8 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 23, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
New Ozone Park Industrial Center off ers rental space for small businesses and entrepreneurs
With the purchase of glasses,
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State offi cials were joined by community members on Jan. 15 to celebrate the grand opening of The GMDC Ozone Park
Industrial Center that will provide aff ordable rental space to small businesses, artisans, makers and other local entrepreneurs.
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NEW YEAR'S SALES FLEX
SPENDING
"USE IT
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BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
State offi cials and community
leaders celebrated the grand
opening of Th e GMDC Ozone
Park Industrial Center that will
provide aff ordable rental space
to small businesses, artisans,
makers and other local entrepreneurs,
on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
Guests included Empire State
Development (ESD), New York
State Offi ce of Parks, Recreation
and Historic Preservation, and
the New York State Energy
Research and Development
Authority (NYSERDA), as well
as nonprofi t industrial developer
Greenpoint Manufacturing
and Design Center (GMDC),
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and
Councilwoman Adrienne
Adams.
“I am so proud to have
the new GMDC Ozone Park
Industrial Center, a fi rst-class
industrial work space, in my district
to increase quality industrial
jobs and economic development,”
Adams said. “Th is previously
unused space has been
transformed to a gem for the
community that will bring quality
living wage jobs to Queens
residents.”
Th e new Ozone Park Industrial
Center, spread over three buildings
and spanning an entire city
block, located at 101-01 95th
Ave., provides 85,000 square feet
of aff ordable industrial space
that will be leased to local woodworkers,
artisans, custom fabricators
and other entrepreneurs.
Th e building will house more
than two dozen manufacturing
businesses, providing approximately
80 jobs at the facility.
Th e project supports Gov.
Andrew Cuomo’s eff orts to revitalize
New York’s manufacturing
sector and support small businesses.
“The new GMDC Ozone
Park Industrial Center builds
on our economic development
strategy by transforming a historic
structure into space that
will allow manufacturers to
thrive in Queens,” Hochul said.
“Supported by signifi cant state
investment, this project embraces
our past and charts a course
for the future focused on job
growth, innovation and the continued
rebirth of manufacturing
across New York.”
The rehabilitated building
achieved LEED certification
and roughly two-thirds of construction
workers were based in
Brooklyn and Queens. It was
originally built in 1906 as the
Spear & Company Factory, and
originally produced hats and
wax novelty items. Th e building
later housed the Worksman
bicycle company.
GMDC, New York City’s premier
nonprofi t industrial developer,
spent $42 million to purchase
and rehabilitate the property,
representing one of the largest
investments in Ozone Park in
recent history. It is the company’s
fi rst location outside of Brooklyn
and the building is now listed
on both the New York State
Register of Historic Places and
the National Register of Historic
Places.
“GMDC is grateful for the
strong support the state of
New York has provided to
our Ozone Park project,” said
Brian T. Coleman, CEO of
Greenpoint Manufacturing
and Design Center Local
Development Corporation.
“Funding from ESD, subsidy
from NYSERDA and historic
tax credits from SHPO were
vital to the completion of our
project.”
Th e project was supported by
nearly $11 million from New
York state, including a $2.1 million
grant from Empire State
Development, $8.8 million in
state and federal historic preservation
tax credits administered
by the New York State Offi ce of
Parks, Recreation and Historic
Preservation, and $39,000 from
NYSERDA to support solar
power installations on the building’s
roof.
“Supporting energy effi cient
technologies and renewable energy
resources as part of historic renovations
demonstrates New York’s
commitment to fostering economy
wide carbon neutrality as we
build cleaner, healthier communities
for all and protect our natural
environment under Governor
Cuomo’s clean energy and climate
goals,” said Alicia Barton, president
and CEO of NYSERDA.
The GMDC Ozone Park
Industrial Center also received
a $10 million grant from New
York City’s Industrial Developer
Fund as well as a $3.7 million
loan through the Industrial
Developer Loan Fund. In addition,
$2.3 million in city property
tax benefi ts were provided
through the NYC Industrial
Development Agency.
State Senator James Sanders Jr.
said, “I am hopeful that the new
project will create much-needed
good-paying jobs, while helping
to re-energize our local economy
and re-purpose an empty
factory. Th is project is a good
example of how government and
non-profi ts working together
can produce positive results.”
Tenants are expected to begin
occupying the space on a fulltime
basis in early 2020.
City Councilwoman Adrienne Adams Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul
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