LONG ISLAND CITY TOMORROW
The Anable Basin in Long Island City, where the Amazon campus was to be developed. Photo courtesy of Governor’s office
WHAT’S NEXT FOR LIC?
Even without Amazon, neighborhood’s future is sky high
Four months after Amazon
abruptly cancelled its
plans to build an HQ2 campus
in Long Island City
and create more than 25,000
jobs and $27 billion in tax revenue,
the area has continued
with the unprecedented building
boom that made it the fastest
growing neighborhood in
the nation.
More than 350 new development
projects are underway
or in the pipeline, according
to the Long Island City Partnership.
The luxury high-rises seem
to be rising on nearly every
block in the Queens Plaza and
Court Square sections. It is
where construction is well underway
of the Skyline Tower,
which promises to be the tallest
building in Queens at 67
stories with a sellout price for
all of its 802 condominiums to
be more than $1 billion.
Eric Benaim, the founder
Eric Benaim is once again circulating
a petition to revive the Amazon HQ2
project in Long Island City. File photo
and CEO of Modern Spaces,
the Long Island City-based
brokerage marketing the tower,
fought valiantly for Amazon
to reverse course and proceed
with its plan to build its
complex around the Anable
City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, state Senator Michael Gianaris and Assemblywoman
Aravella Simotas led the charge against the Amazon deal after
it was announced last fall. Photo by Walter Karling
Basin on 44th Drive. He has
turned the page.
“The truth is, this was the
fastest growing neighborhood
way before Amazon,” Benaim
said. “The market was great
prior to Amazon and it will
continue to be great without
them. Amazon put Long
Island City on the map. Everybody
in the whole world
knows about LIC now.”
Greg Smith of JR Realty,
which has been dealing in
22 QUEENS TOMORROW 2019