Long Island City commercial
real estate for the last 15 years,
concurred with Benaim.
“In spite of the Amazon debacle,
LIC came out stronger,”
Smith said. “It’s now on the
map in a much more significant
way and now many more
companies in tech, media and
the innovative economy are
making inquiries about spaces
in LIC. Cool spaces in the
live-work community which is
exactly what LIC provides in
close proximity to Manhattan.”
Smith excoriated the political
leadership of western
Queens after Amazon blamed
a “lack of collaborative relationships
with state and local
officials” when the project
was scuttled.
“Who in their right mind
would give up 25,000 jobs? It was
a gamble and they lost,” Smith
said. “Amazon wanted to come
to Queens and now they’re securing
space on Manhattan’s
West Side. They’ll still be in
New York but not in Queens because
of the politicians.”
The city’s Economic Development
Corporation is at the
early stages of discussions
with the companies that were
to partner with Amazon on the
HQ2 campus, Plaxall and TF
Cornerstone, about what comes
next at Anable Basin.
Plaxall, the family-owned
company which has headquartered
in LIC for more than
70 years, announced in 2017
that they hoped to rezone a 15-
acre parcel of land and build a
mixed-use district that would
include 5,000 residential units
and a waterfront esplanade.
TF Cornerstone, the builder
of seven of the high-rise towers
on Center Boulevard, had their
own plans to build the Long
Island City Innovation Center
on city-owned land on the
waterfront at the end of 44th
Drive that would include 1,000
residential units in two towers
with industrial and commercial
space.
All three parties declined
to comment on what happens
next at Anable Basin, but Brent
O’Leary, the president of the
Hunters Point Civics Association,
is seeking answers.
“The Hunters Point Civic
Association has put in a formal
request with the EDC for the developers
to present their plans
to the neighborhood,” O’Leary
said. “They are all talking together
and we have advocated
for one unified proposal that
can be presented to the community
so we can respond.”
O’Leary believes
the silence from the
EDC, Plaxall and
TF Cornerstone
could be due to
plans to develop
the southern end
of Hunters Point.
TF Cornerstone
is proposing
to rezone the
area between 2nd
Street and 5th
Street where it
bought the City
Harvest property
alongside Newtown
Creek across
from where the
Hunters Point
South development
is rising.
“I’m pretty sure TF Cornerstone
focus has shifted to that
project.” O’Leary suggested.
One part of the plan would
include decking over a threeacre
portion on the Long Island
Rail Road Hunters Point
Avenue Station in order to
create retail space and more
than eight acres of public
greenspace.
State Senator Michael Gianaris,
who many credit or
blame for Amazon’s departure,
is keeping a close eye on developments.
“There is a broader conversation
taking place in Hunters
Point and I’m keeping tabs
on it to see which direction
it’s heading but whatever happens
next in Long Island City
has to involve community input,”
Gianaris said. “The
neighborhood will
continue to grow,
nothing is going to
stop that, but this
growth must serve
the community
with better transit,
more schools,
an improved
sewer system
and more affordable
housing
to stem the
tide of gentrification.”
City Councilman Jimmy
Van Bramer, who grilled Amazon
executives at a series of
hearings, agreed that infrastructure
improvements were
key to making the community
more livable and sustainable.
"We also need more space for
local artists and cultural organizations,
further investment
in our public libraries, and all
of the public amenities needed
for any community to thrive,"
Van Bramer said. "We have to
make sure economic development
is done the right way. New
proposals for Anable Basin
must go through ULURP and
developers must focus more on
meeting the needs of our community
and its longtime residents
rather than lining their
pockets. Ii is imperative that we
all work together to bring new
opportunities to LIC, while also
preserving the culture, character,
and accessibility of our vibrant
community."
Skyline Tower in Long
Island City promises to
be the tallest building in
Queens. Rendering courtesy
of Modern Spaces
2019 QUEENS TOMORROW 23