26 The QUEE NS Courier • DECEMBER 10, 2015 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Commercial building in LIC purchased for $20M By Angela Matua amatua@queenscourier.com/@AngelaMatua It’s a different kind of union deal. A property located at 48-18 Van Dam St. in Long Island City was recently purchased by pension funds Local 27 IBT and Local 813 IBT, who hope to lease out the space and also make it their new home. Local 813 represents New York and metropolitan area employees in the private sanitation, funeral, demolition, rental car, the paper and corrugated, and the factory and warehouse industries. Local 183 and Local 27 merged in the 1990s. The two-story, 55,000-square-foot property is bounded by 48th and Hunters Point avenues and in between the Long Island Expressway and Queens Boulevard. According to Louis Puopolo, who represented Queens pols welcome shakeup at Department of Homeless Services By Robert Pozarycki rpozarycki@queenscourier.com/@robbpoz Lawmakers and activists in Queens who have repeatedly called for reforms at the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) finally got their wish on Dec. 15. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city would “evaluate and seek potential reorganizations” at the DHS. That process began with the resignation of DHS Commissioner Gilbert Taylor, who will remain with the de Blasio administration as an adviser. Human Resources Administration Commissioner Steven Banks will oversee the evaluation effort. The shakeup comes as New York City continues to grapple with record levels of homelessness citywide, as more than 50,000 people either live on the streets or in shelters. Since de Blasio took office, the DHS — working with nonprofit partners — opened emergency shelters at defunct hotels in Queens, including the Pan American in Elmhurst, the Clarion hotel in East Elmhurst and the Verve in Long Island City. The DHS also championed plans to make the Pan American shelter (also called the Boulevard Family Residence) permanent; City Comptroller Scott Stringer repeatedly rejected a city contract for that shelter over concerns regarding conditions at the hotel. The city also continues to pursue, over the objections of local residents and elected officials, the construction of a transitional housing shelter at a former Glendale factory. Two Queens lawmakers critical of the city’s shelter system — state Senators Toby Ann Stavisky and Tony Avella — welcomed news of the DHS shakeup in separate statements issued following the mayor’s announcement Tuesday. Stavisky said Taylor’s departure as DHS commissioner “presents an opportunity to reshape the way the DHS operates.” She remarked that her inquiries and concerns to the DHS regarding conditions at the Pan American shelter repeatedly “fell upon deaf ears.” The senator further expressed hope that the city would move away from the traditional shelter system and toward “supportive housing,” a concept in which homeless people are provided with residential and various social services to recover and rebuild their lives. “With the number of people in shelters increasing from 53,000 to more than 57,000 over the past two years, we as a city must acknowledge that homelessness is a serious issue,” Stavisky said. “Restructuring the agency in coordination with the Human Resources Administration will hopefully lead to improved services for clients and better communication for all.” Avella was much sharper in his criticism of the DHS, charging that “there was an abject failure to self-critique and an unwillingness to communicate” at the agency under Taylor’s watch. “With today’s announcement that he will be stepping down, I have renewed hope for the agency under Steven Banks’ direction and look forward to seeing an overhaul of DHS,” Avella said. “His testimony during a state Senate task force’s public hearing on the current state of homelessness provided valuable insight into the challenges we face in addressing the rise of the homeless population.” the buyer and is co-head of operations at Douglas Elliman Commercial, the buyer is looking to provide commercial opportunities to an area that is dominated by residential and office construction. “The buyer was keenly aware of the fact that the supply of quality commercial product would continue to shrink due to the rapid pace of residential, hotel and office construction in the nearby Court Square and Hunters Point neighborhoods,” Puopolo said. “In recognizing the growth of Long Island City, Locals 27 and 813 now have the unique advantage of controlling costs by owning their own space and creating value for the organization and their membership.” According to the Commercial Observer, Environetics has been hired as the architect. The first floor will be dedicated to retail space while the second floor will be office space. There are currently three companies leasing space within the building, taking up about 17,000 square feet. Local 813 IBT Pension Fund is currently headquartered in a suite at 45-18 Court Sq. Photo via Google Maps The property at 48-18 Court Sq. has been purchased by Local 813 for $20 million. File photo Protesters outside the homeless shelter at the former Pan American hotel in Elmhurst this summer.
QC12172015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above