As Rezoning Plan Moves Ahead, A Photo Tour of Long Island City

The City Planning Commission approved a plan Wednesday to rezone a -block swath of the Queens waterfront neighborhood to spur an estimated new apartments over the next decade Take a tour of the area on the verge of transformation Looking west from Anabel Basin in Long Island City Adi Talwar City Limits The City Planning Commission approved a plan Wednesday to rezone a -block swath of Long Island City to spur an estimated new apartments in the waterfront neighborhood over the next decade The OneLIC Neighborhood Plan as the project is called will head to the City Council next for a final vote Should it pass it s expected to create the the greater part amount of housing generated by a neighborhood specific rezoning in at least years City Planning Director Daniel Garodnick disclosed With its central location access to multiple subway and bus lines strong local business sector and excellent amenities Long Island City is exactly where the city should be adding more housing he added The Hunters Point waterfront not part of the at this time proposed rezoning area has seen tremendous rise over the last two decades Adi Talwar City Limits The neighborhood has seen its fair share of transformation already over the last decade its population grew by percent with residents moving into a number of glossy new apartments towers that have sprung up along the waterfront including those built as part of the city s Hunters Point South project The OneLIC plan however targets a more industrial part of the neighborhood bound by Queens Plaza to the north th Avenue to the south th Street to the east and th Street and the East River to the west Garodnick described the area as frozen and held back by outdated zoning that restricts new housing and business enhancement Even where housing is allowed there are no requirements for affordability he stated The rezoning would create an estimated new housing units of them permanently income-restricted leaders disclosed That includes affordable units at a city-owned site at - th Ave in the present used by the Department of Transportation A city-owned site at - th Ave will be developed into affordable apartments Adi Talwar City Limits The city also distributed a Request for Information this spring asking developers to pitch their ideas for adaptive reuse of another city-owned building at - Vernon Blvd largest part in recent times used by the Department of Tuition Plans for that location pictured below was a sticking point for at least one City Planning Commission member who voted against the rezoning I cannot patronage a proposal until there is a guarantee that if housing were to be developed here on masses land it would be percent affordable Commissioner Juan Camilo Osorio explained during Wednesday s hearing Osorio also cited vital adverse impacts mentioned in the project s environmental impact inquiry echoing concerns aired earlier by certain region members about the promising strain new improvement would have on existing neighborhood support The list includes but is not limited to citizens schools libraries open space and air quality Osorio commented also calling for the city to to strengthen flood resiliency strategies for the rezoning area The corner of th Avenue and Vernon Boulevard in the rezoning area Adi Talwar City Limits City administrators however touted a number of benefits they say the rezoning would bring The plan includes creating million square feet of new commercial office and retail space over the next years and approximately square feet for locality facilities in exchange the area would lose square feet of industrial space It s expected to generate local jobs representatives project The former Paragon Paint Factory site - Vernon Blvd falls within the rezoning area Adi Talwar City Limits Additionally the proposal would give developers a floor area bonus in other words more room to build if their projects include publicly accessible plazas or squares It would also build new green space to link Queensbrige Park north of the rezoning area to Gantry Plaza State Park further south That will create a continuous stretch of open space all along the neighborhood s waterfront ending with Hunters Point South Park which reaches down to Newtown Creek Looking south down the East River from the North end of Queensbridge Park The rezoning would build a new stretch of parkland from Queensbridge to nearby Gantry Plaza State Park Adi Talwar City Limits Part of that green stretch will be a reimagined Anable Basin that provides a considerable amount of open space improved flood resiliency and easy populace access to the water Garodnick revealed referring to an inlet the East River between th Avenue and North Basin Road the site had once been eyed by delivery giant Amazon for its Queens headquarters though the controversial plan fell apart in Looking east over Anable Basin towards Manhattan Adi Talwar City Limits A space for rent on Vernon Blvd th Ave - th Dr along Anable Basin Queens Population Boards and as well as Queens Borough President Donovan Richards recommended approval of the OneLIC plan though all three had conditions they want the final deal to include like deeper levels of affordability for income-restricted units new schools and a diagnostic facility as well as repair funds NYCHA s Queensbridge Houses It is my belief that as a whole this proposal is a critical step forward in preserving the unique character of Long Island City while ensuring the bright future of this neighborhood is one that can be enjoyed by all who right now call it home and those who will do so in the coming years regardless of one s place on the socioeconomic spectrum Richards noted in his recommendation A pedestrian plaza on th Street and th Avenue The intersection of Queens Plaza South and rd Street The corner of st Street and Avenue in the rezoning area Adi Talwar City Limits The plan will head next to the City Council for a final vote where it s fate will largely be in the hands of Councilmember Julie Won since lawmakers almost unfailingly defer to the local representative on land use decisions in their district I will fight to ensure the final OneLIC Neighborhood Plan delivers resiliency sustainability and longevity through commitments on deeply affordable housing pathways to affordable home ownership thousands of additional school seats a connected waterfront new green spaces and more Won mentioned in a comment this spring An art installation in the Anable Basin area An autoshop at - Vernon Blvd A view of NYCHA s Queensbridge Houses from Vernon Boulevard Adi Talwar City Limits To reach the editor contact Jeanmarie citylimits org Want to republish this story Find City Limits reprint initiative here The post As Rezoning Plan Moves Ahead A Photo Tour of Long Island City appeared first on City Limits