Asian community of 71 percent of the total population, and the number of Chinese people living in Flushing has outnumbered those in Manhattan’s Chinatown since 2010. Many of the local politicians are of Asian descent and act as outspoken advocates for the community they serve, including City Councilman Peter Koo, who immigrated to America from Hong Kong, and Assemblyman Ron Kim, the first Korean-American elected to the state Legislature. The strong Asian influences in Flushing have led to the area being known as a hotspot for a mix of food and cultural experiences including culinary offerings from a wide variety of countries; street markets selling fresh produce, fish and dried goods; and Korean-style karaoke. Thousands flock to Flushing for the annual Lunar New Year parade, in which traditional clothing and life-size dragon puppets rule the streets to celebrate the start of the new year. “These days, more Korean families are moving into Flushing,” said Minsun Kim, president of the Korean American Association of Greater New York. “We would like to share our culture with other communities.” One of the most unique aspects of Flushing is an economy that depends on small businesses. A 2011 economic snapshot of the area by the state Comptroller’s office found that nearly 90 percent of businesses in Flushing had 10 or fewer employees, a much higher rate than that of New York City as a whole. John Choe, executive director of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, said that the small size of local businesses allows shopkeepers to focus on providing a specific niche of services not widely available in other places. The neighborhood has cornered the market on Asian products in high demand from immigrant communities, and for this purpose has become a regional destination attracting people from all over the tri-state area. “It’s basically one of the most critically important parts of what makes Flushing work,” Choe said.“During the recession, Flushing was one of the few neighborhoods in the city that grew and created jobs.” Although the neighborhood has a thriving overall economy, a wide spectrum of income levels in Flushing reflects the variety of industries that employ its residents. While earnings from relatively high-paying health sector jobs comprised about 40 percent of the total wages in 2010, Census numbers from 2013 show that over 30 percent of Flushing works in the service industry and the median household income is low at $34,428. Flushing real estate is exploding and several large-scale projects have been raised in recent years, with construction ongoing even throughout the 2008 recession. The new high-rise buildings have mixed usage, accommodating luxury department stores and condominiums sold at market rate. Among these developments are the Sky View Parc mall— which opened in 2010 and includes big-box stores such as Target, Nordstrom and Best Buy—and the New World Mall, a four-story shopping space that boasts 167,000 square feet and 350 valet parking spaces. Even with the recent boom, some high-profile real estate developments are still being eagerly anticipated for the amenities they are set to bring into the Flushing community. A 17-story mixeduse building at the site of the former RKO Keith’s movie house will bring 357 rental apartments to Northern Boulevard, along with 360 parking spaces, stores and a community center. Flushing Commons, a redevelopment currently underway on a formerly city-owned municipal parking lot, is planned as a mixed-use destination that will provide housing, community space, public open space, office and retail opportunities, with the Flushing YMCA set to move into a new 62,000-square-foot facility on its grounds. More Flushing real estate activity is expected to follow the major projects already completed, with the Department of City Planning currently performing a study aimed at a major rezoning. This will allow for increases in commercial and residential uses, with emphasis on upping the supply of affordable housing.
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