8 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 20, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Coundown clocks arrive on 7 line this year
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
Stations on the 7 line will receive countdown
Photo via Shutterstock
Latest Astoria development adds 711 apts.
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @AngelaMatua
A nine-story residential building is
planned to rise on 12th Street in Astoria
and will include a whopping 711 units.
Th e site, located at 30-80 12th St., is
being developed by Criterion Group,
which is based in the neighborhood. Th e
project will cost $315.6 million to construct
and the development company
will utilize the EB-5 Immigrant Investor
Program to fund it, YIMBY fi rst reported.
Th e program was started in 1990 “to
stimulate the U.S. economy through job
creation and capital investment by foreign
investors.” Th e program gives EB-5
visas for people who invest in “commercial
enterprises” that include regional centers.
Greystone, a New York-based commercial
real estate lending, investment
and advisory company, will act as the
regional center.
Out of 711 units, 146 of them will
be aff ordable, and amenities will include
“exclusive clubs, rooft op gardens, indoor
basketball courts and recreational facilities,”
according to the project website. Th e
building will take up an entire city block.
Construction began this month and will
take approximately two years to complete.
HAAK Architects will handle the design. Photo courtsey of HAAK Architects
clocks in December to give riders an
accurate picture of how long they’ll have to
wait to get on board.
All 22 stations will receive the clocks by
the end of the year, though it won’t be in
time to help ease the “Summer of Hell”
that commuters are expected to experience
as major upgrades and changes are made
to subways and the Long Island Rail Road.
Th e 7 train, which recently celebrated its
100th birthday, is so plagued with delays
and other issues that it inspired a Facebook
page. Queens residents started 7 Train
Blues to provide constant updates to each
other about the line’s status.
Today, the train was stuck at Grand
Central for longer than it should have been
because the emergency breaks were activated
for an unknown reason. Th e Steinway
tube, where the train was stuck, was originally
constructed as a trolley tunnel and
employees do not have room to walk in the
tunnel, an MTA spokesperson said. Crews
had to inspect the bottom of each car to
fi nd the engaged brake.
Trains to Penn Station are also being
re-routed to stop near the Hunters Point
Avenue station in Long Island City and
the MTA is urging riders to take the 7 into
work, making the line even more congested.
In a meeting with the MTA in Sunnyside
last April, Queens residents railed against
the agency for poor communication with
riders. Plagued by delays, overcrowded
platforms and weekend closures, riders
said they rely on social media and outside
sources to stay updated and make decisions
about their daily commutes.
David Frieman, a Sunnyside resident,
told the MTA at the time that it has a “blind
spot” when it comes to delivering customer
service and real-time information to riders.
MTA President Veronique Hakim told
riders that features such as Wi-Fi and
on-the-go kiosks would help the agency
communicate directly with riders.
According to the MTA’s Subway Time
app, the D, F, J, Z and A lines will also
get countdown clocks in November and
December.
The 7 line will get countdown clocks in every station this December.
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